Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

Bob Dylan

About Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965, and released on the album Highway 61 Revisited. The song was later released on the compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II and as two separate live versions recorded at concerts in 1966: the first of which appeared on the B-side of Dylan's "I Want You" single, with the second being released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert. The song has been covered by many artists, including Gordon Lightfoot, Nina Simone, Barry McGuire, Judy Collins, Frankie Miller, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, The Black Crowes, Townes Van Zandt, and Bryan Ferry. Lightfoot's version was recorded only weeks after Dylan's original had been released and reached #3 on the Canadian RPM singles chart. "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" has six verses but no chorus. The song's lyrics describe a vision of the narrator's experiences in Juarez, Mexico, where he encounters poverty, sickness, despair, available women, indifferent authorities, alcohol and drugs before finally deciding to return to New York City. The lyrics incorporate literary references to Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels, while the song's title references Arthur Rimbaud's "My Bohemian Life (Fantasy)". Music journalist Toby Creswell included it on his list of the 1001 greatest songs of all time, and music critic Dave Marsh ranked the live version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" from Liverpool, released as the B-side of "I Want You", as the #243 greatest single of all time. 


Year:
2001
5:32
39 

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When you're lost in the rain in Juarez when it's Easter time, too
And your gravity fails and negativity don't pull you through
Don't put on any airs when you're down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there and they really make a mess outta you

Now, if you see Saint Annie, please tell her thanks a lot
I cannot move, my fingers are all in a knot
I don't have the strength to get up and take another shot
And my best friend, my doctor, won't even say what it is I've got

Sweet Melinda, the peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English and she invites you up into her room
And you're so kind and careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice and leaves you howling at the moon

Up on Housing Project Hill, it's either fortune or fame
You must pick one or the other, though neither of them are to be what they claim
If you're lookin' to get silly, you better go back to from where you came
Because the cops don't need you, and man, they expect the same

Now, all the authorities, they just stand around and boast
How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms into leaving his post
And picking up Angel, who just arrived here from the coast
Who looked so fine at first but left looking just like a ghost

I started out on burgundy but soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they'd stand behind me when the game got rough
But the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to bluff
I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan ( /ˈdɪlən/; born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and artist. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in … more »

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Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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8 facts about this song

Song's Background
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released on the 1965 album "Highway 61 Revisited."
Bob Dylan's Version
Bob Dylan's recording of the song is remarkably known for its long, complex lines and its vivid, abstract imagery. - The song is also praised for its beautiful sad tune, a departure from Dylan's earlier, more political pieces.
Bryan Ferry Version
English singer and songwriter Brian Ferry covered "Just like Tom Thumb’s Blues" in his 2007 album "Dylanesque," a tribute to Bob Dylan. - Ferry's version is characterized by his distinctive vocals, with an arrangement that has traces of rock, glam, and art-pop elements.
Linda Ronstadt Version
Linda Ronstadt performed a cover of the song in her 1969 album "Hand Sown ... Home Grown." - Ronstadt significantly altered the melody of the original song, giving it a country-folk feel that suited her vocal style.
Neil Young's Version
Neil Young performed the song on several live performances, including at the Bob Dylan Tribute concert in 1992. - Young's rendition has a mournful tone, reflecting his distinctive, high-pitched folk rock style.
Nina Simone Version
Nina Simone, one of the most eclectic R&B artists of all time, recorded a version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" on her 1969 album "To Love Somebody." - Simone's version has a distinct jazzy value and is driven by her strong, soulful vocals.
Lyrics
The song lyrics recount experiences and struggles in a psychedelic world, a reference to Dylan's visit to Mexico, where he encountered disorientation and soul-searching.
Popularity and Recognition
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" has been covered by numerous artists in many genres over the past six decades, demonstrating its enduring popularity and significance. - Despite never being released as a single, the song is considered one of Dylan's best work. In 2015, Rolling Stone listed it as the 16th greatest Bob Dylan song.

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