Desolation Row
Bob Dylan
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They're selling postcards of the hanging, they're painting the passports brown The beauty parlor is filled with sailors, the circus is in town Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other is in his pants And the riot squad they're restless, they need somewhere to go As Lady and I look out tonight, from Desolation Row Cinderella, she seems so easy, "It takes one to know one," she smiles And puts her hands in her back pockets Bette Davis style And in comes Romeo, he's moaning. "You Belong to Me I Believe" And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend, you'd better leave" And the only sound that's left after the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row Now the moon is almost hidden, the stars are beginning to hide The fortune telling lady has even taken all her things inside All except for Cain and Abel and the hunchback of Notre Dame Everybody is making love or else expecting rain And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing, he's getting ready for the show He's going to the carnival tonight on Desolation Row Ophelia, she's 'neath the window for her I feel so afraid On her twenty-second birthday she already is an old maid To her, death is quite romantic she wears an iron vest Her profession's her religion, her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow She spends her time peeking into Desolation Row Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood with his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago with his friend, a jealous monk Now he looked so immaculately frightful as he bummed a cigarette And he when off sniffing drainpipes and reciting the alphabet You would not think to look at him, but he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin on Desolation Row Dr. Filth, he keeps his world inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients, they're trying to blow it up Now his nurse, some local loser, she's in charge of the cyanide hole And she also keeps the cards that read, "Have Mercy on His Soul" They all play on the penny whistles, you can hear them blow If you lean your head out far enough from Desolation Row Across the street they've nailed the curtains, they're getting ready for the feast The Phantom of the Opera in a perfect image of a priest They are spoon feeding Casanova to get him to feel more assured Then they'll kill him with self-confidence after poisoning him with words And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls, "Get outta here if you don't know" Casanova is just being punished for going to Desolation Row" At midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone that knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders and then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles by insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping to Desolation Row Praise be to Nero's Neptune, the Titanic sails at dawn Everybody's shouting, "Which side are you on?!" And Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot fighting in the captain's tower While calypso singers laugh at them and fishermen hold flowers Between the windows of the sea where lovely mermaids flow And nobody has to think too much about Desolation Row Yes, I received your letter yesterday, about the time the doorknob broke When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kind of joke All these people that you mention, yes, I know them, they're quite lame I had to rearrange their faces and give them all another name Right now, I can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row
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Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Historical Context"Desolation Row" was released by Bob Dylan in 1965 as part of his "Highway 61 Revisited" album. It is reputed as one of Dylan's most iconic songs.
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Song LengthNotably, the track stands out for its length which exceeds 11 minutes, making it one of Dylan’s longest studio recordings.
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LyricsThe song features a total of ten verses and no chorus, with each verse offering an apocalyptic narrative populated by a wide array of characters.
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Musical StyleDespite Dylan's reputation as a folk and rock singer, "Desolation Row" is an acoustic ballad played solo by Dylan with the exception of some minimal flamenco-style guitar backing from Charlie McCoy.
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Imagery"Desolation Row" is renowned for its rich and complex imagery which references a broad range of cultural, literary, and historical figures, including Einstein, Nero, and Cinderella among others.
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RecognitionThe song ranked #185 in Rolling Stone’s list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.
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InfluencesThe song shows Dylan's profound interest in the poetry and symbolism of T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound; in his memoir, "Chronicles: Volume One", Dylan acknowledges the influence of these writers on his songwriting.
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Limited Radio PlayGiven its considerable length, "Desolation Row" has not received as much airplay as many of his other iconic songs, making it something of a cult favorite among Dylan enthusiasts.
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InterpretationsOver the years, the song has been open to various interpretations and theories which range from being a eulogy for the death of the American dream, to being a commentary on the counterculture of the 1960s.
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CoversMany musicians have covered "Desolation Row", including My Chemical Romance, who provided a cover for the "Watchmen" film soundtrack.
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Citation
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"Desolation Row Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/33843195/Bob+Dylan/Desolation+Row>.
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