Tangled Up In Blue

Early one mornin' the sun was shining I was laying in bed
wondering if she'd changed at all - if her hair was still red.
Her folks had said their lives together sure was gonna be rough.
They never did like Momma's home made dress Pappa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
And I was standing on the side of the road rain falling on my shoes.
Heading out to the east coast Lord knows I've paid some dues getting through.
Tangled Up In Blue.

She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced.
Helped her out of a jam I guess but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out west
Split up on the docks at nite both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me as I was walking away
I heard her say this ain't the end we'll meet again some day on the avenue
(Tangled Up In Blue)
I had a job in the great north woods working as a cook for a spell
Never did like it all that much and one day the axe just fell.
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I was lucky nuff to be employed
Working for a while on a fishing boat righ outside of Delacroix.
But all the while I was alone the past was close behind
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue...
She was working in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at her side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I was just about to do the same
She was standing there right beside my chair
She said "Jimmy don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy

When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe

Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello" she said
"You look like the silent type"

Then she opened up a book of poems handed it to me

from the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal

Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you
Tangled up in blue

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the café at night
Revolution was in the air

Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside

And when all came crashing down I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue.
So now I'm going on back again
I got to get her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're illusions to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are truck drivers wives
Don't know how it got started
I don't know what they do with their lives
But me I'm still on the road
Heading for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in Blue.