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Bob Dylan : Misc 1990s+

  1. Dignity
    +2
  2. Dreamin' Of You
    +1
  3. Girl From The Red River Shore
  4. Marchin' To The City
    +1
  5. Masquerade
  6. Steel Bars
  7. Tragedy Of The Trade

  8. Can't Escape From You
  9. Cross The Green Mountain
  10. Huck's Tune
  11. Tell Ol' Bill
    +1
  12. Things Have Changed
  13. Waitin' For You

Dignity
1994

C
Fat man looking in a blade of steel Thin man looking at his last meal
F
C
Hollow man looking in a cotton field
F/g
C
For dignity Wise man looking in a blade of grass Young man looking in the shadows that pass Poor man looking through painted glass For dignity
G
Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve
F
C
Somebody said dignity was the first to leave
F
C/e
I went into the city, went into the town
Dm
F/g
Went into the land of the midnight sun Searching high, searching low Searching everywhere I know Asking the cops wherever I go Have you seen dignity? Blind man breaking out of a trance Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance Hoping to find one circumstance Of dignity I went to the wedding of Mary-Lou She said I don't want nobody see me talking to you Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew About dignity I went down where the vultures feed I would've gone deeper, but there wasn't any need Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men Wasn't any difference to me Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade House on fire, debts unpaid Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid Have you seen dignity? Drinking man listens to the voice he hears In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors Looking into the lost forgotten years For dignity Met Prince Philip at the home of the blues Said he'd give me information if his name wasn't used He wanted money up front, said he was abused By dignity Footprints running cross the silver sand Steps going down into tattoo land I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light In the border towns of despair Got no place to fade, got no coat I'm on the rolling river in a jerking boat Trying to read a note somebody wrote About dignity Sick man looking for the doctors cure Looking at his hands for the lines that were And into every masterpiece of literature For dignity Englishman stranded in the black heart wind Combing his hair back, his future looks thin Bites the bullet and he looks within For dignity Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed Dignity never been photographed I went into the red, went into the black Into the valley of dry bone dreams So many roads, so much at stake So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake Sometimes I wonder what its gonna take To find dignity

Dreamin' Of You
1997

Em7
/g
/a
/b
The light in this place is really bad
Em7
/g
/a
/b
Like being at the bottom of a stream
Em7
/g
/a
/b
Any minute now
Em7
/g
/a
/b
I'm expecting to wake up from a dream
G
A
Em7
Means so much
G
A
Em7
The softest touch Like the grave of some child, who neither wept or smiled I pondered my fate in the rain I've been dreaming of you, that's all I do And it's driving me insane Somewhere dawn is breaking Light is streaking across the floor Church bells are ringing I wonder who they're ringing for Travel under any star You'll see me wherever you are The shadowy past is so vague and so vast I'm sleeping in the palace of pain I've been dreaming of you, that's all I do But it's driving me insane Maybe they'll get me, maybe they won't But whatever it won't be tonight I wish your hand was in mine right now We could go where the moon is white For years they had me locked in a cage Then they threw me onto the stage Some things just last longer than you thought they would And they never ever explain I've been dreaming of you, that's all I do And it's driving me insane Well I eat when I'm hungry, drink when I'm dry Live my life on the square Even if the flesh falls off my face It won't matter, long as you're there Feel like a ghost in love Underneath the heavens above Feel further away than I ever did before Feel further I can take Dreaming of you, it's all I do But it's driving me insane Everything in the way is so shiny today In queer and unusual form Spirals of golden haze here and there in a blaze Like beams of light in a storm Maybe you were here and maybe you weren't Maybe you touched somebody and got burnt The silent sun has got me on the run Burning a hole in my brain I'm dreaming of you, that's all I do But it's driving me insane

Girl From The Red River Shore
1997

The
G
's eventually take on a
G7
-ish character when the organ comes in.
C
. . . : . . .
Dm/f
. .
C
: . . .
|--------------|-------------|------------0--|--------------|
|*----------1--|-3-----1-----|-3----------1--|-------------*|
|-----0--------|-------------|-2----------0--|--------------|
|-----2-----2--|-3-----2-----|-3----------2--|--------------|
|*-3-----------|-------------|---------------|-------------*|
|--------------|-------------|---------------|--------------|
C
Some of us turn off the lights and we live
F
In the moonlight shooting by
C
Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark
G
C/g
G
To be where the angels fly
C
Pretty maids all in a row lined up
F
Outside my cabin door
C
I've never wanted any of 'em wanting me
G
C
Except the girl from the red river shore Well, I sat by her side and for a while I tried To make that girl my wife She gave me her best advice and she said Go home and lead a quiet life Well, I been to the east and I been to the west And I been out where the black winds roar Somehow though I never did get that far With the girl from the red river shore Well, I knew when I first laid eyes on her I could never be free One look at her and I knew right away She should always be with me Well, the dream dried up a long time ago Don't know where it is anymore True to life, true to me Was the girl from the red river shore Well, I'm wearing the cloak of misery And I've tasted jilted love And the frozen smile upon my face Fits me like a glove Well, I can't escape from the memory Of the one I'll always adore All those nights when I lay in the arms Of the girl from the red river shore Well, we're living in the shadows of a fading past Trapped in the fires of time I've tried not to ever hurt anybody And to stay out of the life of crime And when it's all been said and done I never did know the score One more day is another day away From the girl from the red river shore Well, I'm a stranger here in a strange land But I know this is where I belong I'll ramble and gamble for the one I love And the hills will give me a song Though nothing looks familiar to me I know I've stayed here before Once a thousand nights ago With the girl from the red river shore Well, I went back to see about her once Went back to straighten it out Everybody that I talked to had seen us there Said they didn't know who I was talking about Well, the sun went down on me a long time ago I've had to pull back from the door I wish I could have spent every hour of my life With the girl from the red river shore Now I heard of a guy who lived a long time ago A man full of sorrow and strife That if someone around him died and was dead He knew how to bring 'em on back to life Well, I don't know what kind of language he used Or if they do that kind of thing anymore Sometimes I think nobody ever saw me here at all Except the girl from the red river shore

Marchin' To The City
1997

Eb/bb
Bb
Eb/bb
Bb
Well, I'm sitting in church, in an old wooden chair
Eb/bb
Bb
Eb/bb
Bb
I knew nobody would look for me there
Eb7
Sorrow and pity rule the earth and the skies
Bb7
Eb/bb
Bb
Looking for nothing in anyone's eyes
F
Eb
Once I had pretty girls, did me wrong
Bb
Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long Snowflakes are falling around my head Lord have mercy, it feel heavy like lead I been hit too hard, seen too much Nothing can heal me now but your touch Once I had a pretty girl, she done me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long Loneliness got a mind of its own The more people around, the more you feel alone I'm chained to the earth, like a silent slave Trying to break free out of death's dark cave Once I had a pretty girl, done me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long Boys in the street, beginning to play Girls like birds, flying away I'm carrying the roses that were given to me And I'm thinking about paradise, wondering what it might be Once I had a pretty girl, she done me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long Go over to London, maybe gay Paree Follow the river, you get to the sea I was hoping we could drink from life's clear streams I was hoping we could dream life's pleasant dreams Once I had a pretty girl, but she done me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long Well the weak get weaker and the strong stay strong The train keeps rolling all night long She looked at me with an irresistible glance With a smile that could make all the planets dance Once I had a pretty girl, she did me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long My house is on fire, burning to the skies I thought the rain clouds, but the clouds passed by When I'm gone, you'll remember my name I'm gonna win my way to wealth and fame Once I had a pretty girl, but she did me wrong Now I'm marching to the city, and the road ain't long

Masquerade
1996

Co-written with Gerry Goffin
Hey what's your name? Hey what's your game? If you put me down I'll do the same Send horror shows to friends you know 'Cause that's the way things often tend to go I'm at a loss to entertain You see the cells are paralyzed inside my brain I bid adieu to all of you I think it's time to end this masquerade Now life was sweet till they called the heat The county jail has just reserved a two room suite How do they get to be such drags? I just can't figure out what's behind their bags One thing I know without fail White man's justice will prevail
Buona Notta Aufwiedersehen
 I think it's time to end this masquerade I forgot to milk the cow, but I don't wanna do it now Like to sleep for a hundred years Till this old world just disappears And so to end this grand affair I hear the commander in chief was even there He worked so hard he broke his back But Ronald Reagan was sleepin' in his sack The hard-ons are in, with nothin' to win It's the same old show
Buenos Dias Arouet
It's a rodeo I think it's time to end this masquerade

Steel Bars
1991

Co-written with Michael Bolton (lyrics/music)
Capo:
I
Dsus4/g 3x0233 (can be replaced by plain Dsus4 or G)
Bbadd9 x13311
Ab 466544
Eb x68886 or x65343
Db x46664 or x43121
Bbm x13321
Dsus4/g
D
Em
C
Dsus4/g
D
Em
C
G
D
Em
.
C
. . .
Dsus4/g
. . .
Bb(add9)
In the night I hear you speak
Dsus4/g
Turn around, you're in my sleep
Bb(add9)
Feel your hands inside your soul
Dsus4/g
You're holding on and won't let go
Em
C
I've tried running but there's no escape
Em
Am7
C
D
Can't bend them, and (I know) I just can't break
G
D
Em
C
These steel bars, wrapped all around me
G
D
Em
C
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
G
D
Am
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
C
G
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine Trying hard to recognize See the face behind the eyes Feel your haunting ways like chains Round my heart they still remain I'm still running, but there's nowhere to hide My love for you has got me locked up inside These steel bars, wrapped all around me I've been your prisoner since the day you found me I'm bound forever, till the end of time Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine
Bm
And with every step I take Every desperate move I make
G
It's clear to me
Bm
What can all my living mean
C
When time itself is so obscene
Am
When time itself don't mean a thing
D
I'm still loving you Steel bars, wrapped all around me I've been your prisoner since the day you found me I'm bound forever, till the end of time...
Key change!
Ab
Eb
Fm
Db
Steel bars, wrapped all around me
Ab
Eb
Fm
Db
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
Ab
Eb
Bbm
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Db
Steel bars

Tragedy Of The Trade
1996

Co-written with Gerry Goffin
A young girl dies in the gutter face down Taxi driver pulls up to the curb, dies without a sound Copping a squad car ridin' round is nowhere to be found Each one has seen his last But we must let it pass Too much money to be made The tragedy of the trade And if you don't give ice to the mob Life around here gets awful hard You're likely to lose more than just a job And if that ain't bad enough Times are getting so tough Most people begging to be underpaid The tragedy of the trade Young man working for the fast food store Sees a recruiting poster and goes off to war I don't think he ever knew what he was fighting for They play Taps and lower the flag When they bring him home in a body bag But don't you be dismayed It's just the tragedy of the trade A baby cries in the ghetto morn Before he's five he'll wish he'd never been born 'Cause all society shows him is their hatred and their scorn He knows he doesn't stand a chance So he grows up with a gangster's stance Just one more reason to be afraid The tragedy of the trade Remember the hum of the factory town Business was booming for a thousand miles around But they farmed out the work and let so many people down I hear it happened just recently Another change in our history The billionaire's promenade The tragedy of the trade The trade takes place around the world on a derelict street Where the masters and the slaves often congregate to meet They make deals, turn the big wheels With starving children dying at their feet The world's been run with Backroom Blood Long before the time of the flood And it's you who are betrayed The tragedy of the trade If you still have innocence, better lock it in a vault Once it was a virtue, but now it's a fault Too many people waiting around just to rip you off And as I understand, no one really gives a damn It's not a game, but that's the way it's played The scales of justice have really never been weighed The tragedy of the trade

Can't Escape From You
2005

Capo:
I
The
Amaj7
thing between the verses is probably better played with a chord
sequence like x06650 --- x04430 on a single guitar. For the variation in
the outro, the descent can start higher:
Amaj7
. . .
Bm7/a
. . .
Amaj7
. . .
Bm7/a
. . .
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-9--------------|-7--------------|-5--------------|-3--------------|
|-9--------------|-7--------------|-6--------------|-4--------------|
|-11-------------|-9--------------|-6--------------|-4--------------|
|-0--------------|-0--------------|-0--------------|-0--------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A
D
Oh the evening train is rolling all along the homeward way
A
A
E
A
All my hopes are over the horizon, all my dreams have gone away
A
D
The hillside darkly shaded, stars fall from above
A
A
E
A
All the joys of earth have faded, the night's untouched by love
D
A
I'll be here 'til tomorrow, beneath a shroud of grey
D
A
E
I pretend I'm free of sorrow, my heart is miles away
A
D
The dead bells are ringing, my train is overdue
A
A
E
A
To your memory I'm clinging, I can't escape from you
Amaj7
.
D
.
A
. (
E
)
A
|-4-----------2-----------|-0-----------|-------
|---5-----------3---------|---2-------0-|-------
|-------------------------|-------------|-2-----
|-------------------------|-------------|-------
|-------------------------|-------------|-------
|-------------------------|-------------|-------
Well I... Well I hear the sound of thunder, roaring loud and long Sometimes you've got to wonder, God knows I've done no wrong You've wasted all your power, you threw out the Christmas pie Now you're withering like a flower, you'll play the fool and die I'm neither sad nor sorry, I'm all dressed up in black I fought for fame and glory, you tried to break my back In the far-off sweet forever, the sunshine peeking through We should have walked together, I can't escape from you I cannot grasp the shadows that gather near the door Rain falls round my window, I wish I'd seen you more The path is ever-winding, the stars they never age The morning light is blinding, all the world's a stage Should be the time of gladness, happy faces everywhere The mystery of madness is propagating in the air I don't like the city, not like some folks do Isn't it a pity? I can't escape from you We ploughed the fields of heaven, right down to the end I hope I can be forgiven if any words of mine offend All our days were splendid, they were simple, they were plain It never should have ended, I should have kissed you in the rain I've been thinking things all over, all the moments full of grace The primrose and the clover, your ever-changing face Can't help looking at you, you made love with god-knows-who Never found a girl to match you, I can't escape from you

Cross The Green Mountain
2003

Capo:
I
|
C
|
G/b
|
Am7
|
G
| |
Am7
|
G/b
|
C
|
Dsus4
D
|
Am7
G/b
C
D
I cross the green mountain, I sit by the stream
Am7
G/b
C
D
Heaven blazing in my head, I dreamt a monstrous dream
C
G/b
Am7
Dsus4
D
Something came up out of the sea
Em
C
D
Em
C
G
D
Swept through the land of the rich and the free I look into the eyes of my merciful friend And then I ask myself, is this the end? Memories linger, sad yet sweet And I think of the souls in heaven who will meet
C
G/b
Am7
G
Altars are burning with flames far and wide
C
G/b
Am7
Dsus4
D
Dsus2
D
The foe has crossed over from the other side
C
G/b
Am7
G
They tip their caps from the top of the hill
Am7
G/b
Cadd9
Dsus4
D
You can feel them come, more brave blood to spill Along the dim Atlantic line The ravaged land lies for miles behind The light's coming forward and the streets are broad All must yield to the avenging God The world is old, the world is gray Lessons of life, can't be learned in a day I watch and I wait, and I listen while I stand To the music that comes from a far better land Close the eyes of our captain, peace may he know His long night is done, the great leader is laid low He was ready to fall, he was quick to defend Killed outright he was, by his own men It's the last day's last hour, of the last happy year I feel that the unknown world is so near Pride will vanish and glory will rot But virtue lives and cannot be forgot The bells of leavening have rung There's blasphemy on every tongue Let 'em say that I walked in fair nature's light And that I was loyal to truth and to right Serve God and be cheerful, look upward, beyond Beyond the darkness of masks, the surprises of dawn In the deep green grasses of the blood-stained world They never dreamed of surrenderin', they fell where they stood Stars fell over Alabama, I saw each star You're walkin' in dreams, whoever you are Chilled are the skies, keen as the frost The ground's froze hard and the morning is lost A letter to mother came today Gunshot wound to the breast is what it did say But he'll be better soon, he's in a hospital bed But he'll never be better, he's already dead I'm ten miles outside the city, and I'm lifted away In an ancient light, that is not of day They were calm, they were blunt, we knew 'em all too well
Em
C
G
C/g
G
We loved each other more than we ever dared to tell

Huck's Tune
2006

G/b x20030 (more precisely G6/b)
F/a x03211 could also be played Am in lines 4 and 6
G11 3x3211 (could be played 3x3010 or x33010 Csus4 instead)
C
G/b
F/a
Well, I wandered alone through a desert of stone
C
G11
C
And I dreamt of my future wife
C
F
C
My sword's in my hand and I'm next in command
F/a
In this version of death called life
/b
C
F
C
My plate and my cup are right straight up
F/a
I took a rose from the hand of a child
/b
C
G/b
F/a
When I kiss your lips, the honey drips
C
G11
C
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while Every day we meet on any old street And you're in your girlish prime The short and the tall are coming to the ball I go there all the time Behind every tree there's something to see The river is wider than a mile I tried you twice, you can't be nice I'm gonna have to put you down for a while Here come the nurse with money in her purse Here come the ladies and men You push it all in, and you've no chance to win You play 'em on down to the end I'm laying in the sand getting a sunshine tan Moving along riding in style From my toes to my head you knock me dead I'm gonna have to put you down for a while I count the years and I shed no tears I'm blinded to what might have been Nature's voice makes my heart rejoice Play me the wild song of the wind I found hopeless love in the room above When the sun and the weather were one You're as fine as wine, I ain't handing you no line I'm gonna have to put you down for a while All the merry little elves can go hang themselves My faith is as cold as can be I'm stacked high to the roof, and I'm not without proof If you don't believe me, come see You think I'm blue I think so too In my words you'll find no guile The game's gotten old The deck's gone cold And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while The game's gotten old The deck's gone cold I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

Tell Ol' Bill
2005

Capo:
III
|
G
|
D
|
D
|
G
|
G
D
The river whispers in my ear
G
I've hardly a penny to my name
D
The heavens never seemed so near
G
All of my body glows with flame
C
G
The tempest struggles in the air
C
G
And to myself alone I sing
D
It could sink me then and there
G
I can hear the echoes ring
C
G
I try to find one smilin' face
C
G
To drive the shadows from my head
D
I'm stranded in this nameless place
G
Lyin' restless in a heavy bed |
C
G
C
G
|
D
|
D
|
G
| Tell me straight out if you will Why must you torture me within? Why must you come down from your high hill? Throw my fate to the clouds and wind Far away in a silent land Secret thoughts are hard to bear Remember me, you'll understand Emotions we can never share You trampled on me as you passed Left the coldest kiss upon my brow All my doubts and fears are gone at last I've nothing more to tell you now I walk by tranquil lakes and streams As each new season's dawn awaits I lay awake at night with troubled dreams The enemy is at the gates Beneath the thunder-blasted trees The words are ringing off your tongue The ground is hard in times like these The stars are cold, the night is young The rocks are bleak, the trees are bare Iron clouds go floating by Snowflakes falling in my hair Beneath the gray and stony sky The evening sun is sinking low The woods are dark, the town is too They'll drag you down, they run the show Ain't no tellin' what they'll do Tell ol' Bill when he comes home Anything is worth a try Tell him that I'm not alone That the hour has come to do or die All the world I would defy Let me make it plane as day I look at you now and I sigh How could it be any other way?

Things Have Changed
2000

Capo:
III
Asus2
Em
Em
A worried man with a worried mind
Am
No one in front of me and nothing behind
Em
B7
There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne
Em
Got white skin, got assassin's eyes
Am
I'm looking up into the sapphire-tinted skies
Em
B7
Em
I'm well-dressed, waiting on the last train
C
B7
Em
Standin' on the gallows with my head in the noose
C
B7
Any minute now I'm expectin' all hell to break loose
Em
People are crazy and times are strange
Am
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
Em
B7
Em
I used to care but things have changed This place ain't doin' me any good I'm in the wrong town, I should've been in Hollywood Just for a second there I thought I saw something move Gonna take dancin' lessons, do the jitterbug rag Ain't no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag Only a fool in here would think he got anythin' to prove Lotta water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through People are crazy and times are strange I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range I used to care but things have changed I've been walkin' forty miles of bad road If the Bible is right the world will explode I'm tryin' to get as far away from myself as I can Some things are too hot to touch The human mind can only stand so much You can't win with a losing hand Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet Puttin' her in a wheelbarrow and wheelin' her down the street People are crazy and times are strange I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range I used to care but things have changed I hurt easy, I just don't show it You can hurt someone and not even know it The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity Gonna get lowdown, gonna fly high All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie I'm in love with a woman that don't even appeal to me Mr Jinx and miss Lucy they jumped in a lake I'm not that eager to make a mistake People are crazy and times are strange I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range I used to care but things have changed

Waitin' For You
2002

|
C7
. . |
C7/g
. . |
C7
. . |
C7/g
. . | |
C7
. . |
C7/g
. . |
F
. . |
D7
. . |
G
I never dreamed it could be
G
A someone made just for me
D7
When I'm letting her have her way
D7
I'm here to see what she has to say
A7
D
Aw, the poor girl always wins the day
G
I'm stayin' ahead of the game
G
And she's a-doin' the same
D7
And the whiskey flyin' into my head
D7
The fiddler's arm has gone dead
G
And talk is beginning to spread |
C
. . |
/a
. . |
/g
. . |
/e
. . |
C
F
C
When did our love go bad?
C
G
Whatever happened to the best friend that I had?
G
It's been so long since I held you tight
F
C
Been so long since we said goodnight
C
F
C
The taste of tears is bittersweet
C
G
When you're near me, my heart forgets to beat
G
You're there every night
G
Among the good and the true
G
F
C
And I'll be around, waitin' for you |
F
. . |
C
. . |
G7
. . |
C
. . | Well, the king of them all is starting to fall I lost my gal at the boatman's ball The night has a thousand hearts and eyes Hope may vanish, but it never dies I'll see you tomorrow when freedom rings I'm gonna stay on top of things It's the middle of summer And the moon is blue And I'll be around, waitin' for you Another deal gone down, another man done gone You put up with it all, and you carry on Something holding you back, but you'll come through I'd bet the world and everything in it on you Happiness is but a state of mind Anytime you want, you can cross the state line You don't need to be rich Or well-to-do I'll be around, waitin' for you |
C
. . |
/a
. . |
/g
. . |
/e
. . |
Instrumental verse, with the last line:
G7
. . : (
/a
/b
)
F
.
C
C
|-3---1---0---|-1---0-------|-1-----1-0---|-0----||
|-0-----------|---------3---|-1-----1-1---|-1----||
|-0-----------|-------------|-2-----2-0---|-0----||
|-0-----------|-------------|-3-----3-2---|-2----||
|-2-----------|-----0---2)--|-3-----3-3---|-3----||
|-3-----------|(3-----------|-1-----1-----|------||