Lyrics:1962-2012

Bob Dylan

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780743246293
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE A beautiful, comprehensive volume of Dylan's lyrics, from the beginning of his career through the present day—with the songwriter's edits to dozens of songs, appearing here for the first time. Bob Dylan is one of the most important songwriters of our time, responsible for modern classics such as "Like a Rolling Stone, " "Mr. Tambourine Man, " and "The Times They Are a-Changin'." The Lyrics is a comprehensive and definitive collection of Dylan's most recent writing as well as the early works that are such an essential part of the canon. Well known for changing the lyrics to even his best-loved songs, Dylan has edited dozens of songs for this volume, making The Lyrics a must-read for everyone from fanatics to casual fans.

Talking New York

Ramblin’ outa the wild West

Leavin’ the towns I love the best

Thought I’d seen some ups and downs

’Til I come into New York town

People goin’ down to the ground

Buildings goin’ up to the sky

Wintertime in New York town

The wind blowin’ snow around

Walk around with nowhere to go

Somebody could freeze right to the bone

I froze right to the bone

New York Times said it was the coldest winter in seventeen years

I didn’t feel so cold then

I swung onto my old guitar

Grabbed hold of a subway car

And after a rocking, reeling, rolling ride

I landed up on the downtown side

Greenwich Village

I walked down there and ended up

In one of them coffee-houses on the block

Got on the stage to sing and play

Man there said, “Come back some other day

You sound like a hillbilly

We want folk singers here”

Well, I got a harmonica job, begun to play

Blowin’ my lungs out for a dollar a day

I blowed inside out and upside down

The man there said he loved m’ sound

He was ravin’ about how he loved m’ sound

Dollar a day’s worth

And after weeks and weeks of hangin’ around

I finally got a job in New York town

In a bigger place, bigger money too

Even joined the union and paid m’ dues

Now, a very great man once said

That some people rob you with a fountain pen

It didn’t take too long to find out

Just what he was talkin’ about

A lot of people don’t have much food on their table

But they got a lot of forks ’n’ knives

And they gotta cut somethin’

So one mornin’ when the sun was warm

I rambled out of New York town

Pulled my cap down over my eyes

And headed out for the western skies

So long, New York

Howdy, East Orange

Song to Woody

I’m out here a thousand miles from my home

Walkin’ a road other men have gone down

I’m seein’ your world of people and things

Your paupers and peasants and princes and kings

Hey, hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song

’Bout a funny ol’ world that’s a-comin’ along

Seems sick an’ it’s hungry, it’s tired an’ it’s torn

It looks like it’s a-dyin’ an’ it’s hardly been born

Hey, Woody Guthrie, but I know that you know

All the things that I’m a-sayin’ an’ a-many times more

I’m a-singin’ you the song, but I can’t sing enough

’Cause there’s not many men that done the things that you’ve done

Here’s to Cisco an’ Sonny an’ Leadbelly too

An’ to all the good people that traveled with you

Here’s to the hearts and the hands of the men

That come with the dust and are gone with the wind

I’m a-leavin’ tomorrow, but I could leave today

Somewhere down the road someday

The very last thing that I’d want to do

Is to say I’ve been hittin’ some hard travelin’ too

Hard Times in New York Town

Come you ladies and you gentlemen, a-listen to my song

Sing it to you right, but you might think it’s wrong

Just a little glimpse of a story I’ll tell

’Bout an East Coast city that you all know well

It’s hard times in the city

Livin’ down in New York town

Old New York City is a friendly old town

From Washington Heights to Harlem on down

There’s a-mighty many people all millin’ all around

They’ll kick you when you’re up and knock you when you’re down

It’s hard times in the city

Livin’ down in New York town

It’s a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate

To Rockefeller Plaza ’n’ the Empire State

Mister Rockefeller sets up as high as a bird

Old Mister Empire never says a word

It’s hard times from the country

Livin’ down in New York town

Well, it’s up in the mornin’ tryin’ to find a job of work

Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt

If you got a lot o’ money you can make yourself merry

If you only got a nickel, it’s the Staten Island Ferry

And it’s hard times in the city

Livin’ down in New York town

Mister Hudson co...