Tangled Up In Blue

Tangled Up In Blue
Early one mornin' the sun was shinin'
She was layin' in bed
Wondrin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they set their lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like
Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
And he was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the east coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues
Gettin' through
Tangled up in blue

She was married when they first met
Soon to be divorced
He helped her out of a jam I guess
But he used a little too much force
And he drove that car as far as they could
Abandoned it out west
Splitting up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at him
As he was walkin' away
Saying over his shoulder
We'll meet again some day
On the avenue
Tangled up in blue
We had a job in Santa Fe
Working in an old hotel
But he never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So he drifted down to New Orleans
Lucky not to be destroyed
We got him a job on a fishin' boat
Docked outside of Delacroix
But all the while he was alone
The past was close behind
He seen a lot of women
But she never escaped his mind
And he just grew
Tangled up in blue
She was workin' in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept lookin' at the 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 in back of my chair
Said, don't tell me let me guess your name?
I muttered somethin' under 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

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution 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 it all came pressing down
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
So now I'm goin' back again
I got to get to them somehow
All the faces we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenters' wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point
Of view
Tangled up in blue
Early one morning as the sun was shining, she found herself pondering in bed, wondering if things had changed, if her once-red hair still held its hue. Her parents' lives had been bound together, but the road ahead looked rough; they never quite approved of Mama's homemade dress and Papa's bank account left much to desire...