BOB DYLAN DESOLATION ROW
D
D
They're selling postcards of the hanging.
G D
They're painting the passports brown.
A7
The beauty parlour's filled with sailors.
G D
The circus is in town.
D
Here comes the blind commissoner.
G D
They've got him in a trance.
A7
One hand's tied to the tightrope walker.
G D
The other is in his pants.
G
And the riot squad they're restless
D G
They need some where to go.
D A7
As lady and I look out tonight
G D
On Desolation Row.
Cinderella she seem so easy.
It takes on to know one she smiles.
Then puts her hand in her back pocket,
Betty Davis style.
Then in comes Romeo he's moaning.
You Belong to me I believe.
And someone says your 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 already taken all her things inside.
All except for Cain and Abel
And the Hunchback of Notre Dame
Everyone is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan he's dressing
He's gettin ready for the show.
He's going to the carinval
Tonight on Desolation Row.
Now 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.
Einstien disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend a jealous monk.
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then went off sniffing drain pipes
And reciting the alphabet.
No you would not think to look at him
That he was famous long ago
For playing electric violin
On Desolation Row.
Doctor Filth he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up.
Now his nurse a 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 whistle
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're spoonfeeding Casonova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
Get outta here if don't you know
Casanova is just being punished
For going to Desolation Row.
Now 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
And everybody shouting
Which side are you on
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot
Fighting in the captains 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 door knob broke.
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke.
All those 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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The above is solely MY INTERPRETATION of this great song, in a format aimed at learning guitarists.
No attempt has been made to copy or reproduce the artist's or publisher's sheet music for the song,
if such exists.
It can be used for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. To play the song as it should be played, you should
purchase the official sheetmusic for the song. You should also purchase and listen to the song to learn
the rhythm and timing of the song - this is essential if you wish to play the song with any degree of accuracy
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