About the Song
Released in 1975 on the iconic album Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue” isn’t your typical linear narrative song. It’s a complex tapestry woven from fragments of memory, fleeting emotions, and characters from Dylan’s past. This masterpiece of poetic lyricism and unconventional storytelling continues to baffle and enthrall listeners decades after its release.
The song opens with a deceptively simple line: “Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed.” This seemingly ordinary statement sets the stage for a journey through time, not chronologically, but through the emotional echoes of the past. Characters appear and disappear, their stories intertwined with the narrator’s own: “She was married when we first met, I helped her out of a jam, I guess.” These fleeting glimpses offer tantalizing clues about past relationships, leaving the listener to piece together the larger narrative.
The beauty of “Tangled Up in Blue” lies in its ambiguity. There are no clear beginnings or endings, no definitive answers. The lyrics shift perspectives, jump through time, and evoke a sense of nostalgia tinged with regret. “The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin’ on like a bird that flew.” This line captures the resilience of the narrator, his ability to move forward despite the emotional entanglements of the past.
Musically, the song is equally unconventional. The instrumentation is sparse, featuring an acoustic guitar and a driving rhythm section that propels the song forward. Dylan’s vocals, raspy and full of character, deliver the lyrics with a conversational tone, as if recounting memories to a close friend. The harmonica adds a touch of melancholy, echoing the bittersweet emotions woven into the narrative.
Tangled Up in Blue has been interpreted in countless ways. Some see it as a reflection on lost love, others as a meditation on the passage of time and the complexities of human relationships. The song’s brilliance lies in its ability to resonate with a wide range of experiences, allowing each listener to find their own meaning within its lyrical tapestry.
“Tangled Up in Blue” remains a landmark achievement in Dylan’s career. It’s a testament to his ability to create evocative imagery, craft poetic narratives, and challenge the conventions of songwriting. The song serves as a reminder that the past is never truly gone, its echoes forever entangled with the present, shaping who we are and where we go. So, the next time you hear Dylan’s voice weaving tales of love, loss, and the relentless passage of time, get lost in the beauty of the tangled threads, for within them lies a profound reflection on the human experience.
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Lyrics: “Tangled Up In Blue”
Early one morning the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
Wondering if she’d changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like mama’s homemade dress
Papa’s bankbook wasn’t big enough
And I was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Heading out for 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
I 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 a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walking away
I heard her say over my shoulder
“We’ll meet again someday
on the avenue”
Tangled up in blue.I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans
so I lucky was to be employed
Working for a while on a fishing boat
Right 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 the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on when the crowd thinned out
I was just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, “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
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
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 blueI lived with them on Montague street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafés 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 finally the bottom fell out
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 back again
I got to get to her somehow
All the people we used to know
They’re an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter’s wives
Don’t know how it all got started
I don’t know what they do with their lives
But me I’m still on the road
A-heading for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point
Of view
Tangled up in blue.