Desolation Row

Song Desolation Row
Artist Bob Dylan
Album The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert

Lyrics

[00:08.70] They're selling postcards of the hanging
[00:13.00] They're painting the passports brown
[00:18.10] The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
[00:21.60] The circus is in town
[00:27.40] Here comes the blind commissioner
[00:31.10] They've got him in a trance
[00:35.60] One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
[00:40.40] The other is in his pants
[00:45.10] And the riot squad they're restless
[00:49.50] They need somewhere to go
[00:53.90] As Lady and I look out tonight
[00:58.50] From Desolation Row
[01:07.40] Cinderella, she seems so easy
[01:12.00] "It takes one to know one," she smiles
[01:16.70] And puts her hands in her back pockets
[01:21.20] Bette Davis style
[01:25.50] And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
[01:30.04] "You Belong to Me I Believe"
[01:33.91] And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
[01:38.13] You better leave"
[01:43.48] And the only sound that's left
[01:46.63] After the ambulances go
[01:52.66] Is Cinderella sweeping up
[01:56.94] On Desolation Row
[02:03.72] Now the moon is almost hidden
[02:10.60] The stars are beginning to hide
[02:14.60] The fortunetelling lady
[02:19.12] Has even taken all her things inside
[02:23.60] All except for Cain and Abel
[02:26.75] And the hunchback of Notre Dame
[02:32.70] Everybody is making love
[02:36.63] Or else expecting rain
[02:41.40] And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
[02:45.63] He's getting ready for the show
[02:50.06] He's going to the carnival tonight
[02:54.79] On Desolation Row
[03:03.32] Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
[03:07.31] For her I feel so afraid
[03:11.68] On her twenty-second birthday
[03:15.39] She already is an old maid
[03:20.27] To her, death is quite romantic
[03:24.84] She wears an iron vest
[03:29.56] Her profession's her religion
[03:33.82] Her sin is her lifelessness
[03:38.60] And though her eyes are fixed upon
[03:43.31] Noah's great rainbow
[03:47.42] She spends her time peeking
[03:51.37] Into Desolation Row
[04:00.75] Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
[04:05.02] With his memories in a trunk
[04:09.54] Passed this way an hour ago
[04:13.31] With his friend, a jealous monk
[04:17.81] He looked so immaculately frightful
[04:22.93] As he bummed a cigarette
[04:26.06] Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
[04:30.54] And reciting the alphabet
[04:35.33] Now you would not think to look at him
[04:39.52] But he was famous long ago
[04:44.43] For playing the electric violin
[04:47.97] On Desolation Row
[04:57.27] Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
[05:01.34] Inside of a leather cup
[05:06.03] But all his sexless patients
[05:09.98] They're trying to blow it up
[05:15.08] Now his nurse, some local loser
[05:19.12] She's in charge of the cyanide hose
[05:23.44] And she also keeps the cards that read
[05:27.91] "Have Mercy on His Soul"
[05:31.95] They all play on penny whistles
[05:36.48] You can hear them blow
[05:40.98] If you lean your head out far enough
[05:45.72] From Desolation Row
[05:53.41] Across the street they've nailed the curtains
[05:59.68] They're getting ready for the feast
[06:02.56] The Phantom of the Opera
[06:06.42] A perfect image of a priest
[06:10.87] They're spoonfeeding Casanova
[06:14.84] To get him to feel more assured
[06:19.36] Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
[06:23.60] After poisoning him with words
[06:27.97] And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
[06:33.83] "Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
[06:38.46] Casanova is just being punished for going
[06:41.83] To Desolation Row"
[06:51.40] Now at midnight all the agents
[06:57.02] And the superhuman crew
[07:00.23] Come out and round up everyone
[07:03.97] That knows more than they do
[07:08.48] Then they bring them to the factory
[07:13.14] Where the heart-attack machine
[07:17.38] Is strapped across their shoulders
[07:22.68] And then the kerosene
[07:26.19] Is brought down from the castles
[07:31.67] By insurance men who go
[07:35.85] Check to see that nobody is escaping
[07:40.52] To Desolation Row
[07:47.05] Praise be to Nero's Neptune
[07:51.08] The Titanic sails at dawn
[07:55.75] And everybody's shouting
[07:59.90] "Which Side Are You On?"
[08:04.50] And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
[08:08.52] Fighting in the captain's tower
[08:13.20] While calypso singers laugh at them
[08:17.35] And fishermen hold flowers
[08:22.05] Between the windows of the sea
[08:26.00] Where lovely mermaids flow
[08:30.83] And nobody has to think too much
[08:34.68] About Desolation Row
[08:41.37]
[09:34.73] Yes, I received your letter yesterday
[09:38.46] （About the time the door knob broke）
[09:43.28] When you asked how I was doing
[09:47.16] Was that some kind of joke?
[09:52.05] All these people that you mention
[09:56.32] Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
[10:00.19] I had to rearrange their faces
[10:04.63] And give them all another name
[10:08.55] Right now I can't read too good
[10:13.33] Don't send me no more letters no
[10:17.60] Not unless you mail them
[10:21.36] From Desolation Row
[10:26.33]
[10:36.60]
[11:20.10]

Pinyin

[00:08.70] They' re selling postcards of the hanging
[00:13.00] They' re painting the passports brown
[00:18.10] The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
[00:21.60] The circus is in town
[00:27.40] Here comes the blind commissioner
[00:31.10] They' ve got him in a trance
[00:35.60] One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
[00:40.40] The other is in his pants
[00:45.10] And the riot squad they' re restless
[00:49.50] They need somewhere to go
[00:53.90] As Lady and I look out tonight
[00:58.50] From Desolation Row
[01:07.40] Cinderella, she seems so easy
[01:12.00] " It takes one to know one," she smiles
[01:16.70] And puts her hands in her back pockets
[01:21.20] Bette Davis style
[01:25.50] And in comes Romeo, he' s moaning
[01:30.04] " You Belong to Me I Believe"
[01:33.91] And someone says," You' re in the wrong place, my friend
[01:38.13] You better leave"
[01:43.48] And the only sound that' s left
[01:46.63] After the ambulances go
[01:52.66] Is Cinderella sweeping up
[01:56.94] On Desolation Row
[02:03.72] Now the moon is almost hidden
[02:10.60] The stars are beginning to hide
[02:14.60] The fortunetelling lady
[02:19.12] Has even taken all her things inside
[02:23.60] All except for Cain and Abel
[02:26.75] And the hunchback of Notre Dame
[02:32.70] Everybody is making love
[02:36.63] Or else expecting rain
[02:41.40] And the Good Samaritan, he' s dressing
[02:45.63] He' s getting ready for the show
[02:50.06] He' s going to the carnival tonight
[02:54.79] On Desolation Row
[03:03.32] Now Ophelia, she' s ' neath the window
[03:07.31] For her I feel so afraid
[03:11.68] On her twentysecond birthday
[03:15.39] She already is an old maid
[03:20.27] To her, death is quite romantic
[03:24.84] She wears an iron vest
[03:29.56] Her profession' s her religion
[03:33.82] Her sin is her lifelessness
[03:38.60] And though her eyes are fixed upon
[03:43.31] Noah' s great rainbow
[03:47.42] She spends her time peeking
[03:51.37] Into Desolation Row
[04:00.75] Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
[04:05.02] With his memories in a trunk
[04:09.54] Passed this way an hour ago
[04:13.31] With his friend, a jealous monk
[04:17.81] He looked so immaculately frightful
[04:22.93] As he bummed a cigarette
[04:26.06] Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
[04:30.54] And reciting the alphabet
[04:35.33] Now you would not think to look at him
[04:39.52] But he was famous long ago
[04:44.43] For playing the electric violin
[04:47.97] On Desolation Row
[04:57.27] Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
[05:01.34] Inside of a leather cup
[05:06.03] But all his sexless patients
[05:09.98] They' re trying to blow it up
[05:15.08] Now his nurse, some local loser
[05:19.12] She' s in charge of the cyanide hose
[05:23.44] And she also keeps the cards that read
[05:27.91] " Have Mercy on His Soul"
[05:31.95] They all play on penny whistles
[05:36.48] You can hear them blow
[05:40.98] If you lean your head out far enough
[05:45.72] From Desolation Row
[05:53.41] Across the street they' ve nailed the curtains
[05:59.68] They' re getting ready for the feast
[06:02.56] The Phantom of the Opera
[06:06.42] A perfect image of a priest
[06:10.87] They' re spoonfeeding Casanova
[06:14.84] To get him to feel more assured
[06:19.36] Then they' ll kill him with selfconfidence
[06:23.60] After poisoning him with words
[06:27.97] And the Phantom' s shouting to skinny girls
[06:33.83] " Get Outa Here If You Don' t Know
[06:38.46] Casanova is just being punished for going
[06:41.83] To Desolation Row"
[06:51.40] Now at midnight all the agents
[06:57.02] And the superhuman crew
[07:00.23] Come out and round up everyone
[07:03.97] That knows more than they do
[07:08.48] Then they bring them to the factory
[07:13.14] Where the heartattack machine
[07:17.38] Is strapped across their shoulders
[07:22.68] And then the kerosene
[07:26.19] Is brought down from the castles
[07:31.67] By insurance men who go
[07:35.85] Check to see that nobody is escaping
[07:40.52] To Desolation Row
[07:47.05] Praise be to Nero' s Neptune
[07:51.08] The Titanic sails at dawn
[07:55.75] And everybody' s shouting
[07:59.90] " Which Side Are You On?"
[08:04.50] And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
[08:08.52] Fighting in the captain' s tower
[08:13.20] While calypso singers laugh at them
[08:17.35] And fishermen hold flowers
[08:22.05] Between the windows of the sea
[08:26.00] Where lovely mermaids flow
[08:30.83] And nobody has to think too much
[08:34.68] About Desolation Row
[08:41.37]
[09:34.73] Yes, I received your letter yesterday
[09:38.46] About the time the door knob broke
[09:43.28] When you asked how I was doing
[09:47.16] Was that some kind of joke?
[09:52.05] All these people that you mention
[09:56.32] Yes, I know them, they' re quite lame
[10:00.19] I had to rearrange their faces
[10:04.63] And give them all another name
[10:08.55] Right now I can' t read too good
[10:13.33] Don' t send me no more letters no
[10:17.60] Not unless you mail them
[10:21.36] From Desolation Row
[10:26.33]
[10:36.60]
[11:20.10]