Cold Irons Bound

Wrong about my friends,

Wrong about you, wasted life.

And I'm still in love.

A recurring theme in Bob Dylan's songs, particularly from 1997 onward, is this combination:

1. I made lots of mistakes in life, particularly with leaving the right woman and staying with the wrong one.

2. The future is bleak and my bones are old and I wish things had turned out better.

3. I really blew it with you, but I love and miss you anyway, and there's nothing to be done about it.

"Cold Irons Bound" from "Time Out of Mind," released in 1997, is one such song. Have a look:

1. Voices/no one around. He's used up, fields brown. She passed by while he was on the way to church on Sunday. His love has taken such a long time to die.

2. Waist deep in mist/like I don't exist.

3. Sad to see beauty decay, sadder to see heart torn away.

4. Looking at you: out of control, like the universe has swallowed me whole.

5. Too many people to recall. Thought some were friends. Wrong!

6. Your love hasn't proved true.

7. "Some things last longer than you think they will / There are some kind of things you can never kill"

8. I'm thinking about you only. You're not.

9. I tried to love and protect you. I'll remember our shared joys.

10. You don't know what you do to me.

Here is a rip-roaring version of the song, way more exciting than the version on the album. And Dylan has that look on his face. the one that's halfway to bitter, yet still looks like the cat in the cream.

Here's another great live version. Dylan's in a good mood again, even shuffling somewhere between the twist and the moonwalk as he plays.