Brady wants to kill,
But Duncan gets the first shot.
Too bad for Brady.
Brady the cop is looking for someone to kill. He goes to the bar and decides Duncan's the man, but Duncan shoots first. These events apparently are true, and have remained consistent over most of the versions of the song performed since the incident occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1890.
Here are Dylan's lyrics, which aren't terribly altered from the original:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look right in his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
He been on the job too long
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
'Long came Brady with his shiny star
"Duncan," said Brady, "you are under arrest"
Duncan shot a hole right in Brady's chest
He been on the job too long.
Old King Brady was a big, fat man
Doctor looked down, and took hold of his hand
reached for his pulse, the doctor said
"I believe to my soul, king Brady, you're dead"
He been on the job too long
Up upon the hillside, eight hundred at hand,
vases of roses standing around
(horses and a rubber-tired hack
bring him down to the graveyard, it won't bring him back.
He been on the job too long
When the women all heard King Brady was dead,
They went home and they'd be re-ragged in red *)
Slippin' and a-slidin', shuffelin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet.
He been on the job too long
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
breakin' in here when this game's goin' on
Bustin' down the window, tearin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the barroom floor
You been on the job too long."
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look in his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
He been on the job too long.
He been on the job too long.
Here's Dave van Ronk's version of the song:
But Duncan gets the first shot.
Too bad for Brady.
Brady the cop is looking for someone to kill. He goes to the bar and decides Duncan's the man, but Duncan shoots first. These events apparently are true, and have remained consistent over most of the versions of the song performed since the incident occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1890.
Here are Dylan's lyrics, which aren't terribly altered from the original:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look right in his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
He been on the job too long
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
'Long came Brady with his shiny star
"Duncan," said Brady, "you are under arrest"
Duncan shot a hole right in Brady's chest
He been on the job too long.
Old King Brady was a big, fat man
Doctor looked down, and took hold of his hand
reached for his pulse, the doctor said
"I believe to my soul, king Brady, you're dead"
He been on the job too long
Up upon the hillside, eight hundred at hand,
vases of roses standing around
(horses and a rubber-tired hack
bring him down to the graveyard, it won't bring him back.
He been on the job too long
When the women all heard King Brady was dead,
They went home and they'd be re-ragged in red *)
Slippin' and a-slidin', shuffelin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet.
He been on the job too long
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
breakin' in here when this game's goin' on
Bustin' down the window, tearin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the barroom floor
You been on the job too long."
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look in his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
He been on the job too long.
He been on the job too long.
Here's Dave van Ronk's version of the song:
Hello Bob Dylan fans read enough? Well then come inside his Music Box http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/173/Duncan-And-Brady and listen to all the great tracks. Every version of every song.
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