Sunday, August 9, 2015

On the Road Again

Your crazy family
Is unbearable, and you,
How do you stand it?

I've always appreciated this weird little song from "Bringing It All Back Home", which came out in 1965. Dylan describes the miserable state of affairs in a woman's house, most of which are brought on by her eccentric and intolerable family. Here's a brief rundown:

1. Bob wakes up, sees frogs in his socks. Mom's hiding in the refrigerator. Dad's wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte mask.
2. He pets her monkey and gets clawed. He spots someone in the fireplace. She says it's Santa Claus. A milkman appears in a derby hat.
3. He's hungry, asks for food, gets brown rice, seaweed and a dirty hotdog.
4. Granddad's cane is a sword. Grandma's praying to pictures on a board. Bob's sweetheart's uncle picks Bob's pockets.
5. Fistfights in the kitchen, a mailman who gets too involved in the refereeing. Even the butler has a stake in the outcome.

Here is how each verse ends:

1. Then you ask why I don’t live here
Honey, do you have to ask?
2. Then you ask why I don’t live here
Honey, how come you have to ask me that?
3. Then you ask why I don’t live here
Honey, I gotta think you’re really weird
4. Then you ask why I don’t live here
Honey, I can’t believe that you’re for real
5. Then you ask why I don’t live here
Honey, how come you don’t move?



1 comment:

  1. Hello Robert, yes another slice of musical history. Join us inside Bob Dylan's Music Box http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/468/On-the-Road-Again and listen to every version of every song.

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