He tried to leave you
By leaving town. The problem?
He never got out.
Imagine "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" where the singer never makes it out of town. That's Hank Cochran's "Still in Town," which Bob Dylan and the Band recorded together in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions.The song is about a guy who can't be with his lover anymore. I'm assuming that she left him, though I began the haiku with the words "He tried to leave you." My idea was that he should be trying to leave her memory and her constant presence which galls him by leaving town, but like some addicts, he never makes it past the outskirts of recovery.
To love you still, and have you not
Will destroy me in time
So I'm goin' away, where nobody knows me
And get you off my mind
I've packed my things a dozen times
But unpack is all I do
Yes I'm still in town, I'm still around
And still in love with you
I made it to the edge of town,
But turned around
I made it to the bridge downtown
But my nerve let me down the first time
I try to go, but how can I leave
When all roads lead to you
(Yes) I'm still in town, still around
And still in love with you
I made it to the edge of town,
But turned around
I made it to the bridge downtown
But my nerve let me down
I try to go, but how can I leave
When all roads lead to you
(Yes) I'm still in town, still around
And still in love with you
By leaving town. The problem?
He never got out.
Imagine "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" where the singer never makes it out of town. That's Hank Cochran's "Still in Town," which Bob Dylan and the Band recorded together in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions.The song is about a guy who can't be with his lover anymore. I'm assuming that she left him, though I began the haiku with the words "He tried to leave you." My idea was that he should be trying to leave her memory and her constant presence which galls him by leaving town, but like some addicts, he never makes it past the outskirts of recovery.
To love you still, and have you not
Will destroy me in time
So I'm goin' away, where nobody knows me
And get you off my mind
I've packed my things a dozen times
But unpack is all I do
Yes I'm still in town, I'm still around
And still in love with you
I made it to the edge of town,
But turned around
I made it to the bridge downtown
But my nerve let me down the first time
I try to go, but how can I leave
When all roads lead to you
(Yes) I'm still in town, still around
And still in love with you
I made it to the edge of town,
But turned around
I made it to the bridge downtown
But my nerve let me down
I try to go, but how can I leave
When all roads lead to you
(Yes) I'm still in town, still around
And still in love with you
Hello there Robert, Thank you for posting this analysis of a song from Bob Dylan's Music Box: http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/599/Still-in-Town Come and join us inside and listen to every song composed, recorded or performed by Bob Dylan, plus all the great covers streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and SoundCloud plus so much more... including this link.
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