Saturday, July 11, 2015

Mississippi

Guy makes a wrong choice,
Has no woman or future,
But he's doing fine.

This is a great song from the 2001 album "Love and Theft." "Mississippi" is one of Bob Dylan's latter-day hits, a song of regret and bad choices. It contains a bunch of great couplets, which I've included below. It also contains contrition from Dylan when it comes to broken relationships. That's pretty rare, and all the more precious for that. Here's the breakdown:

1. Our days are numbered. We muddle by, and are trapped in our own prisons.
2. Trapped in the city, raised in the country, working in the town, "I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down."
3. "Got nothin' for you, I had nothin' before. Don’t even have anything for myself anymore." You have nothing for me either.
4. I was full of thought and expression, but they never could describe you properly. Chorus: "Only one thing I did wrong, Stayed in Mississippi a day too long."
5. "I was thinkin’ 'bout the things that Rosie said. I was dreaming I was sleepin' in Rosie’s bed."
6. Feel like an invisible stranger. "So many things that we never will undo. I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too."
7. "Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t. Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t."
8. I crossed the river JUST to be where you are.
9. My ship is sinking and I'm drowning in poison. No future, no past. Still, "my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free. I’ve got nothin’ but affection for all those who’ve sailed with me."
10. "Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow. Things should start to get interestin' right about now."
11. My clothes are wet and tight on me, but the corner I'm in is tighter. Marry me.
12. You can go home again, just not all the way home.




1 comment:

  1. Hello there, Thank you for posting this analysis of a song from Bob Dylan's Music Box: http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/414 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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