Tangled up in Blue

Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed
Wondering if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red
Her folks said our life together sure was gonna be rough
I never did like mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
I was standing on the side of the road, rain pouring on my shoes
Headed out to the east coast, God knows I paid some dues
Just getting through
Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
But we used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west
We split up on a dark sad night, both agreeing it was for the best
She turned around and looked at me as I was walking away
Looking over her shoulder, she said, "We'll meet again someday
On the avenue"
Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

So I went up to the great Northwest, I worked as a cook for a spell
I never liked it all too much and one day the ax just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I was lucky just to be employed
I worked for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix
And all the while I was alone, the past was right behind
I saw a lot of women there, but she never escaped my mind
And I just grew
Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

She was working in a topless joint and I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear
Later on when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same

She's standing there at the back of my chair
Saying, "Tell me, don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I was a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces
On my shoe
Tangled up in blue

Tangled up in blue

She lit a burner on the stove, she offered me a pipe
"I never thought you'd say hello," she
Said, "You look like the silent type"
She opened up a book of poems, she handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century
And every one of them words rang true, burning bright like coals
Rolling off of every page like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

I stayed with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air
She started messing in with slaves and something inside of her died
She had to sell everything we owned and I froze up inside
But later on when the bottom fell out and I became withdrawn
The only thing we knew how to do was keep on keeping on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

But now I'm going back again, I got to get back to her somehow
All the people that we used to know, they're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians, some are carpenter's wives
I don't know how it all got started
What they're doing with their lives
But me, I'm back on the road, headed for another joint
You know we always felt the same, we just saw it from a different
Point of view
Tangled up in blue

Tangled up in blue

Tangled up in blue