The album, which followed several years of lukewarm reception for Dylan's work, was greeted respectably by fans and critics. In the years following its release, it has come to be regarded as one of his very best albums — making it quite common for subsequent records to be labeled his "best since Blood on the Tracks." It is also commonly seen as a standard for confessional singer-songwriter albums; though Dylan has denied that the songs are autobiographical, his son Jakob Dylan has stated: "The songs are my parents talking." Most of the lyrics on the album revolve around heartache, anger, and loneliness. In 2003, the album was ranked number 16 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The album reached #1 on the Billboard U.S. pop charts and #4 in the UK. The single "Tangled Up in Blue" peaked at #31 on the Pop singles chart. The album remains one of Dylan's all-time best-selling studio releases, with a double-platinum US certification to date.
Tangled Up in Blue
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was layin' in bed
Wondrin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like
Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the east coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues
Gettin' through
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 I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out west
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder
We'll meet again some day
On the avenue
Tangled up in blue
I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I was looking for to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Right outside of Delacroix
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind
And I just grew
Tangled up in blue
She was workin' in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, Don't I know your name?
I muttered somethin' under my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces
Of my shoe
Tangled up in blue
She lit a burner on the stove
And offered me a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello, she said
You look like the silent type
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And everyone of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue
I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafés at night
And revolution in the air
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
So now I'm goin' back again
I got to get to her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenters' wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue
In Bob Dylan’s Tangled Up in Blue, he depicts the story of his personal life through four different narrators, all involved in different ways with one woman. The song takes us through Dylan’s various experiences with this woman, from her changing hair color to the disapproval of her family to her failed marriage and working at a topless bar. The lyrics highlight the complexities involved in romantic relationships, and how even when things don’t work out, the emotions and memories stay with us.
The first stanza finds the singer reflecting on his past relationship with the woman, wondering if she has changed since they separated. The second stanza introduces a new character—the woman’s husband—and reveals that the singer helped her out of a difficult situation, but used “a little too much force.” In the third stanza, the singer takes a job in the woods, but eventually drifts down to New Orleans. Throughout his travels, the past is always present in his mind—particularly memories of the woman he can’t seem to forget. In the final stanza, the singer plans to return to the woman once again.
Many people believe that the song is autobiographical, and that the various narrators are different versions of Dylan himself. The song has been interpreted in many different ways, but what remains clear is that it is a meditation on love, loss, and the power of memories to keep us tangled up in our pasts.
Line by Line Meaning
Early one mornin' the sun was shinin'
It was a bright morning when he woke up
I was layin' in bed
He was still in bed, wondering about his ex-girlfriend
Wondrin' if she'd changed at all
He was curious if his ex-girlfriend had changed
If her hair was still red
He wondered if his ex-girlfriend still had red hair
Her folks they said our lives together
Her parents did not approve of their relationship
Sure was gonna be rough
They said it would be a difficult relationship
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Her parents disapproved of her mother's dressmaking skills
Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
Her father did not have enough money to provide for them
And I was standin' on the side of the road
He was stranded on the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
It was raining and his shoes were wet
Heading out for the east coast
He was leaving to go to the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues
He had a lot of life experiences
Gettin' through
Trying to overcome challenges
Tangled up in blue
Feeling lost and confused
She was married when we first met
He met her when she was still married
Soon to be divorced
She was soon getting a divorce
I helped her out of a jam I guess
He helped her with a problem
But I used a little too much force
He may have been too aggressive in helping her
We drove that car as far as we could
They used a car to travel long distance
Abandoned it out west
They left the car in the western part of the country
Split up on a dark sad night
They separated on an emotional night
Both agreeing it was best
They both agreed that it was the best decision
She turned around to look at me
His ex-girlfriend looked back at him
As I was walkin' away
He was leaving while his ex-girlfriend was looking at him
I heard her say over my shoulder
She said something to him before he left
We'll meet again some day
They may see each other again in the future
On the avenue
They may meet again in a specific location
Tangled up in blue
Their relationship was complicated and unresolved
I had a job in the great north woods
He worked in a forest in the northern part of the country
Working as a cook for a spell
He worked temporarily as a cook
But I never did like it all that much
He did not enjoy the job
And one day the axe just fell
He lost his job suddenly
So I drifted down to New Orleans
He went to New Orleans without a plan
Where I was looking for to be employed
He was searching for a job
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
He worked on a fishing boat for some time
Right outside of Delacroix
The boat was near a location called Delacroix
But all the while I was alone
He was lonely during this time
The past was close behind
He was haunted by his past
I seen a lot of women
He had met many women
But she never escaped my mind
He couldn't forget about his ex-girlfriend
And I just grew
He became more and more overwhelmed
Tangled up in blue
The complications of his life were growing
She was workin' in a topless place
His ex-girlfriend was working at a strip club
And I stopped in for a beer
He went to the strip club
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
He was staring at her without her noticing
In the spotlight so clear
She was in the spotlight of her job
And later on as the crowd thinned out
As the night went on, fewer people were at the club
I's just about to do the same
He was about to leave as well
She was standing there in back of my chair
His ex-girlfriend was standing behind him
Said to me, Don't I know your name?
She recognized him
I muttered somethin' under my breath
He said something quietly to himself
She studied the lines on my face
She looked at his face more closely
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
He was uncomfortable in this situation
When she bent down to tie the laces
She bent down in front of him to tie his shoe
Of my shoe
She tied the laces of his shoe
Tangled up in blue
He was caught up in the complicated nature of his life
She lit a burner on the stove
She started the stove
And offered me a pipe
She offered him some drugs
I thought you'd never say hello, she said
She was surprised that he spoke to her
You look like the silent type
She thought he was quiet
Then she opened up a book of poems
She showed him a book of poems
And handed it to me
She gave him the book to read
Written by an Italian poet
The book was written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
It was an old book
And everyone of them words rang true
He felt a connection to the poems
And glowed like burnin' coal
The words were powerful and memorable
Pourin' off of every page
The poems seemed to come alive
Like it was written in my soul
The poems resonated deeply with him
From me to you
The poem expressed his feelings
Tangled up in blue
He was still struggling with his complicated life
I lived with them on Montague Street
He lived with someone on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
He lived in the basement
There was music in the cafés at night
There was live music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air
There was a sense of change and rebellion
Then he started into dealing with slaves
Someone he knew became involved in slave trading
And something inside of him died
This event had a significant impact on him
She had to sell everything she owned
His ex-girlfriend had to sell all her possessions
And froze up inside
She was emotionally impacted by this event
And when finally the bottom fell out
A significant event occurred
I became withdrawn
He withdrew from society
The only thing I knew how to do
He only had one way of coping
Was to keep on keepin' on
He had to push through his difficult circumstances
Like a bird that flew
He felt like a bird flying through life
Tangled up in blue
He was still struggling to unravel his complicated life
So now I'm goin' back again
He is returning to a previous location
I got to get to her somehow
He needs to find a way to see his ex-girlfriend
All the people we used to know
He reminisces about old acquaintances
They're an illusion to me now
He feels disconnected from his past
Some are mathematicians
Some of his old friends are mathematicians
Some are carpenters' wives
Some of his old friends are married to carpenters
Don't know how it all got started
He doesn't understand how things got to this point
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
He is unsure what his old friends are currently doing
But me, I'm still on the road
He is still traveling and searching for something
Headin' for another joint
He is going to another location
We always did feel the same
He and his ex-girlfriend have a connection
We just saw it from a different point of view
They had different perspectives on their relationship
Tangled up in blue
His past and complicated life are still affecting him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind