North Country Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics

Come gather 'round friends and I'll tell you a tale
The singer invites the listeners to hear a story.

Of when the red iron pits ran a-plenty
The story centers around a time when the iron mines were in abundance.

But the cardboard-filled windows and old men on the benches
The singer observes the dilapidated state of the town - empty, boarded up windows and the elders sitting on benches.

Tell you now that the whole town is empty
The artist confirms that the entire town has become deserted and abandoned.

In the north end of town my own children are grown
The artist's own children have grown up in the northern part of town.

But I was raised on the other
The singer grew up in the southern part of town.

In the wee hours of youth my mother took sick
The singer's mother fell ill when they were young.

And I was brought up by my brother
The artist was raised by their older brother when their mother fell ill and couldn't care for them.

The iron ore poured as the years passed the door
Over time, there was a significant amount of iron ore being mined from the area.

The drag lines an' the shovels they was a-humming
The sound of the mining equipment could be heard in the background as the ore was extracted.

'Till one day my brother failed to come home
One day, the singer's brother didn't return home from work.

The same as my father before him
The artist's father had also died while mining iron ore.

Well, a long winter's wait from the window I watched
The singer watched and waited for many months from the window for any news about her brother's fate.

My friends they couldn't have been kinder
The singer's friends were supportive and caring during this difficult time.

And my schooling was cut as I quit in the spring
The singer had to leave school to help provide for the family after her brother's passing.

To marry John Thomas, a miner
The artist got married to John Thomas, who worked in the mines like the other men in town.

Oh, the years passed again, and the giving was good
Time went by, and work in the mines was steady and paid well.

With the lunch bucket filled every season
John Thomas had work all year round and was able to bring home food for the family.

What with three babies born, the work was cut down
After having three children, John Thomas's work had to be reduced to part-time.

To a half a day's shift with no reason
Despite working the same hours, John Thomas's pay was reduced for unknown reasons.

Then the shaft was soon shut, and more work was cut
Eventually, the mine was closed, causing more job losses.

And the fire in the air, it felt frozen
The once bustling and lively town now felt cold and desolate.

'Till a man come to speak, and he said in one week
One day, a man announced that the mine would shut down completely in a week.

That number eleven was closing
The specific mine that John Thomas worked at (number eleven) was closing.

They complained in the East, they are paying too high
The company complained that the cost of mining in this area was too high.

They say that your ore ain't worth digging
The company also claimed that the quality of the iron ore was not worth the cost of mining it.

That it's much cheaper down in the South American towns
The company believed that mining in South America would be more cost-effective.

Where the miners work almost for nothing
The other place that the company was considering had workers who were willing to mine for very low wages.

So the mining gates locked, and the red iron rotted
With the closure of the mines, the once valuable iron ore was now worthless and began to decay.

And the room smelled heavy from drinking
Many of the miners resorted to drinking heavily to numb the pain of their lost jobs and way of life.

Where the sad, silent song made the hour twice as long
The town had become so quiet and sad that time seemed to drag on endlessly.

As I waited for the sun to go sinking
The artist spent much of her time waiting for time to pass, hoping for some kind of help or solution to the town's problems.

I lived by the window as he talked to himself
The artist's husband, John Thomas, often spoke to himself while the two of them spent their days looking out the window.

This silence of tongues it was building
Despite the quietness of the town, there was a sense of impending doom building as people prepared to leave.

'Till one morning's wake, the bed it was bare
One morning, John Thomas had disappeared, leaving the singer alone to care for their three children.

And I was left alone with three children
The artist was abandoned by her husband and was forced to raise the children by herself.

The summer is gone, the ground's turning cold
Time continues to pass, and the seasons change, but the town remains in a state of despair.

The stores one by one they're all folding
The businesses in the town are all closing down one by one.

My children will go as soon as they grow
The singer knows that her children won't stay in the town once they're grown.

Well, there ain't nothing here now to hold them
The town has lost everything that once made it a desirable place to live, and there's no reason for anyone to stay.