"If Salvador Dalí or Luis Buñuel had picked up a Fen… Read Full Bio ↴Tombstone Blues
"If Salvador Dalí or Luis Buñuel had picked up a Fender Strat to head a blues band, they might have come up with something like 'Tombstone Blues,'" writes critic Bill Janovitz. "Like the work of these surrealists, Dylan's song is rich with non sequiturs like 'The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly / Saying, 'Death to all those who would whimper and cry' / And dropping a barbell he points to the sky / Saying, 'The sun's not yellow / it's chicken',' and takes irreverent jabs at religious, political, and bureaucratic figures ('The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits / To Jezebel the nun she violently knits / A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits/At the head of the chamber of commerce')."
Tombstone Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The city fathers, they're trying to endorse
The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
But the town has no need to be nervous
The ghost of Belle Starr, she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun, she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper, who sits
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screaming, she moans, "I've just been made"
Then sends out for the doctor, who pulls down the shade
And says, "My advice is to not let the boys in"
Now, the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
You will not die, it's not poison"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
Well, John the Baptist, after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero, the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, "Tell me, great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"
The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"
And, dropping a barbell, he points to the sky
Saying, "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
The king of the Philistines, his soldiers to save
Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves
Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves
Then sends them out to the jungle
Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch, he burns out their camps
With his faithful slave Pedro behind him, he tramps
With a fantastic collection of stamps
To win friends and influence his uncle
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in trouble with the tombstone blues
The geometry of innocence, flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah, who's sitting worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter
I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul
To the old folks' home and the college
Now, I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you, dear lady, from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues, oh right
The opening lines of Bob Dylan's Tombstone Blues describe a peaceful scene of sleeping "sweet pretty things," contrasted against the anxiety of city fathers endorsing the reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse. This imagery sets the tone for the surreal and absurd world that Dylan is painting, one where the ghost of Belle Starr hands down her "wits" to Jezebel the nun and bald wigs are knitted for Jack the Ripper, who sits at the head of the Chamber of Commerce.
As the song continues, Dylan takes us through a series of vignettes populated by bizarre characters and situations, such as an hysterical bride in a penny arcade, John the Baptist asking the Commander-in-Chief for a hole to get sick in, and Gypsy Davey burning out camps with a blowtorch. Through it all, the refrain of "Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes, Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food, I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues" serves as a grounding element and reminder of the harsh realities of everyday life.
Overall, Tombstone Blues is a commentary on the absurdities and contradictions of modern life, with Dylan using surreal and fantastical imagery to highlight the disconnect between the surface gloss of society and the underlying struggles of ordinary people.
Line by Line Meaning
The sweet pretty things are in bed now, of course
The beautiful and innocent people are resting, while the city authorities try to support a horse that they praise as Paul Revere's reincarnate. But there's no reason for the town to be anxious about anything.
The ghost of Belle Starr, she hands down her wits
The spirit of Belle Starr passes on her wisdom to a nun named Jezebel, who furiously knits a bald wig for Jack the Ripper, who presides over the Chamber of Commerce.
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
The mother is working at a factory without shoes, while the father is rummaging for food in the alley. The singer is in the kitchen contemplating death and feeling lost.
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
A hyperventilating bride in the amusement center screams and moans, states that she's newly married, and summon the doctor, who tells her not to let any boys in the room.
Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
The quack enters the scene and tells the hysterical bride to stop crying and take a pill, apparently not realizing that she's not dying from a poison.
Well, John the Baptist, after torturing a thief
John the Baptist, having tortured a thief, looks up in reverence to the Commander-in-Chief and asks him if there's a place for him to vomit. The Commander-in-Chief responds while he chases a fly, proclaiming death to all the whiners and dropping a barbell while saying that the sun is not really yellow.
The king of the Philistines, his soldiers to save
The king of the Philistines honors his soldiers by giving jawbones to their tombstones and fattens up his slaves while he imprisons the pied pipers; he then sends them to the wilderness while Gypsy Davey menaces their camps with Pedro and his incendiary tools.
The geometry of innocence, flesh on the bone
The weight of innocence pulled into a mathematical equation causes Galileo's book to be hurled at Delilah who weeps in laughter. The artist wishes he could amaze Brother Bill, tie him up on top of a hill, and shoot some movies with him.
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll
Tubist players practice near the flagpole where Rainey and Beethoven once laid out their bedclothes. The National Bank makes a profit by selling maps to the old folks in nursing homes and colleges, who are seeking salvation.
Now, I wish I could write you a melody so plain
The artist wishes that he could sing a tune that stops a lady from going insane and calms her down; he takes issue with the futility of learning.
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues, oh right
The singer is full of gloom, uncertainty and feelings of helplessness about life, while he works in the kitchen with his music and thoughts of death in his head.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Fiske
Probably one of my favorite Dylan songs. The bizarre drum beat, wailing vocals, and twisted lyrics all tangle so neatly together. Never gets old.
William Donnelly
Absolutely !
Duchess
William Fiske I don’t it’s that bizarre of a drumbeat. It’s basically classic blues
Robert Donaldson
Yeah these lyrics got me through basic training in 1981. They tried to break me and mold me to their version of a soldier. Me and Bobby kept our independence. Thank you Mr. D.
thomas a. tucker
Kickass good song
d deegz
That lead guitar is so savage. Deranged. Beautiful song.
Major Tom
His lyrics are great poetry, everyone knows that, but the way he sings so cleverly each word is also pure genius.
katherine Kirkwood
This song is crazy. My advise is not 2 let the boys in. I love it.
😄
katherine Kirkwood
Genius 4 sure I am stuck on a song 4 today I can't hear enough of. EVERY GRAIN OF SAND REhearsal version my favorite as he whines better than the other versions but the lyrics r wrenching- fabulous omg omg
Tomorrow I may b back 2 Tombstone Blues. Oresome talk about LYRICS 🔥🎉
Ryan Sanders
Yes agreed