When the Deal Goes Down
Bob Dylan Lyrics


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In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildered brain, tolls in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down

We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well the moon gives light and shines by night
And I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
Or the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown




I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Overall Meaning

"When The Deal Goes Down" is a reflective love song by Bob Dylan, released in 2006 on his album "Modern Times". The lyrics of the song strangely evoke an appeal for transcendence over materialistic ideals. In the first stanza, Dylan multiplies metaphors, describing the ephemeral nature of life as a bewildered brain in darkness on the pathways of life. He imagines invisible prayers that are dispersed in the air like clouds; tomorrow as an eternal cycle. He seems to say that life is an inexplicable mystery where we are born, live and then die with no apparent reason. However, he finds solace in the company of his beloved, someone he can rely on when "the deal goes down".


The second stanza portrays a vivid image of people wandering around the city, under the midnight rain, each wearing the same thorny crown of existence. Though we laugh, cry and are haunted by things we never intended to say, Dylan looks at life as a gift, an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of human emotions. He likens humans to flowers, frail and ephemeral, and values the moments he shares with his beloved as precious. The final stanza is more cryptic, with Dylan reflecting on his spiritual journey, as he picks up a rose that pokes through his clothes, following the winding stream. He eventually concludes that he owes his heart to his beloved, whom he sees as a vision from the skies.


Line by Line Meaning

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
During the calm of the night, illuminated by the light that has existed for eons,


Where wisdom grows up in strife
Where knowledge is cultivated through struggle,


My bewildered brain, tolls in vain
My confused mind searches for answers without success,


Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Navigating the trails of existence in obscurity,


Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Every silent plea is akin to a shapeless form in the atmosphere,


Tomorrow keeps turning around
The future persists in recurring cycles of time,


We live and we die, we know not why
We are born and we perish, without comprehending why,


But I'll be with you when the deal goes down
But I will be by your side when the situation becomes dire,


We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
We consume, we experience emotions and thoughts,


Far down the street we stray
We wander off into the distant avenues,


I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
I express joy and sorrow, and I'm troubled by,


Things I never meant nor wished to say
Thoughts and words unintentionally spilled out,


The midnight rain follows the train
The rain falling at midnight trails the train,


We all wear the same thorny crown
We all carry emotional burdens,


Soul to soul, our shadows roll
Our souls connected, our shadows projected,


And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
And I will be next to you when facing a critical moment,


Well the moon gives light and shines by night
The moon illuminates the night with its radiance,


And I scarcely feel the glow
An unnoticeable impact created by the moon's light,


We learn to live and then we forgive
We acquire how to exist, and then we begin to pardon,


Or the road we're bound to go
The path nurtured to move ahead,


More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
More delicate than the flowers, the time we have is valuable,


That keep us so tightly bound
That keeps us encapsulated,


You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
You appear before me like a miracle from above,


And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
And I will endure next to you when faced with trouble,


Well I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
When I picked up a rose, its thorns pierced my garments,


I followed the winding stream
I pursued the course of the twisting brook,


I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I heard the blaring sound, I experienced fleeting moments of happiness,


I know they're not what they seem
I understand they aren't what they present to be,


In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
In this world of agony and frustration,


You'll never see me frown
You'll never glimpse me unhappy,


I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
I pledge my love for you, and it's an honest pledge,


And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
And I will be by your side during adversity,




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Neil Bhatt

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildered brain, tolls in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down

We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well the moon gives light and shines by night
And I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
Or the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down.



Vincenzo Str

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildered brain, tolls in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down
We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
Well the moon gives light and shines by night
And I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
Or the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
Well I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down



Rajib Ashraf

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light

Where wisdom grows up in strife

My bewildering brain, toils in vain

Through the darkness on the pathways of life

Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air

Tomorrow keeps turning around

We live and we die, we know not why

But I'll be with you when the deal goes down



We eat and we drink, we feel and we think

Far down the street we stray

I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by

Things I never meant nor wished to say

The midnight rain follows the train

We all wear the same thorny crown

Soul to soul, our shadows roll

And I'll be with you when the deal goes down



The moon gives light and shines by night

I scarcely feel the glow

We learn to live and then we forgive

O'er the road we're bound to go

More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours

That keep us so tightly bound

You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies

And I'll be with you when the deal goes down



I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes

I followed the winding stream

I heard a deafening noise, I felt transient joys

I know they're not what they seem

In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain

You'll never see me frown

I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true

And I'll be with you when the deal goes down



MichaelC DuPree

More lyrics:

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildering brain, toils in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down

We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well, the moon gives light and it shines by night
When I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
Over the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well, I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's saying it's true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/whenthedealgoesdown.html



All comments from YouTube:

Keith Philo

It's just too beautiful for words.
Where would we be without Mr Dylan and his love songs?

Michael Miller

up a "crick" without a paddle.

Fraser Edk

Between a rock and a hard place. Lining up at the S-hit Creek Paddle Shop.

JF TruthSeeker

this song is pure music of the soul. The intimacy and love for someone through the passage of time . Dylan express so genuinely here the fact that the most important moments in life are the ones we perceive the most « futile » when we live them and when we remember them later , we would give anything to live them again and again . These moments are the most precious.. There will never be someone like Bob Dylan ,he is unique

Uncle Dan's Vintage Vinyl!

Damn. Such a great song. When I was a young man, the young Dylan spoke to me. And now, as I grow old, the older Dylan speaks to me again.

Claudia

+Daniel Gunter He wrote it, he filmed it.

Paul Black

me thinks the same feel same me 4 older brothers played lay ladie lay to get me to sleep.Was phofet,gospel according to Dylan! He is main man.blacky break-in it down N motown

DontLookBack

+Daniel Gunter Still...not again

Uncle Dan's Vintage Vinyl!

+Barry Klonsky There was a period when I didn't listen to much Dylan. Now I listen more to him than all the rest put together.

Paul Black

The young Dylan spoke to me too.Now that I'm old the older D like Dylan speaks to me. We are probely alot the same.

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