Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
Cat Power Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know, he don't talk

And the ladies treat him kindly
And furnish him with tape
But deep inside his heart
I know he can't escape

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows him well

And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine

An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that
But then again there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette"

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked

But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he'd lost control
Rebuilt a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

The senator came down here
Showing everyone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son

An' me, I nearly got busted
An' wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck?

Oh, mama
Is this really the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now, the T-Preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest

But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered and said "Not even you can hide
You see, you're just like me
I hope you're satisfied"

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now, the Rainman gave me two cures
Then he said, "Jump right in"
The one was Texas medicine
The other was just railroad gin

An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where he can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon

An' he say, "Aw, come on now
You know you know about my debutante"
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you really want"

Oh, mama
Can this really be the end?
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now, the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed

An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice

Oh, mama
Is this really the end?




To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Overall Meaning

"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" is a 1966 song by Bob Dylan. The song is from his Blonde on Blonde album. The song describes a surreal scenario with characters like the ragman, Shakespeare, and the Rainman, who offer bizarre advice and mixed cures. The song paints a picture of a place full of confusion, deception, and desperation.


The ragman circles around the block, but when asked for the matter, he doesn't talk. He is treated with kindness by the ladies, but it is clear that he cannot escape. The singer is stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again, and his fate seems to be out of his control. The song goes on to describe other odd and ominous events, like the death of the singer's grandpa, the T-preacher's confusion about his headlines, and the Rainman's strange cures.


The song can be interpreted as a commentary on American society in the 1960s. The setting of Mobile, Alabama, which was a critical center of the Civil Rights Movement, places the song squarely in the context of the era's social and political struggles. The disjointed series of events and strange characters can also be seen as a reflection of the era's social disintegration and profound cultural change.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, the ragman draws circles
The ragman roams around the block in a repetitive, aimless manner


Up and down the block
Moving from one point to another with no specific destination


I'd ask him what the matter was
I would have inquired about his issue


But I know, he don't talk
However, I'm aware that he is silent


And the ladies treat him kindly
The women show him kindness


And furnish him with tape
They give him adhesive tape


But deep inside his heart
In his innermost thoughts and feelings


I know he can't escape
I'm aware that he is unable to break free


Oh, mama
Oh, mother


Can this really be the end?
Is this truly the end?


To be stuck inside of mobile
Trapped within the confines of a vehicle


With the Memphis blues again
Feeling the same sadness and melancholy as before


Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
Shakespeare is in the narrow street


With his pointed shoes and his bells
Wearing shoes with pointed toes and making noise with bells


Speaking to some French girl
Conversing with a young woman from France


Who says she knows him well
She claims to have a deep understanding of him


And I would send a message
I would have sent a missive


To find out if she's talked
To inquire if she has spoken of me


But the post office has been stolen
The mail facility has been robbed


And the mailbox is locked
Unable to access the mailbox


Mona tried to tell me
Mona attempted to notify me


To stay away from the train line
To avoid the path of the railway


She said that all the railroad men
She expressed that all men employed on the train are


Just drink up your blood like wine
Bloodsuckers, like wine, live by drinking human blood


An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that
I was surprised to find out since


But then again there's only one I've met
However, I've spoken to only one in my life


An' he just smoked my eyelids
And he simply smoked cannabis with me


An' punched my cigarette"
And hit my cigarette with his fist


Grandpa died last week
My grandfather passed away a week ago


And now he's buried in the rocks
His remains are interred in the ground


But everybody still talks about
Despite the fact, people keep discussing


How badly they were shocked
How devastated they were


But me, I expected it to happen
But, for me, it wasn't surprising


I knew he'd lost control
I was aware that he was out of control


Rebuilt a fire on Main Street
He started a fire on Main Street again


And shot it full of holes
And perforated it with bullets


The senator came down here
The senator came down to this place


Showing everyone his gun
Displaying his gun to everyone


Handing out free tickets
Giving away free tickets


To the wedding of his son
Invitations to the marriage of his son


An' me, I nearly got busted
And I almost got caught


An' wouldn't it be my luck
It would be my fortune


To get caught without a ticket
To be caught without a ticket


And be discovered beneath a truck?
And be found beneath a truck?


Now, the T-Preacher looked so baffled
Now, T-preacher appeared confused


When I asked him why he dressed
When I inquired as to why he was dressed up


With twenty pounds of headlines
With twenty pounds of newspapers


Stapled to his chest
Attached to his chest with clips


But he cursed me when I proved it to him
But he swore at me when I demonstrated how it was


Then I whispered and said "Not even you can hide
Then I murmured and said, "You can't even conceal things like I can


You see, you're just like me
You're similar to me


I hope you're satisfied"
I hope you're happy


Now, the Rainman gave me two cures
Now, the Rainman provided me with two remedies


Then he said, "Jump right in"
Then he said, "Just take them without any concern"


The one was Texas medicine
One was a cure from Texas


The other was just railroad gin
The other was plain railway gin


An' like a fool I mixed them
And foolishly, I blended them


An' it strangled up my mind
And it strangled my mind


An' now people just get uglier
As a result, people appear more grotesque


An' I have no sense of time
And I have no perception of time


When Ruthie says come see her
When Ruthie requests me to visit her


In her honky-tonk lagoon
In her honky-tonk puddle


Where he can watch her waltz for free
Where he can witness her freeform dancing


'Neath her Panamanian moon
Beneath the moon of Panama


An' he say, "Aw, come on now
He says, "Come on now


You know you know about my debutante"
You know about my debutante, right?


An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
And she replies, "Your debutante only knows what you require


But I know what you really want"
But I understand what you genuinely desire"


Now, the bricks lay on Grand Street
Now, the bricks are scattered on Grand Street


Where the neon madmen climb
Madmen who frequently climb neon lights exchange it


They all fall there so perfectly
They all fall in such an ideal way


It all seems so well timed
It appears that everything is occurring on schedule


An' here I sit so patiently
And here I am sitting calmly


Waiting to find out what price
Hoping to discover the cost


You have to pay to get out of
That must be paid to escape


Going through all these things twice
Going through everything twice


Oh, mama
Oh, mother


Is this really the end?
Is this the conclusion?


To be stuck inside of mobile
To be trapped inside a vehicle


With the Memphis blues again
Feeling sadness and melancholy again, from Memphis-style music




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

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

R. R. Rubin

And the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
Lord, I know I can't escape
Oh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post office has been stolen
But the mailbox is locked
Oh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Drink up your blood like wine
And I said, "Oh, I didn't know that"
But then again, there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette
Ooh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Grandpa died last week
Now he's buried in the rocks
Everyone still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
When I knew he'd lost control
He built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I could watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
I said, "Oh, come on now
You must know about my debutante"
She said, "Your debutante knows what you need
But I know what you want"
Oh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Now the bricks they fall on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again



All comments from YouTube:

trevor batiuk

Cat Power- best cover in a generation! Goddess , Music Legend.

mathew idicula

Her Smokey voice too this cover sally gives it an extra dimension.

Scott Anderson

Very difficult to do justice to a Bob Dylan song. This is excellent.

Peter Gef

C' est énorme, Grandiose. Je peux dire que c'est probablement après celle de Dylan, la meilleure interprétation que je connaisse de ce très grand classique du Folk rock issu de Blonde on Blonde (1966) de Dylan. Quel talent, quelle voix et quelle chanteuse. CHAN, tu es..... Un ANGE....

michael chirrick

Im a major Dylan fan but i must say i like this cover as much as the original...I wish Cat would do an entire album of Dylan tunes...

aliasdyln33

Cat's cover of this Dylan gem is performed aggressively and with brash confidence. It moves like a train rolling down the tracks. Yes, it's a slow, slow train comin', up around the bend . . .

jaysunlickaraisin

Huge Dylan fan. Favorite version. Love her.

IlseCuché GO

Bob Dylan es grande.... y con la voz de cat es maravillosa!

Mark Miller

Why isn’t this lady better known? She has a fantastic voice

Robb Kushner

WOW! Really great cover of this legendary song. BRAVO!

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