Tangled Up In Blue
Great White Lyrics

early one morning the sun was shining i was laying in bed
One morning I was lying in bed, wondering what had happened to my past lover, and what she looked like now.

wondering if she'd changed at all if her hair was still red
I was curious if my past lover had changed at all, even wondering if she still had her signature red hair.

her folks they said our lives together sure was going to be rough
Her family often expressed their disapproval of our relationship, predicting that we would encounter trouble.

they never did like mama's homemade dress papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
Her parents were never impressed by her mother's homemade dress or her father's financial situation.

and i was standing on the side of the road rain falling on my shoes
I was standing in the rain on the side of the road, having been through a lot to get there.

heading out for the east coast lord knows i've paid some dues getting through
I was going to the east coast, and have undergone many hardships to get there.

tangled up in blue
My thoughts and emotions about my past lover are complex, and I feel like I am caught up or 'tangled up' in my feelings about her.

she was married when we first met soon to be divorced
When we first met, she was married, but separated and getting a divorce.

i helped her out of a jam i guess but i used a little too much force
I assisted her with something, but perhaps went overboard in what I did for her.

we drove that car as far as we could abandoned it out west
We drove a car as far as possible, eventually abandoning it out west.

split up on a dark sad night both agreeing it was best
We ended our relationship on a sad and gloomy night, agreeing it was the best course of action for both of us.

she turned around to look at me as i was walking away
As I walked away on that sad night, she looked back at me, as if to say goodbye.

i heard her say over my shoulder "we'll meet again some day on the avenue"
As I left, she spoke to me, saying that we may meet again someday, possibly on the avenue.

i had a job in the great north woods working as a cook for a spell
I had a job working as a cook for a short period of time in the great north woods.

i never did like it all that much and one day the axe just fell
I didn't particularly enjoy that job, and one day lost it suddenly.

so i drifted down to new orleans where i was lucky to be employed
After losing that job, I headed to New Orleans and was fortunate to find work.

working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of delacroix
For a time, I worked on a fishing boat outside of Delacroix.

but all the while i was alone the past was close behind
Despite being employed, I still felt alone, with my past experiences often affecting me.

i seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and i just grew
Although I've met other women, I still can't get my past lover out of my head, and my emotions about her have only grown stronger.

she was working in a topless place and i stopped in for a beer
One day, I visited a topless bar and had a beer, where my past lover was working.

i just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear
As I watched her, I couldn't help but admire her profile that was illuminated by the spotlight.

and later on the crowd thinned out i was just about to do the same
As the crowd began to disperse, I was also preparing to leave.

she was standing there in back of my chair saying "jackie don't i know your name?"
My past lover snuck up behind me and spoke to me, using my name in a familiar way.

i muttered something underneath my breath she studied the lines on my face
Feeling uneasy, I muttered something under my breath as she looked intently at my face.

i must admit i felt a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
I admit feeling slightly uncomfortable when she knelt down to tie my shoe for me.

she lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
Later, she lit a stove burner and offered me a pipe to smoke.

"i thought you'd never say hello" she said "you look like the silent type"
She commented on how I appear to be a silent type of person, and was surprised that I finally spoke to her.

then she opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
She then opened a book of poems, and gave it to me to read.

written by an italian poet from the thirteenth century
The poems were written by an Italian poet from the 13th century.

and every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coals
I found that every single word of the poems seemed authentic and vivid, as if they were alive.

pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul from me to you
The words felt like they were pouring out from the pages and directly into my soul, almost as if they were written specifically for me to read.

i lived with them on montague street in a basement down the stairs
For a time, I lived on Montague Street, in a basement below ground level.

there was music in the cafés at night and revolution in the air
During my time there, the cafés would have live music performances, and there was a sense of revolution in the air.

then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died
At some point, he became involved with dealing with slaves, but it had a negative effect on him, causing a part of him to die inside.

she had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside
As a result of his involvement with slave dealing, she had to sell everything she owned and became cold and distant inside.

and one day finally the bottom fell out and i became withdrawn
One day, things took a turn for the worst and I became withdrawn, perhaps even depressed.

the only thing i knew how to do was to keep on keeping on like a bird that flew
Even though I was feeling low, the only thing I knew how to do was to keep pushing forward, like a bird flying through the air.

so now i'm going back again i got to get to her somehow
At this point, I have decided to go back and try to reconnect with my past lover.

all the people we used to know they're an illusion to me now
Everyone we used to know now feels like an illusion or a distant memory to me.

some are mathematicians some are carpenter's wives
I don't know what happened to the people we knew, but some have become mathematicians, while others have become carpenter's wives.

don't know how it all got started i don't know what they're doing with their lives
I have no idea how all of this got started, and I am curious what these people are up to now and how their lives have changed.

but me i'm still on the road heading for another joint
But for me, I am still on the road, traveling to another destination.

we always did feel the same we just saw it from a different point of view
Despite our differences, we always had a strong connection and shared similar feelings, even if we viewed things from a different perspective.

tangled up in blue
Once again, my thoughts and emotions about my past lover are complex and tangled up together, perhaps causing me some confusion and uncertainty.