Subterranean Homesick Blues
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
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Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doing it again
You better duck down the alleyway
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coonskin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
But you only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters
Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't want to be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson’s song Subterranean Homesick Blues explore themes of government control, paranoia, and rebellion. The song creates a sense of urgency with its quick-paced guitar riff and Dylan-esque storytelling. The first verse introduces two characters: Johnny, who is mixing up medicine in the basement, and the singer or “kid” who is on the pavement thinking about the government. The man in the trench coat who approaches them may be a government agent, but he is also laid off and sick, suggesting a breakdown in the system. The “you” in the song, the kid, is implicated in some kind of wrongdoing but is not sure what it is.
Maggie, a character that appears in many Dylan songs, is introduced in the second verse, with a face full of black soot, suggesting that she too has been marginalized in some way. She talks about the planting of illegal substances, which may be a reference to anti-Vietnam war protests or other countercultural activities. The song warns the kid to be careful, stay away from people who carry fire hoses, and maintain a clean nose, not to get too involved with those who follow leaders blindly. The song ends with a series of admonitions to the kid, to chew gum, avoid scandals and not to become a bum – but it also notes that the pump doesn't work because the vandals took the handles, which might suggest that the government is also to blame for societal breakdown.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny's in the basement
Johnny is in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
Mixing up some type of medicine
I'm on the pavement
I am on the pavement
Thinking about the government
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Referring to a man who is wearing a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
The man is not currently employed
Says he's got a bad cough
The man is claiming to have a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
The man wants to pay off his cough?
Look out kid
A warning to a kid
It's somethin' you did
The kid did something wrong
God knows when
The time of the action is unknown
But you're doing it again
The kid is making the same mistake twice
You better duck down the alleyway
The kid needs to hide
Lookin' for a new friend
The kid is searching for a new friend
The man in the coonskin cap
Referring to a man wearing a coonskin cap
In the big pen
This man is in jail
Wants eleven dollar bills
The man wants eleven dollars
But you only got ten
But the kid only has ten dollars
Maggie comes fleet foot
Referring to Maggie coming quickly
Face full of black soot
Maggie has black soot on her face
Talkin' that the heat put
Maggie is talking about how the heat put something
Plants in the bed but
Referring to plants in a bed, but deliberately missing words
The phone's tapped anyway
The phone is being monitored
Maggie says that many say
Maggie is claiming that many people are saying something
They must bust in early May
The authorities plan on making some arrests in May
Orders from the D.A.
Orders from the District Attorney
Don't matter what you did
The action taken by you does not matter
Walk on your tip toes
Walk quietly to not draw attention
Don't try "No Doz"
Don't use the stimulant medication
Better stay away from those
Stay away from those people
That carry around a fire hose
That have a fire hose with them
Keep a clean nose
Stay out of trouble
Watch the plain clothes
Watch out for undercover cops
You don't need a weather man
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows
To know the direction of things
Get sick, get well
Get sick then get well
Hang around a ink well
Hang around an inkwell, a location for writers and poets
Ring bell, hard to tell
Ring the bell but it is hard to tell why
If anything is goin' to sell
If anything will be successful or profitable
Try hard, get barred
Try hard, but be prevented from achieving your goal
Get back, write braille
Referring to blindness and understanding the difficulty of achieving your goal
Get jailed, jump bail
Go to jail, jump on someone's back
Join the army, if you fail
Join the army if you don't succeed at something else
You're gonna get hit
You will get hit
But users, cheaters
Referring to people who use and cheat
Six-time losers
People who have lost six times
Hang around the theaters
Hang around theater locations
Girl by the whirlpool
A girl by a whirlpool location
Lookin' for a new fool
Looking for a new foolish person
Don't follow leaders
Don't blindly follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters
Don't get a parking ticket
Ah get born, keep warm
Get born, stay warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Wear short pants, learn to dance, have romance
Get dressed, get blessed
Get dressed, be blessed
Try to be a success
Try to be successful
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Please people with gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Don't steal or pick up anything
Twenty years of schoolin'
Twenty years of education
And they put you on the day shift
And they give you a job with daytime hours
They keep it all hid
They are keeping something hidden
Better jump down a manhole
Better hide or jump down a manhole location
Light yourself a candle
Light a candle
Don't wear sandals
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Avoid getting into any scandalous situations
Don't want to be a bum
Don't want to be jobless or homeless
You better chew gum
You should chew gum
The pump don't work
The pump is not functional
'Cause the vandals took the handles
The handles were removed by vandals
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind