Tangled Up In Blue
Melvin Seals Lyrics


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Early one mornin' the sun was shinin',
I was layin' in bed
Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red.
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through,
Tangled up in blue.

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess,
But I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder,
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue,"
Tangled up in blue.

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell.
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I happened to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Right outside of Delacroix.
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.

She was workin' in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear.
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath,
She studied the lines on my face.
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You look like the silent type."
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century.
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air.
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died.
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside.
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew,
Tangled up in blue.

So now I'm goin' back again,
I got to get to her somehow.
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives.
Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same,




We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Melvin Seals' "Tangled Up In Blue" offer a portrait of a relationship that is filled with passion, longing, and heartbreak. The song is written in a vivid, narrative style that makes it feel like we are listening to a story being told by the singer. The lyrics are ripe with imagery and metaphors that paint a picture of love and loss that is both haunting and beautiful.


The song begins with the singer lying in bed, wondering if the woman he loves has changed since he last saw her. He is haunted by memories of their turbulent past, including her troubled family and their own difficulties in making their relationship work. As the song progresses, we learn more about their story - how they met, how they fell in love, how they drifted apart. Through it all, the singer is consumed by his love for her, unable to escape the memories that "knock him down like a winged bird."


Line by Line Meaning

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin', I was layin' in bed Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all If her hair was still red.
On a beautiful morning with the sun shining in, I woke up and wondered if my former lover had changed. I wondered if she still had her beautiful red hair.


Her folks they said our lives together Sure was gonna be rough They never did like Mama's homemade dress Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
Her parents believed it would be difficult for us to be together since they didn't approve of Mama's homemade dress for our wedding and thought that Papa's bank account wouldn't be sufficient enough to support our lives.


And I was standin' on the side of the road Rain fallin' on my shoes Heading out for the East Coast Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through, Tangled up in blue.
I was standing on the side of the road, the rain falling on my shoes, leaving for the East Coast after a long and trying journey, which left me emotionally tangled up and confused.


She was married when we first met Soon to be divorced I helped her out of a jam, I guess, But I used a little too much force.
When we first met, she was married and in the process of getting divorced. I helped her with her situation, but perhaps I did so with more force than necessary.


We drove that car as far as we could Abandoned it out West Split up on a dark sad night Both agreeing it was best.
We drove as far as we could, eventually abandoning the car out West before parting ways on a sad and lonely night. Despite the emotional toll, we both agreed that it was for the best.


She turned around to look at me As I was walkin' away I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue," Tangled up in blue.
As I walked away, she turned to look at me and whispered, "We'll meet again one day on the avenue," leaving me with a tangled mix of emotions and thoughts.


I had a job in the great north woods Working as a cook for a spell But I never did like it all that much And one day the ax just fell.
I had a job in the northern woods working as a cook, but it wasn't a job I truly enjoyed. Eventually, I lost the job suddenly.


So I drifted down to New Orleans Where I happened to be employed Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat Right outside of Delacroix.
I drifted down south to New Orleans and got a job working for a time on a fishing boat in Delacroix.


But all the while I was alone The past was close behind, I seen a lot of women But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew Tangled up in blue.
Although I met many new women while working on the boat, I remained alone and felt tangled up in the past, with thoughts of her always present in my mind.


She was workin' in a topless place And I stopped in for a beer, I just kept lookin' at the side of her face In the spotlight so clear.
I stopped by a topless place where she was working, just for a drink. I couldn't take my eyes off the side of her face, shining brightly in the spotlight.


And later on as the crowd thinned out I's just about to do the same, She was standing there in back of my chair Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
As the crowd started to thin out, I was preparing to leave when she reappeared behind me, asking if she knew my name.


I muttered somethin' underneath my breath, She studied the lines on my face. I must admit I felt a little uneasy When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe, Tangled up in blue.
I muttered something under my breath, and she studied the lines on my face, making me feel slightly uneasy. As she bent down to tie my shoelaces, I felt a mix of emotions and confusion.


She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe "I thought you'd never say hello," she said "You look like the silent type." Then she opened up a book of poems And handed it to me
She lit a pipe and joked that she thought I'd never say hello since I appeared to be the silent type. She then handed me a book of poems written by an Italian poet from the 13th century.


Written by an Italian poet From the thirteenth century. And every one of them words rang true And glowed like burnin' coal Pourin' off of every page Like it was written in my soul from me to you, Tangled up in blue.
Every word of the Italian poet's poems rang true to me and felt as if it was written just for me. The words shone like burning coals off the page, resonating deep within my soul and entangling me even further in my emotions.


I lived with them on Montague Street In a basement down the stairs, There was music in the cafes at night And revolution in the air.
I lived with a group of people on Montague Street in a basement, where we listened to music in the cafes at night and felt the rumblings of change in the air.


Then he started into dealing with slaves And something inside of him died. She had to sell everything she owned And froze up inside.
One of our group members became involved in slave dealing, which destroyed something inside him. Similarly, she was forced to sell all her belongings and became emotionally frozen inside.


And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn, The only thing I knew how to do Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew, Tangled up in blue.
When everything fell apart, I withdrew into myself and became isolated. The only way I knew how to cope was to keep moving forward, like a bird flying, but I couldn't shake the tangle of emotions that still burdened me.


So now I'm goin' back again, I got to get to her somehow. All the people we used to know They're an illusion to me now.
Now I'm returning again, determined to find her somehow. Everyone we knew before seems like an illusion to me now, as I'm consumed by my emotions and confusion.


Some are mathematicians Some are carpenter's wives. Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
Some of the people we knew before are mathematicians, while others are the wives of carpenters. I don't know how it all began, nor do I know what they're doing with their lives now that I'm back.


But me, I'm still on the road Headin' for another joint We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
I'm still on the road, hoping to find meaning and purpose. We always connected with each other despite our differences, but now we're tangled up in our emotions and past experiences.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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