Ballad of a Thin Man
Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
And you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you'll say
When you get home

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You raise up your head
And you ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It's his"
And you say, "What's mine?"
And somebody else says, "Where what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God
Am I here all alone?"

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You hand in your ticket
And you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel
To be such a freak?"
And you say, "Impossible"
As he hands you a bone

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To just give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations

You've been with the professors
And they've all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well read
It's well known

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He crosses himself
And then he clicks his high heels
And without further notice
He asks you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your throat back
Thanks for the loan"

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "What does this mean?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home"

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, you walk into the room
Like a camel and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket
And your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin' around
You should be made
To wear earphones

Because something is happening here




But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Overall Meaning

The song "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers is actually a reinterpretation of Bob Dylan's original song, which first appeared on his 1965 album "Highway 61 Revisited". The song tells the story of a man named Mister Jones who is unable to understand the world around him. The song opens with Mister Jones walking into a room with a pencil in his hand and seeing someone naked. He doesn't understand the situation and wonders what he will say when he gets home. The chorus repeats the idea that something is happening, but Mister Jones doesn't know what it is.


As the song progresses, Mister Jones becomes more and more confused. He asks questions and receives unclear answers, and ultimately receives a bone from a freak show performer as a response to his confusion. The song ends with Mister Jones leaving the room, still unaware of what is happening around him.


The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the state of society in the mid-1960s, with Mister Jones representing the average person who is struggling to understand the rapidly changing world. The lyrics are full of imagery and metaphors that create a sense of unease and confusion, emphasizing the idea that things are happening but no one really knows why.


Line by Line Meaning

You walk into the room With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you say, "Who is that man?"
You enter the place holding a pencil, only to find someone naked and question the identity of that person.


You try so hard But you don't understand Just what you'll say When you get home
You're struggling to comprehend what to tell people when you return home from the weird encounters you've experienced.


Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones?
An inexplicable situation is taking place, and you don't have a clue about what's going on, Mister Jones.


You raise up your head And you ask, "Is this where it is?" And somebody points to you and says "It's his"
You lift your head and inquire about the whereabouts, but someone indicates your position and declares it's yours.


And you say, "What's mine?" And somebody else says, "Where what is?" And you say, "Oh my God Am I here all alone?"
You seek to discover what belongs to you, and someone else complicates the matter by confusing your perception, and you wonder if you're entirely alone in this craziness.


You hand in your ticket And you go watch the geek Who immediately walks up to you When he hears you speak
After submitting your ticket, you watch the geek show but are startled as he approaches you the moment he hears your voice.


And says, "How does it feel To be such a freak?" And you say, "Impossible" As he hands you a bone
The geek asks how it is to be so bizarre, and you reply it is implausible as he hands you a bone, leaving you bewildered.


You have many contacts Among the lumberjacks To get you facts When someone attacks your imagination
You have numerous acquaintances among the lumberjacks, who can provide you with verified information whenever anyone questions your creativity.


But nobody has any respect Anyway they already expect you To just give a check To tax-deductible charity organizations
However, nobody shows you respect, and they still anticipate you to make monetary contributions to benefit organizations accountable for tax deduction.


You've been with the professors And they've all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books You're very well read It's well known
You've had conversations with professors, who admired your appearance as well as shared your thoughts with accomplished lawyers about diseased and criminal people. You've read all F. Scott Fitzgerald's books, and people know you're knowledgeable.


Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you And then he kneels He crosses himself And then he clicks his high heels And without further notice He asks you how it feels And he says, "Here is your throat back Thanks for the loan"
The sword swallower approaches you, kneels, and performs a religious action before clicking his heels and inquiring how you feel. Just like that, he returns your throat to you, acknowledging your loan.


Now you see this one-eyed midget Shouting the word "NOW" And you say, "For what reason?" And he says, "How?" And you say, "What does this mean?" And he screams back, "You're a cow Give me some milk Or else go home"
You notice a one-eyed midget shouting the word NOW, and you inquire about the circumstance. The midget responds with HOW, and you ask about the meaning, which angers the midget as s/he screams and asks you for milk or advises that you leave.


Well, you walk into the room Like a camel and then you frown You put your eyes in your pocket And your nose on the ground There ought to be a law Against you comin' around You should be made To wear earphones
You come into the place like a camel and frown, putting your eyes in your pocket and nose on the ground. To stop you from coming in, laws should require you to wear earphones.


Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones?
Repeating the chorus, something is going on, and you don't have a clue about what it is, Mister Jones.




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@mattg9065

this is the only song where malkmus has tried really, really hard, and it shows

@60dukeyboy

What a cover. Dylan would be proud!

@knotwilg3596

Funny that Malkmus sings in a more polished way when covering Dylan than in his own songs.

@Vasquez88

This is an awesome cover, great job.

@mrpinkheavy

Masterpiece!

@brewtown45

Such an awesome soundtrack. Give me some milk or go home.

@MrErtunc

The sun is not yellow, it's chicken.

@munather1971

Bob dylan, Todd the director of the movie and Cate Blanchett are all extraordinary.

@TheKuponess

I'm so in love with this song.

@marixpulp2000

I LOVE IT

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