The Last Waltz
The Band; Bob Dylan Lyrics

She stands on the banks of the mighty Mississippi
The singer of the song is standing on the Mississippi riverbank.

Holding a lantern light
She is holding a lantern to light her way or signal to the riverboat gambler.

Waitin' for a man who's a riverboat gambler
The singer is waiting for her lover who is a gambler on a riverboat.

He said he'd return tonight
The gambler promised to return that night.

They used to waltz on the banks of the mighty Mississippi
The artist and gambler used to dance together on the riverbank.

[Unintelligible; doesn't sound like Loving] the whole night through
They would spend the whole night dancing and being in love.

The riverboat gambler went off to make a killin'
The gambler left to make a lot of money through gambling.

And bring it on back to you
The gambler would bring back the money to the artist.

Evangeline, Evangeline, curses the soul of the Mississippi Queen
The artist Evangeline curses the Mississippi Queen who took her lover away.

That pulled her man away
The Mississippi Queen is responsible for taking the artist's lover away from her.

Now, Bayou Sam from South Louisiana
Bayou Sam is from South Louisiana.

Had gamblin' in his veins
Bayou Sam loves gambling and is an experienced gambler.

And Mama Moo (??) who loves only you
Mama Moo loves only the singer's lover.

Why do ya cause her such pain?
The singer questions why her lover causes Mama Moo so much pain.

She went to the top of Hickory Hill
The singer went to the top of Hickory Hill.

Stand in the lightnin' and thunder
She stands in a storm with lightning and thunder.

Riverboat, it was sinkin'
The riverboat is sinking.

She watched that boat go under
The singer watched the boat sink.

The last of November
It's the end of November.

Leaves on the ground
There are leaves on the ground, possibly because it's autumn.

It's hard to remember
The artist has a hard time remembering something, possibly what city or town she's in.

What city, what town (what town)
The artist is struggling to remember the name of the city or town she's in.

So many roads
There are many roads the singer could take.

Mothered (?) in stone
The roads are surrounded by stone and seem permanent.

Surrounded by bones
The roads are surrounded by bones, potentially from people who got lost or died there.

It feels so alone
The singer feels lonely and isolated.

The last waltz, the last waltz
This is the last waltz, possibly between the singer and her lover.

The last waltz with you
This is the last time the artist will waltz with her lover.

Don't mean the last dance is over
This doesn't mean that their relationship is over.

The last waltz, the last waltz
This is the last time the singer will waltz with her lover.

The last waltz was through
The last waltz was the end of something.