Tangled Up In Blue
garcia jerry band Lyrics

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin', I was layin' in bed
I woke up one morning and lay in bed, basking in the sunshine that was entering my room.

Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red.
I wondered if the woman I loved had changed in any way, like whether she still had her signature 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 were not happy about our relationship because they didn't think we would have an easy life together. They didn't approve of her mother's handmade dress, and they thought my financial status wasn't good 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.
As I left town, I found myself stranded on the roadside, with the rain falling on my shoes. I was heading towards the East Coast, and it was a difficult journey that had already taken its toll on me emotionally.

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 I first met her, she was still married although they were soon to go through a divorce. I tried to help her out of a tough time, but looking back, maybe I wasn't as helpful as I thought.

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 tried to make a new start by driving out West together, but eventually, we had to part ways during a sad and emotional night. We both knew it was the best choice for us.

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 around and looked at me, and said that we would meet again someday. The thought of seeing her again made me feel conflicted and confused.

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.
For a time, I worked as a cook in the cool and beautiful woods of the North. But the job never really suited me, and eventually, I lost it for some reason.

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 towards New Orleans where I found myself a job working on a fishing boat just outside the town 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.
Despite my new job and location, I was still haunted by my past and the woman I left behind. I tried to move on, but I couldn't escape the memories and emotions that were 'tangling me 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.
I found out that she was working at a topless bar and so I popped in for a quick drink. I couldn't resist staring at her face, which was highlighted so clearly under 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 evening wore on, and the crowds dissipated, I was about to leave when she appeared behind me and asked 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.
Feeling a bit awkward, I muttered under my breath while she continued to scrutinize me. I felt a little uneasy as she bent down to tie my shoelace, and all the while, the blue tangle of emotions still troubled me.

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.
Back at her place, she offered me a pipe and expressed surprise that I hadn't spoken earlier. She noted that I seemed to be the quiet type. She then presented me with an ancient book of Italian poetry.

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.
As I read her ancient book of Italian poetry, every word seemed to speak directly to me. It felt like I was reading something that had been written just for me and for her, and the emotional knot of our relationship still lingered within me.

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.
At some point, I lived with her in a basement apartment on Montague Street. The atmosphere was charged with the sound of music spilling out of the cafes at night, and the signs of social and political discontent were all around us.

Then he started into dealing with slaves, and something inside of him died, she had to sell everything she owned, and froze up inside.
Our world became embroiled in the issue of slavery, which caused something within him to die. The woman I loved was forced to sell all of her possessions and became emotionally frozen as a result.

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 became completely detached and limit myself to just keeping on with my life, like a bird that flies unthinking. But the memories of the past still hovered within me and kept me '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.
I've made the decision to go back and see her once again, and I need to find a way to reach out to her. All the people that we used to interact with together are now a distance illusion.

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.
Among the people that we had known, some had become mathematicians, while others had become carpenter's wives. It's unclear to me how they all ended up in their current situations. However, I know that I'm still roaming around looking for the next phase of my life, and despite being separated from her, we still shared many things in our lives despite seeing things from different perspectives and we were still 'tangled up in blue.'