Bob Dylan - Desolation row

^DThey're selling postcards of the hanging They're ^Gpainting the passports ^Dbrown The ^Abeauty parlour is filled with sailors ^G The circus is in ^Dtown ^DHere comes the blind commissioner ^GThey've got him in a ^Dtrance One ^Ahand is tied to the tightrope walker ^G The other is in his ^Dpants And the ^Griot squad, they're restless They ^Dneed somewhere to ^Ggo As ^Dlady and I look ^Aout tonight from ^G Desolation ^DRow

^DCinderella, she seems so easy It ^Gtakes one to know one she ^Dsmiles And ^Aputs her hands in her back pocket ^G Bette Davis style^D Then ^Din comes Romeo, he's moaning You ^Gbelong to me I be^Dlieve And ^Asomeone says you're in the wrong place my friend ^G You'd better le^Dave And the ^Gonly sound that's left ^DAfter the ambulances ^Ggo Is ^DCinderella ^Asweeping up on ^G Desolation ^DRow

Now the ^Dmoon is almost hidden The ^Gstars are beginning to ^Dhide The ^Afortune telling lady Has ^Geven taken all her things in^Dside All ex^Dcept for Cain and Abel And the ^GHunchback of Notre-^DDame ^AEverybody is making love Or ^Gelse expecting ^Drain And the ^GGood Samaritan, he's dressing He's gettin' ^Dready for the ^Gshow He's ^Dgoing to the ^Acarnival tonight on ^G Desolation ^DRow

O^Dphelia, she's 'neath the window For ^Gher I feel so a^Dfraid On her^A twenty-second birthday She al^Gready is an old ^Dmaid To ^Dher, death is quite romantic She ^Gwears an iron ^Dvest Her ^Aprofession's her religion Her ^Gsin is her lifeless^Dness And ^Gthough her eyes are fixed upon ^DNoah's great rain^Gbow She ^Dspends her time ^Apeeking into ^GDesolation R^Dow

^DEinstein disguised as Robin Hood With his ^Gmemories in a ^Dtrunk ^APassed this way an hour ago With his ^Gfriend a jealous ^Dmonk Ah he ^Dlooked so immaculately frightful As he ^Gbummed a cigar^Dette Then ^Awent off sniffing drain pipes And re^Gciting the alpha^Dbet You ^Gwould not think to look at him But he was ^Dfamous long a^Ggo For ^Dplaying the electric ^Aviolin on ^GDesolation R^Dow

Doctor ^DFilth, he keeps his world I^Gnside of a leather ^Dcup But ^Aall his sexless patients They are ^Gtrying to blow it up ^D Now his^D nurse, some local loser She's in ^Gcharge of the cyanide ^Dhole And she ^Aalso keeps the cards that read Have ^Gmercy on his ^Dsoul ^GThey all play on the penny whistle ^DYou can hear them ^Gblow If you ^Dlean your head o^Aut far enough from ^G Desolation ^DRow

Across the^D street they've nailed the curtains They're gettin' ^Gready for the ^Dfeast The ^APhantom of the Opera In a ^Gperfect image of a ^Dpriest They are ^Dspoon feeding Casanova To ^Gget him to feel more as^Dsured Then they'll ^Akill him with self-confidence After p^Goisoning him with word^Ds And the ^GPhantom's shouting to skinny girls Get ^Doutta here if you don't ^Gknow Casa^Dnova is just being ^Apunished for going ^GTo Desolation ^DRow

At mid^Dnight all the agents And the ^Gsuperhuman ^Dcrew Come ^Aout and round up everyone That ^Gknows more than they ^Ddo ^DThen they bring them to the factory Where the ^Gheart attack ma^Dchine Is ^Astrapped across their shoulders And ^Gthen the kero^Dsene Is ^Gbrought down from the castles By in^Dsurance men who ^Ggo Check to ^Dsee that nobody is es^Acaping to ^GDesolation R^Dow

Praise ^Dbe to Nero's Neptune The Ti^Gtanic sails at ^Ddawn ^AEverybody is shouting ^GWhich side are you ^Don And E^Dzra Pound and T.S. Eliot ^GFighting in the captain's^D tower While ^Acalypso singers laugh at them And ^Gfishermen hold ^Dflowers Be^Gtween the windows of the sea Where ^Dlovely mermaids ^Gflow And ^Dnobody has to ^Athink too much about ^G Desolation ^DRow

^D(*n^Go ^Dlyr^Aics^G -^D ha^Drmo^Gni^Dca ^Asol^Go ^D- o^Gpti^Don^Gal*^D) ^{A G D} [Verse 10] Yes I ^Dreceived your letter yesterday About ^Gthe time the door knob ^Dbroke When you ^Aasked me how I was doing Was ^Gthat some kind of ^Djoke All these ^Dpeople that you mention Yes I ^Gknow them, they're quite ^Dlame I had to ^Arearrange their faces And give them ^Gall another na^Dme ^GRight now I can't read too good Don't ^Dsend me no more letters, ^Gno ^DNot unless you ^Amail them from ^GDesolation R^Dow