Bob Dylan - Desolation row

They're ^Cselling postcards of the hanging, they're ^Fpainting the passports ^Cbrown; the ^G7beauty parlour is filled with sailors, the ^Fcircus is in ^Ctown ^CHere comes the blind commissioner, they've ^Fgot him in a ^Ctrance; ^G7one hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the ^Fother is in his ^Cpants And the ^Friot squad they're restless, they ^Cneed somewhere to ^Fgo; as ^Clady and I look ^G7out tonight, F C C Csus4 C 3x from Desolation Row

^CCinderella, she seems so easy, "it ^Ftakes one to know one," she ^Csmiles; and ^G7puts her hands in her back pockets, ^FBette Davis ^Cstyle ^CAnd in comes Romeo, he's moaning, "you be^Flong to me I be^Clieve"; and ^G7someone says," you're in the wrong place, my friend, ^Fyou better ^Cleave" And the ^Fonly sound that's left, ^Cafter the ambulances ^Fgo; is ^CCinderella ^G7sweeping up, F C C Csus4 C 3x on Desolation Row

Now the ^Cmoon is almost hidden, the ^Fstars are beginning to ^Chide; the ^G7fortune telling lady, has ^Feven taken all her things in^Cside ^CAll except for Cain and Abel, and the ^Fhunchback of Notre ^CDame; ^G7everybody is making love, or ^Felse expecting ^Crain And the ^FGood Samaritan, he's dressing, he's getting ^Cready for the ^Fshow; he's ^Cgoing to the ^G7carnival tonight, F C C Csus4 C 3x on Desolation Row

Now O^Cphelia, she's 'neath the window, for ^Fher I feel so a^Cfraid; on her ^G7twenty-second birthday, she al^Fready is an old ^Cmaid ^CTo her, death is quite romantic, she ^Fwears an iron ^Cvest; her pro^G7fession's her religion, her ^Fsin is her lifeless^Cness And ^Fthough her eyes are fixed upon, ^CNoah's great rain^Fbow; she ^Cspends her time ^G7peeking, F C C Csus4 C 3x into Desolation Row

^CEinstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his ^Fmemories in a ^Ctrunk ^G7Passed this way an hour ago With his ^Ffriend, a jealous ^Cmonk ^CHe looked so immaculately frightful As he ^Fbummed a ^Ccigarette Then he ^G7went off sniffing drainpipes And ^Freciting the alpha^Cbet You ^Fwould not think to look at him But he was ^Cfamous long ^Fago For ^Cplaying the electric ^G7violin F C C Csus4 C 3x On Desolation Row.

^CDr. Filth, he keeps his world ^FInside of a leather ^Ccup ^G7But all his sexless patients ^FThey're trying to blow it ^Cup ^CNow his nurse, some local loser She's in ^Fcharge of the cyanide ^Chole And ^G7she also keeps the cards that read ^F"Have Mercy on His ^CSoul" ^FThey all play on penny whistles ^CYou can hear them ^Fblow ^CIf you lean your head out ^G7far enough F C C Csus4 C 3x From Desolation Row.

^CAcross the street they've nailed the curtains ^FThey're getting ready for the ^Cfeast ^G7The Phantom of the Opera In a perfect ^Fimage of a ^Cpriest ^CThey're spoonfeeding Casanova ^FTo get him to feel more ^Cassured Then they'll ^G7kill him with self-confidence ^FAfter poisoning him with ^Cwords ^FAnd the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls ^C"Get outa here if you don't ^Fknow" ^CCasanova is just being ^G7punished for going F C C Csus4 C 3x To Desolation Row.

^CAt midnight all the agents ^FAnd the superhuman ^Ccrew ^G7Come out and round up everyone ^FThat knows more than they ^Cdo ^CThen they bring them to the factory Where the ^Fheart-attack ^Cmachine Is ^G7strapped across their shoulders ^FAnd then the kero^Csene ^FIs brought down from the castles By ^Cinsurance men who ^Fgo ^CCheck to see that nobody is ^G7escaping F C C Csus4 C 3x To Desolation Row.

^CThey be to Nero's Neptune ^FThe Titanic sails at ^Cdawn ^G7Everybody's shouting ^F"Which side are you ^Con?" ^CAnd Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot ^FFighting in the captain's ^Ctower While ^G7calypso singers laugh at them And ^Ffishermen hold ^Cflowers ^FBetween the windows of the sea Where ^Clovely mermaids ^Fflow And ^Cnobody has to ^G7think too much F C C Csus4 C 3x About Desolation Row.

^CYes, I received your letter yesterday About the ^Ftime the door knob ^Cbroke When you ^G7asked me how I was doing Was ^Fthat some kind of ^Cjoke? ^CAll these people that you mention ^FYes, I know them, they're quite ^Clame I had to ^G7rearrange their faces And ^Fgive them all another ^Cname ^FRight now I can't read too good Don't ^Csend me no more letters ^Fno ^CNot unless you ^G7mail them F C C Csus4 C 3x From Desolation Row.