HUCK'S TUNE
Well I wandered alone through a desert of stone
And I dreamt of my future wife
My sword's in my hand and I'm next in command
In this version of death called life
My plate and my cup are right straight up
I took a rose from the hand of a child
When I kiss your lips, the honey drips
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
Every day we meet on any old street
And you're in your girlish prime
The short and the tall are coming to the ball
I go there all the time
Behind every tree there's something to see
The river is wider than a mile
I tried you twice, you can't be nice
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
Here come the nurse with money in her purse
Here come the ladies and men
You push it all in and you've no chance to win
You play 'em on down to the end
I'm laying in the sand getting a sunshine tan
Moving along riding in style
From my toes to my head you knock me dead
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
I count the years and I shed no tears
I'm blinded to what might have been
Nature's voice makes my heart rejoice
Play me the wild song of the wind
I found hopeless love in the room above
When the sun and the weather were riled
You're as fine as wine, I ain't handing you no line
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
All the marry little elves can go hang themselves
My faith is as cold as can be
I'm stacked high to the roof and I'm not without proof
If you don't believe me, come see
You think I'm blue, I think so too
In my words you'll find no guile
The game's gotten old
The deck's gone cold
And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
7 comments:
It's ", here come the ladies in red", I believe. After all, at least on one level, he's talking about poker... Texas Hold'm to be specific.
I also think "I'm blinded to what might have been" might be "I'm blinded to a brighter din"... not sure though. My ears just aren't what they used to be. Wish I knew the exact chords, but A, a variant of D, & a variant of E work well with a capo on the 4th fret. It's a great song!!!
One more correction, perhaps:
Replace
"When the sun and the weather were riled"
with
"When the sun and the weather were mild".
I believe he's telling us that Huck spent a lot of time in the "room upstairs" playing poker, even when it was beautiful outside. And, he knows that "nature's voice" makes his "heart rejoice"... just another reason to "put you down for a while".
I won't even get into his ongoing metaphors about lost love and troublesome women, only to say that to those of us who have been through some of what he has gone through in relationships with women, he never fails to strike a more than familiar chord. He is and always has been a extraordinary Singer/Songwriter/Poet, and I don't expect that will ever change.
"nature's voice makes my heart rejoice, play me the wild song of the wind"
Fine words, great song.The music sounds familiar, but Dylan is our main linkto our musical heritage, so its hardly surprising.
Yes, this is such a beautiful song. For me it speaks about letting go of any sort of addiction (gambling, sex and romantic attachment, drugs etc..) Dylan always goes straight to the heart of the human condition. In regards to the musical chords, Dylan plays it in C# so put a capo on the first fret of the guitar and play straight C. The progression then goes as follows in triplet time: C C F F C G Am Am... (could be Fmaj7) Peace and Love... Allen in ATL
Check out this cover by a multitalent on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6QDpJ0XlQ8
I am a big Dylan fan, but I like that kid's Huck's Tune and Mississippi better than the original... Greatings from Germany Gregor
Man, that Bob D is some songwriter!!! His imagery and poetic pictures are right on point. I'm so glad he's still working and writing his good stuff for us all to enjoy. I been doin' his stuff since '62, and this one is another gem. Anybody who has done any living, poker playing and loving knows this song!
Ben B.
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