"Murder Most foul" is an instant classic imo.

Kennedy's assassination was a day that for those alive in the US, affected you for life, and this song really hits home.
Raised in a large Catholic family, I have vivid memories of being huddled around the black and white for days, seeing Oswald shot in real time, etc.
Brilliant song.

The cover portrait is one that hung in a lot of families living rooms, including ours.

Murder Most Foul
Bob Dylan

Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high
Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am "
"Of course we do. We know who you are."
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts; we've come to collect
We're gonna kill you with hatred; without any respect
We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
We've already got someone here to take your place

The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching; no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone's eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

Hush, little children. You'll understand
The Beatles are comin'; they're gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I'm going to Woodstock; it's the Aquarian Age
Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window; let the good times roll
There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll

Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beat
Living in a nightmare on Elm Street

When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don't ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the ballot, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make left-hand turn
I'm going down to the crossroads; gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died
Shoot him while he runs, boy. Shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie. Goodbye, Uncle Sam
Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn

What is the truth, and where did it go
Ask Oswald and Ruby; they oughta know
"Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl
Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

Tommy, can you hear me I'm the Acid Queen
I'm riding in a long, black limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I'm leaning to the left; got my head in her lap
Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We're right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body, and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul's not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that

Freedom, oh freedom. Freedom cover me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin'; tell me no lies
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Susie; let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River; let's keep hope alive
Turn the radio on; don't touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles

You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy. You filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it 33 times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful. It's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice

The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
The age of the Antichrist has only begun."
Air Force One coming in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to thrown in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it's 36 hours past Judgment Day

Wolfman Jack, speaking in tongues
He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play St. James Infirmary and the Court of King James
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too. Play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker. Play "Scratch My Back."
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Karl Wirsum, too
Looking far, far away at Down Gallow Avenue
Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"
Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"
Ride the pink horse down the long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the Reverend; play it for the Pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson. Play Stan Getz
Play "Blue Sky"; play Dickey Betts
Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and "All That Jazz"
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers, play the odds
Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
Play Number 9, play Number 6
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"
Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"
There's 12 Million souls that are listening in
Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"
Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President. Help's on the way
Your brothers are coming; there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
Tell them, "We're waiting. Keep coming." We'll get them as well

Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"
Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"
Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"
Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"
Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp
Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"
Play darkness and death will come when it comes
Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-03-27 16:28 by schillid.

Quote
slewan

Quote
floodonthepage

Quote
slewan
all these rumors have been discussion at expectingrain.com and there now is some kind of consensus that they are nothing more than rumors and/or just fake

Might want to check on those rumors again...

no need to since this in an old recording (as stated on bobdylan.com – the song sounds like a outtake from Tempest)

So Tattoo You wasn't new music to people when it came out, despite being a collection of outtakes? Maybe it's just that the rumors weren't fake after all.

Quote
schillid
Murder Most Foul
Bob Dylan

Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high
Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am "
"Of course we do. We know who you are."
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts; we've come to collect
We're gonna kill you with hatred; without any respect
We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
We've already got someone here to take your place

The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching; no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone's eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

Hush, little children. You'll understand
The Beatles are comin'; they're gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I'm going to Woodstock; it's the Aquarian Age
Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window; let the good times roll
There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll

Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beat
Living in a nightmare on Elm Street

When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don't ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the ballot, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make left-hand turn
I'm going down to the crossroads; gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died
Shoot him while he runs, boy. Shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie. Goodbye, Uncle Sam
Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn

What is the truth, and where did it go
Ask Oswald and Ruby; they oughta know
"Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl
Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

Tommy, can you hear me I'm the Acid Queen
I'm riding in a long, black limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I'm leaning to the left; got my head in her lap
Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We're right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body, and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul's not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that

Freedom, oh freedom. Freedom cover me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin'; tell me no lies
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Susie; let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River; let's keep hope alive
Turn the radio on; don't touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles

You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy. You filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it 33 times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful. It's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice

The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
The age of the Antichrist has only begun."
Air Force One coming in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to thrown in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it's 36 hours past Judgment Day

Wolfman Jack, speaking in tongues
He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play St. James Infirmary and the Court of King James
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too. Play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker. Play "Scratch My Back."
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Karl Wirsum, too
Looking far, far away at Down Gallow Avenue
Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"
Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"
Ride the pink horse down the long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the Reverend; play it for the Pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson. Play Stan Getz
Play "Blue Sky"; play Dickey Betts
Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and "All That Jazz"
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers, play the odds
Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
Play Number 9, play Number 6
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"
Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"
There's 12 Million souls that are listening in
Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"
Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President. Help's on the way
Your brothers are coming; there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
Tell them, "We're waiting. Keep coming." We'll get them as well

Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"
Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"
Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"
Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"
Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp
Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"
Play darkness and death will come when it comes
Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"

Terrific

You wonder why he didn't include it on his next album.....assuming there is one.

Wow. Murder Most Foul - what a mind trip to listen to. It's like a history of the world, culture, being, since 1963 or whenever and the plague today and reaction to it or not. Like a number of Dylan songs, it's something to ponder and decipher, so many meanings to be taken and discovered in it. The delicacy of the music, as I would describe it, helps to make the song.

Thanks to Bob my edition of the complete lyrics of Bob Dylan is now incomplete!

Well, it rhymes at times.

Wow, very nice and how that length. Cool!

Bob is great. One third of my holy-trinity of music - Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Rolling Stones. (David Bowie with an honorable mention)

Quite an epic song. Sounds like the late-era Leonard Cohen releases. Spoken word over minimal accompaniment so the listener can zero in on the lyrics. I guess this is appropriate for 80-ish legends of their craft.

Roll on Bob.

Quote
doitywoik
Thanks to Bob my edition of the complete lyrics of Bob Dylan is now incomplete!

it has always been incomplete since it doesn't include all those alternate lyrics used in live versions of a lot of his songs (and where additional live lyrics are included the transcription isn't always correct: one of the most extreme mistakes is in "Down Along The Cove (alternate version"). 'Down along the cove I seen the Jacks and the River Queen' while he sings "… the Jackson River Queen" (i.e. a ship and not two people))

Thanks schillid for posting the lyrics.
Listened twice last night and was overwhelmed with so much imagery and references to take in - now just read through it all and am still overwhelmed.
Always loved to read Dylan's lyrics in print (with and without musical accompaniment), and this new one is no exception.

Quote
floodonthepage

Quote
slewan

Quote
floodonthepage

Quote
slewan
all these rumors have been discussion at expectingrain.com and there now is some kind of consensus that they are nothing more than rumors and/or just fake

Might want to check on those rumors again...

no need to since this in an old recording (as stated on bobdylan.com – the song sounds like a outtake from Tempest)

So Tattoo You wasn't new music to people when it came out, despite being a collection of outtakes? Maybe it's just that the rumors weren't fake after all.

Of course it's new Dylan, and "There's 12 Million souls that are listening in..."

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Thank You Bob You made my Day and Many Others!!!!!!! That he chose now to do it Speaks Volumes...The Man Is a Genius......Be Well....Peace

Miles better than any Stones song in about 40 years, maybe Tattoo You...or for some even more

It is a solid song - it sounds like a requiem for an era of popular music, which is reaching its end now.

Good timing too. Think this song will resonate well amongst fans in these times. Again, thanks to Bob! A lyrical masterpiece in my opinion.

This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Quote
RisingStone
This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Sixes and nines? Also in TD.

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
RisingStone
This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Sixes and nines? Also in TD.

Ah okay. Maybe I’m reading too much...as is often the case with all things Zimmerman

666 = number of the devil

Maybe Bob will release the chorus in ten years.

Date-checking Bob's events & playlist...
Are there any events or songs from after the Mid-Seventies references?
... Like Dickey Betts, Fleetwood Mac, Freddy Mercury & Queen, etc...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-03-27 22:20 by schillid.

Quote
Hairball
Thanks schillid for posting the lyrics.
Listened twice last night and was overwhelmed with so much imagery and references to take in - now just read through it all and am still overwhelmed.
Always loved to read Dylan's lyrics in print (with and without musical accompaniment), and this new one is no exception.

Quote
floodonthepage

Quote
slewan

Quote
floodonthepage

Quote
slewan
all these rumors have been discussion at expectingrain.com and there now is some kind of consensus that they are nothing more than rumors and/or just fake

Might want to check on those rumors again...

no need to since this in an old recording (as stated on bobdylan.com – the song sounds like a outtake from Tempest)

So Tattoo You wasn't new music to people when it came out, despite being a collection of outtakes? Maybe it's just that the rumors weren't fake after all.

Of course it's new Dylan, and "There's 12 Million souls that are listening in..."

Most certainly a new recording from early 2020, confirming the rumors of sessions in LA in January/February (on bobdylan.com it says "recorded a while back", which can mean anything).

So much to decipher in the new song. One thing that caught my eye is the reference to not just a song, but a Clint Eastwood movie, "Play Misty For Me". One of Eastwood's better efforts and when first seen, spooky. The song is also an elegy for the world we knew before Covid 19 as we face the world now and to come. To me, this is why Dylan is an artist, not just a songwriter. Outside of Joni Mitchell, I can't say this about any other performers in popular music.

Unlike the Beatles who are name dropped and given an entire line, not sure if there's anything Stones related other than the vague Altamont reference...

Quote
RisingStone
This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Could be a reference to Hendrix's If 6 was 9....

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
Hairball
Unlike the Beatles who are name dropped and given an entire line, not sure if there's anything Stones related other than the vague Altamont reference...

Quote
RisingStone
This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Could be a reference to Hendrix's If 6 was 9....

Nine was Jimi's lucky number. Apart from that, 9 is upside-down 6 and vice versa, we all know what 69 is, and so on. There's enough dylanologists out there to feed us a ton of theories, just give them a few days ...

Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it 33 times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful. It's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen ………………


**** 33 the age of Christ when crucified



ROCKMAN

Quote
Hairball
Unlike the Beatles who are name dropped and given an entire line, not sure if there's anything Stones related other than the vague Altamont reference...

Quote
RisingStone
This is one of those moments when somebody you’ve been thinking is almost done comes back and delivers a big time, and reclaims your respect. What a talent.

Quote

Play Number 9, play Number 6

I wonder what these two numbers refer to...given the 60’s connections, the former The Beatles, the latter The Prisoner?

Could be a reference to Hendrix's If 6 was 9....

I agree with the possible Hendrix if 6 was 9 reference.. but maybe with a Beatles twist.. number 9, number 9, number 9...

666