Bob Dylan

Released: September 11, 2001

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

Producer: Jack Frost (Bob Dylan)

[Verse 1]
Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is piling’ up, we struggle and we scrape
We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape

[Verse 2]
City’s just a jungle; more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, trying' to get away
I was raised in the country, I been working’ in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down

[Verse 3]
Got nothing' for you, I had nothing' before
Don’t even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, pain pouring’ down
Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around

[Verse 4]
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

[Verse 5]
Well, the devil’s in the alley, mule’s in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinking’ 'bout the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping' in Rosie’s bed

[Verse 6]
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too

[Verse 7]
Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t
Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t
I need something strong to distract my mind
I’m gonna look at you ’til my eyes go blind

[Verse 8]
Well I got here following' the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

[Verse 9]
Well my ship’s been split to splinters and it’s sinking' fast
I’m drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free
I’ve got nothing but affection for all those who’ve sailed with me

[Verse 10]
Everybody moving if they ain’t already there
Everybody got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting' right about now

[Verse 11]
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waiting’ to be kind
So give me your hand and say you’ll be mine

[Verse 12]
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman May 24, 1941), is an American singer-songwriter, writer, and artist who has influenced popular music and culture for more than five decades. Dylan has especially played a critical role in the American folk music revival.

Dylan’s songs are built from myriad political, social, philosophical and literary influences. Many of his anti-war and civil-rights-influenced songs set social unrest, as journalists widely named him the “spokesman for his generation” in the 1960s.

The musician has a signature change in voice and style in many different albums of his throughout the decades. He has notably explored and experimented with the genres of folk, rap, blues, and rock.

more tracks from the album

The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006

From the albums

The Essential Bob Dylan (2000)
Love and Theft (2001)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 (2008)

Bob Dylan popular songs

MississippiBob Dylan

Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006