Released: January 13, 1964
Songwriter: Bob Dylan
Producer: Tom Wilson (producer)
Oh, the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in
And the sea will split
And the ships will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the waves will pound
And the mornin' will be a-breakin'
The fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls, they'll be smilin'
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'
Oh, the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And they'll know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in
And they'll raise their hands
Sayin', "We'll meet all your demands"
But we'll shout from the bow, "Your days are numbered"
And like Pharoah's tribe
They'll be drowned in the tide
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in
And the sea will split
And the ships will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the waves will pound
And the mornin' will be a-breakin'
The fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls, they'll be smilin'
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'
Oh, the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And they'll know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in
And they'll raise their hands
Sayin', "We'll meet all your demands"
But we'll shout from the bow, "Your days are numbered"
And like Pharoah's tribe
They'll be drowned in the tide
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered
more tracks from the album
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964
- Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Demo)
- All Over You
- Long Ago, Far Away
- Man on the Street
- Standing on the Highway
- Ballad for a Friend
- Poor Boy Blues
- John Brown
- Seven Curses
- Only a Hobo
- I’d Hate to Be You on That Dreadful Day
- Long Time Gone
- Farewell
- Man on the Street (Fragment)
- Hard Times in New York Town
- Bound to Lose, Bound to Win
- Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
- Guess I’m Doing Fine
- Ain’t Gonna Grieve
- Gypsy Lou
- Whatcha Gonna Do?
- Hero Blues
- Paths of Victory
- Walkin’ Down the Line
- Quit Your Low Down Ways
- Oxford Town
- Bob Dylan’s Dream
- Bob Dylan’s Blues
- Girl from the North Country
- A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
- Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
- Blowin’ in the Wind
- Mr. Tambourine Man
- Masters of War
- I Shall Be Free
- Let Me Die in My Footsteps
- Rambling Gambling Willie
- Baby, I’m in the Mood for You
- I’ll Keep It with Mine
- Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
- Mama, You Been on My Mind
- The Death of Emmett Till
- When the Ship Comes In
- Boots of Spanish Leather
- Ballad of Hollis Brown
- Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
- The Times They Are A-Changin’
From the albums
Bob Dylan popular songs
- Murder Most Foul
- Blowin’ in the Wind
- The Times They Are A-Changin’
- All Along the Watchtower
- Like a Rolling Stone
- Make You Feel My Love
- Hurricane
- Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
- Mr. Tambourine Man
- A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
- Subterranean Homesick Blues
- Desolation Row
- Tangled Up in Blue
- Masters of War
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
- It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
- Girl from the North Country
- Tempest
- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
- Ballad of a Thin Man
- Visions of Johanna
- I Contain Multitudes
- To Fall in Love with You
- Shelter from the Storm