There's ole Gray with her dove-winged hat
There's ole Green with her sewing machine
Where's the bobbin at?
Tote an old grain in a printed sack
The dust blows forward and dust blows back
And the wind blows black through the sky
And the smokestack blows up in the sun's eye
What am I gonna die?
A white flake riverboat just blew by
Bubbles popped big
And a lipstick Kleenex hug on a pointed forked twig
Reminds me of the bobby girls
Never was my hobby girls
Hand full o'worms and a pole fishin'
Cork bobbin' like a hot red bulb
And a bluejay squeaks, his beak open an inch above a creek
Gone fishin' for a week
Well, I put down my bush
And I took off my pants and felt free
The breeze blowin' up me and up the canyon
Far as I could see
It's night now and the moon looks like a dandelion
It's black now and the blackbird's feedin' on rice
And his red wings look like diamonds and lice
I could hear the mice toes scamperin'
Gophers rumblin' in pile crater rock holes
One red bean stuck in the bottom of a tin bowl
Hot coffee from a crimped-up can
Me and my girl named Bimbo Limbo Spam


Lyrics submitted by DonCaballero

The Dust Blows Forward 'N the Dust Blows Back Lyrics as written by Don Van Vliet

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Dust Blows Forward And The Dust Blows Back song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Great poem/lyric. Those last three lines stick to me like the red bean. It's about getting away from the urban life. 'Gone fishin' for a week'. That's all.

    patchwork caton August 22, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Yeah patchwork, you are probably right. In the first song, Frownland, he says goodbye to his society-bound side, and now he finds himself in his own artistic world.

    Ex Abruptoon January 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "One red bean stuck in the bottom of a tin bowl/Hot coffee from a crimped-up can." Been there, it was good.

    futatoriuson July 18, 2008   Link
  • -2
    General Comment

    This song means that in the 60's you could pretty much sing the first crap that popped into your head and someone would still buy it, as long as you wore a cool hat.

    I'm not saying it was a bad thing - it's just the way it was...

    trippdoggon January 29, 2008   Link

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