They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark
Tingle to his bones
'Twas then he felt alone
And wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate

They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel
With a neon burnin' bright
He felt the heat of the night
Hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate

A saxophone someplace far-off played
As she was walkin' on by the arcade
As the light bust through a beat-up shade
Where he was waking up
She dropped a coin into the cup
Of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate

He woke up, the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere
He told himself he didn't care
Pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside
To which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate

He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks
Where the sailors all come in
Maybe she'll pick him out again
How long must he wait?
One more time, for a simple twist of fate

People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin
But I lost the ring
She was born in spring
But I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate


Lyrics submitted by typo

Simple Twist of Fate Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Simple Twist of Fate song meanings
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  • +7
    My Interpretation

    I'm thinking they met by chance, like he just bumped into her. I think the "go straight" comment means he took a different path randomly. Like he took the long way home for a change.

    So then they hung out and he fell for her. 'Lightning struck' so to speak, at least for him. She either felt the same way but bailed for some reason, or she just had some no consequences banging and didn't feel the same way about him.

    I think she liked him, but sees the relationship casually. Perhaps she just fails to grasp the potential that's there for something more. He calls her his 'twin'. We are what we value. So he discovers someone that that values what he himself values. Perhaps she does too, but just doesn't appreciate how rare and important that is. Consider her dropping the coin in the blind man's cup. Why is that in there? She is patronizing someone that cannot see her for what she is. She gives herself to someone almost impulsively, without thinking. Dylan, I think, laments this fact.

    Hearing the ticking of the clocks is obviously a reference to feelings of getting older. In this context I think is afraid that he is running out of chances to meet someone that he can relate to. The parrot comment may be explained as a reference to "parrot" used as a verb and not a noun.

    The definition:

    Verb 1.parrot - repeat mindlessly; "The students parroted the teacher's words" echo, repeat

    I think the guy is obsessing about this girl and can't get his mind off of her. His thoughts are parroting the circumstances and it is bugging the hell out of him. Just my thoughts.

    He then discusses waiting at the docks for her. I think this is an allusion to waiting for one's ship to come in. Think about soldier returning home to their families. You always see them getting off of ships into the joyful arms of their families that have been patiently awaiting their return. There's that moment of searching through a crowd of people that all look the same for that special someone you long for. Dylan is comparing his longing for this woman (or anyone that he relates to in a similar fashion) to this. Even the possibility the next ship breaking the horizon is what you are looking for is enough to get your hopes up.

    Thern there's the last bit:

    "People tell me it's a sin To know and feel too much within."

    I think he believes that people are too cautious with their emotions. He obviously isn’t, and feels that while there is bigger risk, there is bigger reward. She was the perfect fit for him (in his mind) and that is something that people should be willing to risk heartache for. That he “lost the ring” could be interpreted as losing the reward.

    The born in spring/too late part could be a reference to just bad timing or circumstances. A stretch would be that often animals are born in spring have an advantage as more food and warmer weather early on helps survival rates. Those born later are not so lucky and this timing is all about fate. That said, he probably blames himself for things not working out (like there is a reason she wasn’t as in to him or she just didn’t open her eyes to the possibility). He feels that he (or just this particular instance) is somehow defective due to circumstances that he does not understand and cannot control (a simple twist of fate).

    My two cents as conveyed in a conversation with another. I welcome any thoughts on this from you people.

    mrbeechumon April 19, 2010   Link

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