Well it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
Ifin' you don't know by now
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It'll never do some how
When your rooster crows at the break a dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right
And it ain't no use in a-turnin' on your light, babe
The light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
But don't think twice, it's all right
No it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never done before
And it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear ya any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' wallkin' way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I am told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
So long honey babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye is too good a word, babe
So I just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
Ifin' you don't know by now
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It'll never do some how
When your rooster crows at the break a dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right
And it ain't no use in a-turnin' on your light, babe
The light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
But don't think twice, it's all right
No it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never done before
And it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear ya any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' wallkin' way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I am told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
So long honey babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye is too good a word, babe
So I just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
Lyrics submitted by Jack, edited by goodnews, DubiousDoobies, lyricdude22
Don't Think Twice It's Alright Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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So, it is like most good songs, by us, and to us.
That is what makes a great lyric: applicability.
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You coulda done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
this is one of the greatest verses ever written--there's so much meaning in this last part of the song. "you coulda done better but i don't mind, you just kinda wasted my precious time." those are some intense words right there. dylan rules
The verse has incredible depth. This is it, the split, the goodbye, and while not cordial, it's at least polite...
Except that what is really being said, in a really not very hidden way, is "Go fuck yourself, bitch, I'm outta here..."
Agreed, one of the greatest verses ever written.
but as moods allow it could always be a post-love song.
"But goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well"
The first line is pretty straight forward and self explanatory, he doesn't want to use the word "goodbye" because that would be a wrongful and misleading word to sum up their relationship (Dylan and Suze). Mainly because the fact that there was never any true "good" intentions of Suze leaving, I feel as though she always knew she would stay in Italy indefinitely. And then the second line is pure genius - "So I'll just say fare thee well". "Fare thee well" sounds almost exactly like "fairly well" and there is no doubt in my mind that the creative genius who is Dylan, did not do this on accident. That line was meant to sum up in a whole what those two had. It could have been "good" but it turned out to be "fairly well". "Fairly well" is also a synonym for "all right" which is how Dylan thinks of how things will turn out --> not good, not bad...just all right.
This song is about the true reality of lost love, with little hints hidden here and there about what could have been. Pure genius.
one of my Dylan faves, was covered by Mike Ness of Social Distortion.
The lines
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
and
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You coulda done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
among others definetely support that case. In the first lines I quoted, he's basically saying that she doesn't even deserve to be told good bye; thus he only states fare thee well, a lesser farewell statement. In the second set of quoted lines he's basically saying she was unkind (even to an extent if you consider the meaning literal) and then goes on to say she wasted his time. A wasting of time isn't something to be taken lightly, it's a serious attack on their relationship.
I definetely think this is a bitter break-up between Dylan and his ex, and that she was mainly in the wrong.
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
^ Wonder why he has left? Because she didn't like him and he couldn't take it?
And it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
^ Turning on your light could refer to loving him or pretending to love him to make him stay - or perhaps realising too late that she might love him
But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
^ He still loves her and if she would say the right things he definately could be pursuaded to stay but he knows that she won't
So it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
^ No point saying that she lvoes him to make himstay because he has realised that she never will love him the way he loves her
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You coulda done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
^ She probably knew how he felt but tried to ignore it cause she liked him as a friend and nothing more and didn't want to hurt that
I think the title isn't meant to be malicious, he genuinely loves her but realises she doesn't love him so has to get away - he holds no grudges though.
That's how I've always seen it!
but as moods allow it could always be a post-love song.