This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I got my back to the sun 'cause the light is too intense
I can see what everybody in the world is up against
You can't turn back you can't come back, sometimes we push too far
One day you'll open up your eyes and you'll see where we are
Sugar Baby get on down the road
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff
Plenty of places to hide things here if you want to hide 'em bad enough
I'm staying with Aunt Sally, but you know, she's not really my aunt
Some of these memories you can learn to live with and some of them you can't
Sugar Baby get on down the line
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
You might as well keep going now
The ladies down in Darktown, they're doing the Darktown Strut
You always got to be prepared but you never know for what
There ain't no limit to the amount of trouble women bring
Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love's not an evil thing
Sugar Baby, get on down the road
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick
Happiness can come suddenly and leave just as quick
Any minute of the day the bubble could burst
Try to make things better
For someone, sometimes you just end up making it a thousand times worse
Sugar Baby, get on down the road
You ain't got no brains no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one
You got a way of tearing a world apart, love, see what you done
Just as sure as we're living, just as sure as you're born
Look up, look up seek your Maker 'fore Gabriel blows his horn
Sugar Baby, get on down the line
You ain't got no sense, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
I can see what everybody in the world is up against
You can't turn back you can't come back, sometimes we push too far
One day you'll open up your eyes and you'll see where we are
Sugar Baby get on down the road
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff
Plenty of places to hide things here if you want to hide 'em bad enough
I'm staying with Aunt Sally, but you know, she's not really my aunt
Some of these memories you can learn to live with and some of them you can't
Sugar Baby get on down the line
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
You might as well keep going now
The ladies down in Darktown, they're doing the Darktown Strut
You always got to be prepared but you never know for what
There ain't no limit to the amount of trouble women bring
Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love's not an evil thing
Sugar Baby, get on down the road
You ain't got no brains, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick
Happiness can come suddenly and leave just as quick
Any minute of the day the bubble could burst
Try to make things better
For someone, sometimes you just end up making it a thousand times worse
Sugar Baby, get on down the road
You ain't got no brains no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one
You got a way of tearing a world apart, love, see what you done
Just as sure as we're living, just as sure as you're born
Look up, look up seek your Maker 'fore Gabriel blows his horn
Sugar Baby, get on down the line
You ain't got no sense, no how
You went years without me
Might as well keep going now
Lyrics submitted by SquidOmelet
Sugar Baby Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
I can't figure out the references to Darktown, but overall this song seems to be about a man trying to get on with his life after having his heart broken by a Sugar Baby.
She's probably younger than the narrator (as suggested by him calling her a "baby"), and thus has less experience dealing with people with whom she's intimately involved. The narrator was blinded by her charms at first, but then he possibly had to turn "his back to the sun" because she just became too much to handle. Now that he's regained his sight and that his sense has returned, he can see what "everyone in the world is up against" in terms of resisting Sugar Baby's come ons.
I think before he reached the state of mind this song represents, he had "tr[ied] to make things better for someone," but he ended up "just making it a thousand times worse", perhaps by "pushing too far". He now realized there's nothing more he can do, so he's telling her to move on as well, but not without getting in some jabs and trying to get her to "see what she's done" -- that she's "got a way of tearing the world apart". The stanza about bootleggers hiding their stash and whether or not people can live with their memories may refer to some past event in Sugar Baby's that she has not confronted. He predicts that if she doesn't start doing something to change her ways possibly by "Look[ing] up, look[ing] up" and "Seek[ing her] Maker", she's gonna go through some personally apocalyptic experiences.
I think an older man narrates this due to his peacefully resigned attitude towards love. Even though he calls existence "a dirty trick" and laments that "happiness..can leave just [so] quick", he ultimately believes that "love's not an evil thing". However, you gotta appreciate the fact that Dylan didn't make the narrator so wise and settled that he couldn't resist telling her she ain't got no sense or brains.