Last night I dreamt one thousand lies
I could see the dawn through a different set of eyes
There in my slumber passing time
Long live the world resting on its side

I walked the orchard with you
Your hand in mine
In the evergreens drinking wine
I saw the snow fall in black and white
From the auburn sky
Last night I lived more than one thousand lives
Not one of them survived

Up through the earth and at dawn I came
I crossed the kingdom through venom pouring rain
In the vacuum of my own brigade
Resurrected to make you mine again

Orpheus looked back once
She sailed the underworld
No second chances will be earned
I have returned as a phantom now
To walk the bow and stern
Last night I lived more than one thousand lives
Not one of them survived

If we could do better I know that we would
Maybe admit it now, we're not that good
We keep the needle between zero and one
You play your fiddle, baby, I'll play dumb

Into the pastures of our minds
Goes my nearly beloved and I
Blazing two parallel white lines
Through this broken heart split open wide

Time may be on my side
But it's mostly far behind
I was the apple of your eye
Now I'm the boy spinning on a wheel there
Stuck with knives
Last night I lived more than one thousand lives
Not one of them survived


Lyrics submitted by planetearth

Nearly Beloved Lyrics as written by Jakob Dylan

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Nearly Beloved song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • +4
    General CommentThis song is so beautifully and vividly written, it's my favorite on this album. It captures that euphoric feeling you get when you wake up from a very surreal and significant dream. The singer however has a series of these dreams and each verse seems to capture each one of these dreams. The singer is pertubed and is dwelling deep on something in his life to the point that it manifests itself through his dreams which he tells us about.

    This song is so eloquent and paints great pictures of 'feelings' by using many contradicting themes that brings you into a dreamworld, which is similar to that of Alice's.

    'Into the pastures of our minds
    Goes my nearly beloved...' Nearly beloved is a play on words, as opposed to dearly beloved. 'Nearly Beloved', because even in the singers dream, he can't live out his desire to be with the one whom he is in love with, because all he knows is pain, he doesn't know how he would feel if he could be with his beloved. 'parallel white lines', there paths never intersect in his dream regardless of how he feels, and as they walk these lines I'm assuming they erase the setting of his beautiful pasture.
    KiloQon September 02, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentAs I was listening through Rebel Sweetheart, I never thought twice about this song until I really listened to the lyrics. The imagery that is brought up is astounding! A new picture is painted in almost every line. One of my favorites is, "In the evergreens drinking wine I saw the snow fall in black and white From the auburn sky". Dylan's writing is getting better with each album and I can't wait for the next one!!
    windandwater313on April 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General CommentFor me this song represents a love that never fully made it.

    "If we could do better I know that we would
    Maybe admit it now, we're not that good"

    They want to be together but they just can't seem to get it right.

    "I was the apple of your eye"
    Self explanatory for me.


    "Resurrected to make you mine again"
    He wants them to be together again.


    Unfortunately I can relate TOO much to this song.
    silentbrokenxxon June 27, 2010   Link

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