I pounded on a farmhouse
Lookin' for a place to stay.
I was mighty, mighty tired,
I had gone a long, long way.
I said, "Hey, hey, in there,
Is there anybody home?"
I was standin' on the steps
Feelin' most alone.
Well, out comes a farmer,
He must have thought that I was nuts.
He immediately looked at me
And stuck a gun into my guts.

I fell down
To my bended knees,
Saying, "I dig farmers,
Don't shoot me, please!"
He cocked his rifle
And began to shout,
"You're that travelin' salesman
That I have heard about."
I said, "No! No! No!
I'm a doctor and it's true,
I'm a clean-cut kid
And I been to college, too."

Then in comes his daughter
Whose name was Rita.
She looked like she stepped out of
La Dolce Vita.
I immediately tried to cool it
With her dad,
And told him what a
Nice, pretty farm he had.
He said, "What do doctors
Know about farms, pray tell?"
I said, "I was born
At the bottom of a wishing well."

Well, by the dirt 'neath my nails
I guess he knew I wouldn't lie.
"I guess you're tired,"
He said, kinda sly.
I said, "Yes, ten thousand miles
Today I drove."
He said, "I got a bed for you
Underneath the stove.
Just one condition
And you go to sleep right now,
That you don't touch my daughter
And in the morning, milk the cow."

I was sleepin' like a rat
When I heard something jerkin'.
There stood Rita
Lookin' just like Tony Perkins.
She said, "Would you like to take a shower?
I'll show you up to the door."
I said, "Oh, no! no!
I've been through this before."
I knew I had to split
But I didn't know how,
When she said,
"Would you like to take that shower, now?"

Well, I couldn't leave
Unless the old man chased me out,
'Cause I'd already promised
That I'd milk his cows.
I had to say something
To strike him very weird,
So I yelled out,
"I like Fidel Castro and his beard."
Rita looked offended
But she got out of the way,
As he came charging down the stairs
Sayin', "What's that I heard you say?"

I said, "I like Fidel Castro,
I think you heard me right,"
And ducked as he swung
At me with all his might.
Rita mumbled something
'Bout her mother on the hill,
As his fist hit the icebox,
He said he's going to kill me
If I don't get out the door
In two seconds flat,
"You unpatriotic,
Rotten doctor Commie rat."

Well, he threw a Reader's Digest
At my head and I did run,
I did a somersault
As I seen him get his gun
And crashed through the window
At a hundred miles an hour,
And landed fully blast
In his garden flowers.
Rita said, "Come back!"
As he started to load
The sun was comin' up
And I was runnin' down the road.

Well, I don't figure I'll be back
There for a spell,
Even though Rita moved away
And got a job in a motel.
He still waits for me,
Constant, on the sly.
He wants to turn me in
To the F.B.I.
Me, I romp and stomp,
Thankful as I romp,
Without freedom of speech,
I might be in the swamp.


Lyrics submitted by glennbass

Motorpsycho Nightmare Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Motorpsycho Nightmare song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I disagree with previous comments: I love this song. It's just like other Dylan's "dream" songs, describing events that seem not to make any sense, just being funny, but between the lines adding a joke (on American's obsessive fear of communism, in this case; notice also the occurence of The Reader's Digest!).

    A few hints for those who don't watch movies too much: La Dolce Vita is Fellini's movie, and the line in 3rd verse probably refers to Anita Ekberg's character (a busty beauty, in the famous fountain scene). Tony Perkins is, of course, Anthony Perkins, the crazy guy from Hitchcock's "Psycho", and there is also a reference to the shower scene.

    soboton May 27, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Check out the episode of Seinfeld called "The Bottle Deposit". This song is the storyline for the last part of the second episode (2 part continued episode). Newman stops at a farm after being stranded by Kramer, and this song's storyline ensues. Glad to see a not so well known Dylan reference in a Seinfeld episode. Larry David is a genius.

    stevo124on October 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    witty, funny view on typical conservative americans, and "freedom of speech" would turn into bob dylans 115th dream. proves that dylan is so far above lennon etc

    hoitsmithon March 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Only one other comment? Jesus, I love this song so much.

    2006200720082009on January 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i like fidel castro and his beard? ha

    jasssson May 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Dont think it is bad rhymes from Dylan. Its a good song that basically has one message for me and that is that of freedom of speach. That is something that everyone should be aloud to practice without being killed. The song is just a story for that last part. Bobby dont want to do the farmer any wrong but he also dont want to stay due to the temptation of Rita so he uses Freedom of speach to say he's a commie (which is based on the american fear and hatred of communism at the time). that freedom saved him without doing any wrong to the farmer nor his daughter

    QuickJ27on February 28, 2014   Link
  • -2
    General Comment

    This does not prove the Dylan is "so far above Lennon" since some of John Lennon's work is definitely better than this. Most of Dylan’s other songs are better than anything John Lennon has wrote though. I didn’t even know there was such a debate.

    Anyway, this song is almost awful. Dylan is really stretching to get out some awful rhymes and besides Castro’s beard it isn’t very funny. It is only forgivable in that Dylan probably made it up as he went. Seriously, Dylan’s rhyme schemes usually have an amazingly good flow to them. This is just awkward sounding.

    clovuson September 16, 2009   Link

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