Desolation Row (Bob Dylan cover) Lyrics
Selling postcards
Of the hanging
They're painting
The passports brown
The beauty parlor
Is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes
The blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied
To the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad
They're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady
And I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
She seems so easy
"It takes one to know one"
She smiles
And puts her hands
In her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo
He's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says
"You're in the wrong place
My friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see
That nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
just in case people were wondering, this is the Bob Dylan cover for the movie Watchmen that they're doing.
Hope that clears up questions.
Even though they didn't write it, it's very mychem :)
In the music video they only sing a few of these verses and the ending is cut short so technicly these aren't the correct lyrics.. is there a version somewhere w/ all of these verses? they did a great job at this cover and i hope the new album will sound like more like this than black parade. seems like they're headed back to the three cheers style which i would enjoy better.
They're selling postcards of the hanging They're painting the passports brown The beauty parlor is filled with sailors The circus is in town Here comes the blind commissioner They've got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker The other is in his pants And the riot squad, they're restless They need somewhere to go As Lady and I look out tonight From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy "Well, it takes one to know one," she smiles, And puts her hands in her back pockets Bette Davis style And in comes Romeo, moaning "You belong to me, I believe" And someone says "You're in the wrong place, my friend, You better leave" And the only sound that's left After the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up On Desolation Row
Now at midnight, all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping To Desolation Row
Right now I can't read too good Don't send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them From Desolation Row
Those are the lyrics used. Everything else is from the Bob Dylan 11-minute version.
They chose this song, and a crapload of other Dylan songs for the Watchmen soundtrack because the graphic novel was chock full of quotes from songs he wrote. Every chapter was named after a snippet of a famous quote, and at the end of the chapters, the quote was given in full. Chapter one was called "At Midnight All the Agents..." and the quote at the end of the chapter was "At midnight all the agents and superhuman crew go and round up everyone who knows more than they do. -Bob Dylan." They did this with bible passages and song lyrics from a lot of 60's songs, mostly because the 60's were the era where the differences between the Watchmen's world and ours are easiest to see. As for everyone griping that this isn't MCR's song, it was done by Dylan first, chill out. So was "All Along the Watchtower," which, by the way, was also quoted in the book, correctly attributed to Dylan in the quote, and was put on the soundtrack. Most people think that was Jimmy Hendrix originally, but it was written by Bob Dylan. Dylan isn't pissed about it, so you shouldn't be, either. I think loverly23 has a bit of a point in saying that Dylan songs are best done by Dylan himself, except for Watchtower. Hendrix' version is much more brutally haunting, in my opinion. Sometimes the cover really is better than the original. Ever heard the original version of Mad World? Most people know it as the song from the final minutes of Donnie Darko, performed by Gary Jules. But it was a cover of a Tears for Fears song. The T4F version was, quite frankly, not even very musically significant. Jules turned it into a bittersweet masterpiece. This is why I always give covers a chance. Including this one, which I thought was a great interpretation.
You seem to know a lot more about Watchmen and Bob Dylan than I do, but I thought that the bit that says:
You seem to know a lot more about Watchmen and Bob Dylan than I do, but I thought that the bit that says:
Now at midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see That nobody is escaping to Desolation Row
Now at midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see That nobody is escaping to Desolation Row
was written by My Chemical Romance themselves and the rest of the song was...
was written by My Chemical Romance themselves and the rest of the song was written by Bob Dylan. That part does sound like something that Gerard would write..?
Yeah, and I went to the library looking for it, turns out Dylan was the author of the novel. :/
Yeah, and I went to the library looking for it, turns out Dylan was the author of the novel. :/
Zach Snyder (director, Watchmen) apparently proposed that MCR do a full version of this song for the movie. No doubt, it'll probably be played during the end credits.
I've heard them do several live versions of the song, and it's not so bad. One trippy tune, though.
i heard the song they were covering was all along the watchtower by dylan.
any info?
very good song!!! i think my chemical romance did wonderful. i know nothing is as good as the original but i think they did an AMAZING job!!!! i love it!!! the music video is pretty awesome too!!! it gets you all hyped up and stuff!!
Gerard said in an interview that he could only pick four verses to sing. Hopefully that clears up any confusion...if there was any, that is. :)
Anyway, I think My Chem did a great job on the cover. I hope their next album has this sound to it. :D
wow that's a goood cover version....its all good!