The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
When she said, "Don't waste your words, they're just lies"
I cried she was deaf
And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes
And saying "What else you got left?"
It was then that I got up to leave
But she said, "Don't forget
Everybody must give something back
For something they get"
I stood there and hummed, I tapped on her drum
I asked her how come
And she buttoned her boot, and straightened her suit
And she said, "Don't be cute"
So I forced my hands in my pockets
And felt with my thumbs
And gallantly handed her my very last piece of gum
She threw me outside, I stood in the dirt
Where everyone walked
And, when finding out I'd forgotten my shirt
I went back and knocked
I waited in the hallway, she went to get it
And I tried to make sense
Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair
That leaned up against
Her Jamaican rum, and when she did come
I asked her for some
She said, "No, dear", I said, "Your words are not clear
You'd better spit out your gum"
She screamed till her face got so red
Then she fell on the floor
And, I covered her up and then went and looked through her drawer
And when I was through, I filled up my shoe
And brought it to you
And you, you took me in, you loved me then
You never wasted time
And I, I never took much, I never asked for your crutch
Now don't ask for mine
I cried she was deaf
And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes
And saying "What else you got left?"
It was then that I got up to leave
But she said, "Don't forget
Everybody must give something back
For something they get"
I stood there and hummed, I tapped on her drum
I asked her how come
And she buttoned her boot, and straightened her suit
And she said, "Don't be cute"
So I forced my hands in my pockets
And felt with my thumbs
And gallantly handed her my very last piece of gum
She threw me outside, I stood in the dirt
Where everyone walked
And, when finding out I'd forgotten my shirt
I went back and knocked
I waited in the hallway, she went to get it
And I tried to make sense
Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair
That leaned up against
Her Jamaican rum, and when she did come
I asked her for some
She said, "No, dear", I said, "Your words are not clear
You'd better spit out your gum"
She screamed till her face got so red
Then she fell on the floor
And, I covered her up and then went and looked through her drawer
And when I was through, I filled up my shoe
And brought it to you
And you, you took me in, you loved me then
You never wasted time
And I, I never took much, I never asked for your crutch
Now don't ask for mine
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It's a parody of John Lennon's "Norwegian Wood". Dylan and Lennon were very influential on each other (and also very competitive).
A possible metaphor for this song:<br /> <br />
john lennon wrote norwegian wood to imitate dylan, to try and get some fame by trying out what dylan does, but with this song, bobby d just totally destroys lennon and basically says, thats a pretty good song but im still the king. its the complexity of the song, the sheer unknowingness and beauty of a complex relationship that dylan can detail perfectly but that lennon just touches upon.<br /> <br /> this song starts out pretty clearly with what seems to be the end of a fight that dylan and his romantic interest just had. It almost seems like she'd made bobby d cry and then says that he needs to give back to her in this relationship because so far its been just her working hard and giving him her love. And then dylans lady is getting ready to leave but she ends up kicking him out until he realizes hes forgotten his "shirt". <br /> <br /> now i think its pretty hard to forget to wear a shirt after a big fight and here i think the shit represents his heart, he realizes that she still hasn't and that he either wants it back from her or to make things better so he goes back to try and fix everything. so then while hes waiting for her to think about the offer that he's making for his "shirt" he starts to think of another woman, the ominous "you" that takes over the final verse, and shows that hes in this intense love triangle, with both women being very important to dylan but him not having a clue to which woman he wants but at this point he decides he wants the second girl, the "you"<br /> <br /> so he asks for some rum and dylan and the first girl start drinking until she becomes drunk and he has her for one last great time of sex and leads her to believe that everything with them will be all good. but then he just gets up, goes through her drawer for some money or whatever, and takes off. he goes to the second girl, the "you" because she still loves him. dylan has too many doubts about the first girl, he either doesn't feel the right way about her or she has too many problems and just feels safer with the second girl because she welcomes him back, she accepts him and looks past his fame and looks into the real man and loves him for that.
@Turtle_Soup Yes I always that that it was a reply to "Norweigian Wood", then I read that it actually is.