It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry Lyrics

Lyric discussion by theoddball 

Cover art for It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry lyrics by Bob Dylan

fun side note: Steely Dan's first album is called "Can't Buy A Thrill"...and I've gotta believe that's a reference to this track.

@theoddball Yup. Now consider: mid-60s, Dylan kicks off this song with " . . . can't buy a thrill." Early 70s, Steely Dan so names their 1st album this. On that record is Midnight Cruiser, chorus line--I am another gentleman loser, drive me to harlem or somewhere the same. Early 80s, Gibson writes Neuromancer, in which lead character (hero idn't the right term), who finds his mentor at a hacker bar in Miami--the Gentleman Loser. And in 2017 I see Steely Dan in NYC wearing a shirt that says "Gentleman Loser--Best Drinks in the Sprawl." That's sorta how...

@theoddball the Dan later had a song 'Time out of Mind'. A decade later, Dylan put out an album with that same title. Was that Bob's tip of the hat back to Steely Dan?