I have a different view of the joker. The joker, which some equate with Jesus (dylan in Watchtower, for example), is a character from a 12-steps (a la AA) program who has told him to leave NYC for a less stressful environs. He knows he won't be able to deal with life in "a rube town" - hence "Take it down" - too boring. Yet, he still has the dilemma - life on the edge is, well, too on the edge. So, he is cashing in his 10-cent life to just try to hang on - night-by-night.
I have a different view of the joker. The joker, which some equate with Jesus (dylan in Watchtower, for example), is a character from a 12-steps (a la AA) program who has told him to leave NYC for a less stressful environs. He knows he won't be able to deal with life in "a rube town" - hence "Take it down" - too boring. Yet, he still has the dilemma - life on the edge is, well, too on the edge. So, he is cashing in his 10-cent life to just try to hang on - night-by-night.