From the thirteenth century
Her folks they said our lives together
She studied the lines on my face
And glowed like burnin' coal
And later on when the crowd thinned out
And revolution in the air
She was workin' in a topless place
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath
Pourin' off of every page
She was married when we first met
Where I happened to be employed
I became withdrawn
The past was close behind
They're an illusion to me now
And one day the axe just fell
And something inside of him died
We just saw it from a different point of view
Right outside of Delacroix
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
But all the while I was alone
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
I heard her say over my shoulder
We always did feel the same
Wonderin' if she'd changed at all
Heading out for the east coast
And every one of them words rang true
And when in finally the bottom fell out
But me, I'm still on the road
If her hair was still red
Split up on a dark sad night
"I thought you'd never say hello", she said
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
But I used a little too much force
In a basement down the stairs
She was standing there in back of my chair
But I never did like it all that much
They never did like mama's homemade dress
Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew
All the people we used to know
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
The only thing I knew how to do
I lived with them on Montague street
As I was walkin' away
Tangled up in blue
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
So I drifted down to New Orleans
She had to sell everything she owned
Tangled up in blue
"You look like the silent type"
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue"
I got to get to her somehow
Tangled up in blue
Don't know how it all got started
Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
Some are carpenter's wives
Tangled up in blue
And we froze up inside
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Sure was gonna be rough
Then she opened up a book of poems
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And offered me a pipe
Soon to be divorced
Tangled up in blue
Written by an Italian poet
And she turned around to look at me
So now I'm goin' back again
We drove that car as far as we could
Tangled up in blue
Abandoned it out west
Some are mathematicians
Both agreeing it was best
And I stopped in for a beer
Rain fallin' on my shoes
There was music in the cafes at night
And handed it to me
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Working as a cook for a spell
I seen a lot of women, but she never escaped my mind
In the spotlight so clear
I had a job in my great north woods
She lit a burner on the stove
Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through
Like it was written in my soul from me to you
And I just grew
I's just about to do the same
Headin' for another joint
