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I became withdrawn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