SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES

Bob Dylan's cue cards

In 1965, folk singer Bob Dylan turns to electric rock and personally comes up with the idea of cue cards as a visual medium for his song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. The idea keeps showing up in video-clips by other artists during the next 40 years..

1965 ∙ Subterranean Homesick Blues (ver.1) (Bob Dylan USA) ∙ Subterranean Homesick Blues (ver.2) (Bob Dylan USA) ∙ 1987 ∙ Mediate (Inxs AU) ∙ 1992 ∙ Wall Street rap (movie Bob Roberts ft Tim Robbins USA) ∙ 1995 ∙ L'uomo col megafono (Daniele Silvestri IT) ∙ 1999 ∙ Almeno credo (Ligabue IT) ∙ 2001 ∙ Discretion grove (Stephen Malkmus USA) ∙ 2003 ∙ Les beaux yeux de Laure (Alain Chanfort FR) ∙ 2004 ∙ Subterranean Homesick Blues (Sizzla JAM) ∙ 2005 ∙ Nur ein Wort (Wir sind Helden GER) ∙

Subterranean Homesick Blues (lyrics)

Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government

The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off

Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doing it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in the coonskin cap, in the pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A.

Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't tie no bows
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows

Oh, get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Hang bail, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail

..
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders, watch the parkin' meters

Oh, get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance
Learn to dance, get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift

Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't want to be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

LP: Bringing it all back home (1965)