Bob Dylan (77,22 %)
Desire (75,56 %)
In collection
Released: 1976-01-05
Type: Studio
Type: Studio
Ranking:
Artist:
5
Year (1976):
8
Decade (1970's):
100
Overall:
538
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1.
Hurricane
 08:33
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2.
Isis
 06:59
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3.
Mozambique
 03:02
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4.
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
03:47
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5.
Oh, Sister
04:03
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6.
Joey
11:06
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7.
Romance in Durango
05:44
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8.
Black Diamond Bay
 07:30
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9.
Sara
 05:32
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Album length:
56:16
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Lyrics |
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1.
Hurricane
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Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall She sees the bartender in a pool of blood Cries out, “My God, they killed them all!” Here comes the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously “I didn't do it,” he says, and he throws up his hands “I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand I saw them leavin',” he says, and he stops “One of us had better call up the cops” And so Patty calls the cops And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin' In the hot New Jersey night Meanwhile, far away in another part of town Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around Number one contender for the middleweight crown Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road Just like the time before and the time before that In Paterson that's just the way things go If you're black you might as well not show up on the street 'Less you wanna draw the heat Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around He said, “I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates” And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head Cop said, “Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead” So they took him to the infirmary And though this man could hardly see They told him that he could identify the guilty men Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye Says, “Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!” Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world Four months later, the ghettos are in flame Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame “Remember that murder that happened in a bar?” “Remember you said you saw the getaway car?” “You think you'd like to play ball with the law?” “Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?” “Don't forget that you are white” Arthur Dexter Bradley said, “I'm really not sure” Cops said, “A poor boy like you could use a break We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow You'll be doin' society a favor That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver We want to put his ass in stir We want to pin this triple murder on him He ain't no Gentleman Jim” Rubin could take a man out with just one punch But he never did like to talk about it all that much It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail But then they took him to the jailhouse Where they try to turn a man into a mouse All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger No one doubted that he pulled the trigger And though they could not produce the gun The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed Rubin Carter was falsely tried The crime was murder “one,” guess who testified? Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool's hand? To see him obviously framed Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell That's the story of the Hurricane But it won't be over till they clear his name And give him back the time he's done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world |
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2.
Isis
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I married Isis on the fifth day of May But I could not hold on to her very long So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong I came to a high place of darkness and light The dividing line ran through the center of town I hitched up my pony to a post on the right Went in to a laundry to wash my clothes down A man in the corner approached me for a match I knew right away he was not ordinary He said, “Are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?” I said, “I got no money.” He said, “That ain't necessary” We set out that night for the cold in the North I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word I said, “Where are we goin'?” He said we'd be back by the fourth I said, “That's the best news that I've ever heard” I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless How she told me that one day we would meet up again And things would be different the next time we wed If I only could hang on and just be her friend I still can't remember all the best things she said We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice He said, “There's a body I'm tryin' to find If I carry it out it'll bring a good price” 'Twas then that I knew what he had on his mind The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious But I made up my mind that I had to go on I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty There was no jewels, no nothin', I felt I'd been had When I saw that my partner was just bein' friendly When I took up his offer I must-a been mad I picked up his body and I dragged him inside Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover I said a quick prayer and I felt satisfied Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead She said, “Where ya been?” I said, “No place special” She said, “You look different.” I said, “Well, not quite” She said, “You been gone.” I said, “That's only natural” She said, “You gonna stay?” I said, “Yeah, I jes might” Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child What drives me to you is what drives me insane I still can remember the way that you smiled On the fifth day of May in the drizzlin' rain |
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3.
Mozambique
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I like to spend some time in Mozambique The sunny sky is aqua blue And all the couples dancing cheek to cheek It's very nice to stay a week or two There's lot of pretty girls in Mozambique And plenty time for good romance And everybody likes to stop and speak To give the special one you seek a chance Or maybe say hello with just a glance Lying next to her by the ocean Reaching out and touching her hand Whispering your secret emotion Magic in a magical land And when it's time for leaving Mozambique To say goodbye to sand and sea You turn around to take a final peek And you see why it's so unique to be Among the lovely people living free Upon the beach of sunny Mozambique |
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4.
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
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Your breath is sweet Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky Your back is straight, your hair is smooth On the pillow where you lie But I don't sense affection No gratitude or love Your loyalty is not to me But to the stars above One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below Your daddy he's an outlaw And a wanderer by trade He'll teach you how to pick and choose And how to throw the blade He oversees his kingdom So no stranger does intrude His voice it trembles as he calls out For another plate of food One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below Your sister sees the future Like your mama and yourself You've never learned to read or write There's no books upon your shelf And your pleasure knows no limits Your voice is like a meadowlark But your heart is like an ocean Mysterious and dark One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below |
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5.
Oh, Sister
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Oh, sister, when I come to lie in your arms You should not treat me like a stranger Our Father would not like the way that you act And you must realize the danger Oh, sister, am I not a brother to you And one deserving of affection? And is our purpose not the same on this earth To love and follow His direction? We grew up together From the cradle to the grave We died and were reborn And then mysteriously saved Oh, sister, when I come to knock on your door Don't turn away, you'll create sorrow Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore You may not see me tomorrow |
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6.
Joey
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Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the year of who knows when Opened up his eyes to the tune of an accordion Always on the outside of whatever side there was When they asked him why it had to be that way, “Well,” he answered, “just because” Larry was the oldest, Joey was next to last They called Joe “Crazy,” the baby they called “Kid Blast” Some say they lived off gambling and runnin' numbers too It always seemed they got caught between the mob and the men in blue Joey, Joey King of the streets, child of clay Joey, Joey What made them want to come and blow you away? There was talk they killed their rivals, but the truth was far from that No one ever knew for sure where they were really at When they tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof He went out that night to seek revenge, thinkin' he was bulletproof The war broke out at the break of dawn, it emptied out the streets Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats Till they ventured out behind the lines and took five prisoners They stashed them away in a basement, called them amateurs The hostages were tremblin' when they heard a man exclaim “Let's blow this place to kingdom come, let Con Edison take the blame” But Joey stepped up, he raised his hand, said, “We're not those kind of men It's peace and quiet that we need to go back to work again” Joey, Joey King of the streets, child of clay Joey, Joey What made them want to come and blow you away? The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith They got him on conspiracy, they were never sure who with “What time is it?” said the judge to Joey when they met “Five to ten,” said Joey. The judge says, “That's exactly what you get” He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche and Wilhelm Reich They threw him in the hole one time for tryin' to stop a strike His closest friends were black men 'cause they seemed to understand What it's like to be in society with a shackle on your hand When they let him out in '71 he'd lost a little weight But he dressed like Jimmy Cagney and I swear he did look great He tried to find the way back into the life he left behind To the boss he said, “I have returned and now I want what's mine” Joey, Joey King of the streets, child of clay Joey, Joey Why did they have to come and blow you away? It was true that in his later years he would not carry a gun “I'm around too many children,” he'd say, “they should never know of one” Yet he walked right into the clubhouse of his lifelong deadly foe Emptied out the register, said, “Tell 'em it was Crazy Joe” One day they blew him down in a clam bar in New York He could see it comin' through the door as he lifted up his fork He pushed the table over to protect his family Then he staggered out into the streets of Little Italy Joey, Joey King of the streets, child of clay Joey, Joey What made them want to come and blow you away? Sister Jacqueline and Carmela and mother Mary all did weep I heard his best friend Frankie say, “He ain't dead, he's just asleep” Then I saw the old man's limousine head back towards the grave I guess he had to say one last goodbye to the son that he could not save The sun turned cold over President Street and the town of Brooklyn mourned They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born And someday if God's in heaven overlookin' His preserve I know the men that shot him down will get what they deserve Joey, Joey King of the streets, child of clay Joey, Joey What made them want to come and blow you away? |
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7.
Romance in Durango
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Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun Dust on my face and my cape Me and Magdalena on the run I think this time we shall escape Sold my guitar to the baker's son For a few crumbs and a place to hide But I can get another one And I'll play for Magdalena as we ride No Ilores, mi querida Dios nos vigila Soon the horse will take us to Durango Agarrame, mi vida Soon the desert will be gone Soon you will be dancing the fandango Past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people Hoofbeats like castanets on stone At night I dream of bells in the village steeple Then I see the bloody face of Ramon Was it me that shot him down in the cantina Was it my hand that held the gun? Come, let us fly, my Magdalena The dogs are barking and what's done is done No Ilores, mi querida Dios nos vigila Soon the horse will take us to Durango Agarrame, mi vida Soon the desert will be gone Soon you will be dancing the fandango At the corrida we'll sit in the shade And watch the young torero stand alone We'll drink tequila where our grandfathers stayed When they rode with Villa into Torreón Then the padre will recite the prayers of old In the little church this side of town I will wear new boots and an earring of gold You'll shine with diamonds in your wedding gown The way is long but the end is near Already the fiesta has begun The face of God will appear With His serpent eyes of obsidian No Ilores, mi querida Dio nos vigila Soon the horse will take us to Durango Agarrame, mi vida Soon the desert will be gone Soon you will be dancing the fandango Was that the thunder that I heard? My head is vibrating, I feel a sharp pain Come sit by me, don't say a word Oh, can it be that I am slain? Quick, Magdalena, take my gun Look up in the hills, that flash of light Aim well my little one We may not make it through the night No Ilores, mi querida Dios nos vigila Soon the horse will take us to Durango Agarrame, mi vida Soon the desert will be gone Soon you will be dancing the fandango |
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8.
Black Diamond Bay
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Up on the white veranda She wears a necktie and a Panama hat Her passport shows a face From another time and place She looks nothin' like that And all the remnants of her recent past Are scattered in the wild wind She walks across the marble floor Where a voice from the gambling room is callin' her to come on in She smiles, walks the other way As the last ship sails and the moon fades away From Black Diamond Bay As the mornin' light breaks open, the Greek comes down And he asks for a rope and a pen that will write “Pardon, monsieur,” the desk clerk says Carefully removes his fez “Am I hearin' you right?” And as the yellow fog is liftin' The Greek is quickly headin' for the second floor She passes him on the spiral staircase Thinkin' he's the Soviet Ambassador She starts to speak, but he walks away As the storm clouds rise and the palm branches sway On Black Diamond Bay A soldier sits beneath the fan Doin' business with a tiny man who sells him a ring Lightning strikes, the lights blow out The desk clerk wakes and begins to shout “Can you see anything?” Then the Greek appears on the second floor In his bare feet with a rope around his neck While a loser in the gambling room lights up a candle Says, “Open up another deck” But the dealer says, “Attendez-vous, s'il vous plait” As the rain beats down and the cranes fly away From Black Diamond Bay The desk clerk heard the woman laugh As he looked around the aftermath and the soldier got tough He tried to grab the woman's hand Said, “Here's a ring, it cost a grand” She said, “That ain't enough” Then she ran upstairs to pack her bags While a horse-drawn taxi waited at the curb She passed the door that the Greek had locked Where a handwritten sign read, “Do Not Disturb” She knocked upon it anyway As the sun went down and the music did play On Black Diamond Bay “I've got to talk to someone quick!” But the Greek said, “Go away,” and he kicked the chair to the floor He hung there from the chandelier She cried, “Help, there's danger near Please open up the door!” Then the volcano erupted And the lava flowed down from the mountain high above The soldier and the tiny man were crouched in the corner Thinking of forbidden love But the desk clerk said, “It happens every day” As the stars fell down and the fields burned away On Black Diamond Bay As the island slowly sank The loser finally broke the bank in the gambling room The dealer said, “It's too late now You can take your money, but I don't know how You'll spend it in the tomb” The tiny man bit the soldier's ear As the floor caved in and the boiler in the basement blew While she's out on the balcony, where a stranger tells her “My darling, je vous aime beaucoup” She sheds a tear and then begins to pray As the fire burns on and the smoke drifts away From Black Diamond Bay I was sittin' home alone one night in L.A. Watchin' old Cronkite on the seven o'clock news It seems there was an earthquake that Left nothin' but a Panama hat And a pair of old Greek shoes Didn't seem like much was happenin', So I turned it off and went to grab another beer Seems like every time you turn around There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear And there's really nothin' anyone can say And I never did plan to go anyway To Black Diamond Bay |
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9.
Sara
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I laid on a dune, I looked at the sky When the children were babies and played on the beach You came up behind me, I saw you go by You were always so close and still within reach Sara, Sara Whatever made you want to change your mind? Sara, Sara So easy to look at, so hard to define I can still see them playin' with their pails in the sand They run to the water their buckets to fill I can still see the shells fallin' out of their hands As they follow each other back up the hill Sara, Sara Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life Sara, Sara Radiant jewel, mystical wife Sleepin' in the woods by a fire in the night Drinkin' white rum in a Portugal bar Them playin' leapfrog and hearin' about Snow White You in the marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar Sara, Sara It's all so clear, I could never forget Sara, Sara Lovin' you is the one thing I'll never regret I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writin' “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” for you Sara, Sara Wherever we travel we're never apart Sara, oh Sara Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart How did I meet you? I don't know A messenger sent me in a tropical storm You were there in the winter, moonlight on the snow And on Lily Pond Lane when the weather was warm Sara, oh Sara Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress Sara, Sara You must forgive me my unworthiness Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp And a piece of an old ship that lies on the shore You always responded when I needed your help You gimme a map and a key to your door Sara, oh Sara Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow Sara, oh Sara Don't ever leave me, don't ever go |