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Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block.
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that,
But then again, there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An' me, I nearly got busted
An' wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide.
You see, you're just like me,
I hope you're satisfied."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, "Jump right in."
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon.
An' I say, "Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante."
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Up and down the block.
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that,
But then again, there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An' me, I nearly got busted
An' wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide.
You see, you're just like me,
I hope you're satisfied."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, "Jump right in."
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon.
An' I say, "Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante."
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Lyrics submitted by roger wilco, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Track duration: 07:04
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Drawing circles, up and down the block. Track marks? The needle is Stuck inside leaving little round holes up and down the arm where you draw up some blood, then inject it back in. And some tape around your arm to pop the veins up. And there's the opposite ideas of Stuck inside of Mobile. A bit ironic eh?
What is Shakespeare doing in an alley? Is the French girl his French Connection (the heroin ring that peaked in the 60's and 70's)?
Stay away from the train line, main line? The railroad men drink up your blood like wine, again can inspire visions of jacking, drawing up blood to mix in the syringe before plunging it back in. The protagonist didn't know because the one he met smoked eyelids, as in lids? (ounce of marijuana).
The next verse has the most obvious heroin references: Grandpa died last week, and is buried neath the rocks. What kind of rocks, white powdery ones? And what a surprise to everyone that he overdosed? But our protagonist isn't surprised because he built a fire (cooked some horse) on main street (a main vein) and shot it full of holes, like those circles the ragman draws up and down the block.
At this point in the song, he shifts into larger social issues, but my time is up and I must go.
Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
The Ragman is an interesting character. He’s silent, drawing circles up and down the block. Is he the artist – unwilling to “talk” about his art and meaning? The ladies treat the speaker kindly, but their kindness involves tape, which can be sticky and restraining. Interesting image in view of the speaker’s comment that he’s “stuck” inside of Mobile.
Well Shakespeare he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Shakespeare could represent the artist’s desire to move into more “literary” territory (away from folk songs and toward poetry?) The French girl believes she knows the speaker very well, yet he is unable to communicate with her any longer (no post office) – he’s in a new place (stuck or otherwise).
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine
And I said "Oh I didn't know that
But then again there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Is Mona the French girl? Is she associated with a disconnected past? She’s sees the railroad men of his current life (Mobile – which can suggest movement) as a threat – she advises that he “stay away from the train line.” The train can symbolize movement and change, and the Mona who is not part of the speaker’s transformation. Rather than drink his blood his blood like wine (a troubling Christ image – is the artist being crucified by those who venerated his earlier incarnation?) they smoke his eyelids! This odd, somewhat druggy image reinforces the idea that things are not what they used to be; he’s now in a world Mona could never understand.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa is a common figure in folklore (and folk music), and as an aging person also represents the past (and the wisdom of the past). The speaker of the song wasn’t shocked at his death – he expected it. Transformative change is already here. Grandpa’s attempt to shoot and burn the new order (the new art? The new society of the 1960s? Electric music?) are the reason for his extinction.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son
And me, I nearly get busted
And wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
I’m thinking the Senator is part of the old order, asserting his power (the gun) and turning his son’s wedding into a spectacle with tickets. He’s commercializing something that should be intimate and real. Even a wedding, though, could be seen as a dated ritual in this new, bizarre world we’re seeing. “Caught without a ticket” is what happens to railroad bums riding the rails. The fact that it’s now a truck (perhaps a more advanced technology) is just another indication of the displacement of tradition.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest
But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide
You see, you're just like me
I hope you're satisfied"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Here’s more change. The preacher takes his place alongside Grandpa and the senator as a figure who no longer makes sense. His spiritual life is corrupt – he seeks publicity and headlines. He doesn’t bless the song’s narrator but curses him. The speaker underscores his phoniness, telling him “you’re just like me?” “Just like me” here suggests, lost - in a period of revolutionary change, in a place where old systems (family politics, religion) no longer have a lock on the “truth,” a place of poetic disassociation, dream-reality, getting high and no longer fitting into an established order.
Now the rainman gave me two cures
Then he said, "Jump right in"
The one was Texas medicine
The other was just railroad gin
And like a fool I mixed them
And it strangled up my mind
And now, people just get uglier
And I have no sense of time
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
I see the “rainman” as a medicine man or shaman encouraging a new vision: “Jump right in.” he says. When the speaker drinks the “cures” he has a somewhat psychedelic experience in which time dissolves and people look “uglier.” His mind is strangled by the reality shift he perceives. (I think it’s humorous that people don’t get “ugly” but instead get “uglier!”)
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
And I say, "Aw come on now
You know you know about my debutante"
And she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Ruthie is part of the new reality – the debutante part of the old. The Id is in revolt against the superego.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, Mama, is this really the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
The image of bricks falling so perfectly is the central image here. Is the narrator standing outside of reality observing things over which he has no control? A place where madmen climb (aspire and climb to power?)? Yes. That disconnect and powerlessness is certainly there. One can’t help but notice, though, that out chaos and change, out of dream-like and sometimes troubling images comes this beautiful song. The song’s imagery can appear random on first listening, but it comes to make artistic sense, to be a rich and provocative statement about both the positive and negative aspects of radical change whether in society, in music or in consciousness. The artist lays the words and verses of the song on Grand Street (no longer on Main Street) like the perfectly fallen bricks. He creates art from chaos, beauty from meaninglessness, understanding from disorientation.
Grand Street is a place of magic and beauty. The narrator is still stuck in the mundane world, still struggling through the change of Mobile, but nearing Memphis, the longed-for place of artistic beauty and truth.
For me, this song could be about anything. Really anything. For me sometimes, it's about people and how they act and when you don't really get them and they don't get you and you're caught in the social standards. How do you get out of that?
It could be about a place you don't want to be. It could be about a wicked world, that is the world; a wicked one.
it could be about any happening in your life and situation. it's a great song indeed. A masterpiece. This song is about life.
I APOLOGISE. BACK TO REDMIND'S COMMENTS, I CONTINUE TO PROVIDE MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF AGREEMENT. TO ME, THIS SONG SPECIFICALLY IS ONE WRITTEN BY SOMEONE:
1) WITH A STRONG IMAGINATION. I'M NOT A SMART PERSON. I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED DYLAN UNDER THE UNSAVORY SPECTRE OF KNOWING THAT I'M NOT SHARP ENOUGH TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE SONGS I DO LIKE, AND NOT SHARP ENOUGH TO EVEN UNDERSTAND THE ONES I DON'T. IT'S THAT MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT I CAN SORT OF CONCEIVE TO ENJOY.
2) WHO'S ALSO A LITTLE STONED !
GIVEN WHAT I JUST SAID ABOUT NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH TO GET HIS WORKS, I THINK I CAN SORT OF FERRET OUT THE LINES, HENCE THOUGHTS THAT WERE PROBABLY INFLUENCED WITH A LITTLE "RANDOM ENERGY", TO USE THE WORLD'S MOST GENEROUS EUPHENISM. THAT COULD BE BOB DYLAN SMOKING, IN THE WORDS OF PAUL MCCARTNEY, ANY # OF "HERBAL JAZZ CIGARETTES" - I STILL LOVE THAT ONE, OR IT COULD BE JOHN CAGE ROLLING DICE*. THE POINT IS, THE WORDS IN THIS SONG ARE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT MAKE THE LEAST SENSE OF ANY I KNOW - AND I AM VERY FAR FROM A DYLAN SAVANT. I THINK "HE JUST SMOKED MY EYELIDS, AND PUNCHED MY CIGARETTE" COULD ONLY BE CONCEIVED WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOMETHING, BE IT A DIE OR A JAZZ CIGARETTE. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS FROM SOMEONE TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND ANYWAY.
PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGY: THE ALL CAPS FONT IS NOT BY ANY MEANS MY CHOICE.
SMOKED EYELIDS, PUNCHED CIGARETTES - SHELLEY, NOPE; YEATS, I THINK NOT; BYRON, NO - WELL - MAYBE IF HE WAS HI- WAIT, NO; TOLSTOY, NYET; RIMBAUD, C'EST POSSIBLE - MAIS....NON, NON, JE M'EXCUSE [M. RIMBAUD BEGS APOLOGY AS HE WAS IN FACT PARTAKING OF A PARISIAN HERBAL JAZZ CIGARETTE @ THE TIME).
THANKS FOR NOT DELETING THIS INSTANTLY. I NEED TO GO SMOKE AN EYELID.
In these song's lines is built a portray of an abnormal society yet one knows that is only the poetic perspective that makes the things to seem so deviated.
These song is about Freedom and how the Freedom can be lost. Each verse represents different lost freedoms. freedom of free-speaking-your-thoughts, freedom of being a man *before becoming addicted to sex*, freedom to change the world...Jfk was shot right in the street *because he made public the existence of illuminati - grandpa*, freedom of an artist *rainman means the industry which basically kills the artists ...literally, and spiritually by giving them the right to choose between bad and worst...and i'm going to watch a movie now and I stop here...Stuck inside a mobile.... means that we are badly f***ed and even if we realised that it'd be too late anyway for a change.
Dylan was a courageous man for writing this song.
Then he said, "Jump right in."
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile"
The reference he makes to texas medicine is mescaline, a psychedelic drug which comes from the peyote cactus. Very common in texas and surrounding areas. Railroad gin is simply gin. When using psychedelics you are not supposed to mix them with alcohol which he did. When using psychedelics such as mescaline and lsd people begin to look very strange and ugly. Also, under the influence of psychedelics time is very warped and may cease to exist or become meaningless to the individual.
With the Memphis blues again.
So ... he's stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again.