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When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father, to your sister, he explains
That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations,
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?
Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you're sick of all this repetition,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don't have to speak to,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
And your father, to your sister, he explains
That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations,
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?
Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you're sick of all this repetition,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don't have to speak to,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Lyrics submitted by ZinbobDan
Track duration: 05:27
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Lots of people have wondered who Queen Jane was in Dylan's song. Joan Baez (and others) wanted to believe it was Baez. No hope there. Dylan was fond of Baez but didn't consider her a peer, much less someone he would immortalize as a queen.
I was wondering if it was Nico from the Velvet Underground. (I suspect that Nico may be the muse of "Visions of Johanna.") But that didn't really fit. Nico was the mysterious solitary feminine, but Queen Jane has a troublesome entourage she administers with some amount of boredom, and no equal with whom to commiserate.
Then I picked up on "creations," "plastic," and "repetition," and I just knew it was Warhol. In the song's atmosphere of bored sophistication, Warhol was the perfect. Then I scanned the rest of the verses and everything else fell into place.
It also made sense that Dylan, who was quite a socially competitive guy in those days, would appeal to Warhol as an equal. Later I looked up the song on wiki and found this quote:
"However, in 1965 Dylan himself told journalist Nora Ephron that "Queen Jane is a man."
I rest my case.
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Queen Jane Approximately
[Warhol: Close relationship to mother / boredom with self, art]
When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father to your sister he explains
That you’re tired of yourself and all of your creations
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
[Flower Ladies: Transvestites / hangers-on]
Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
[Clowns: Hangers-on / drug casualties / theme of repetition in W.'s art]
Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you’re sick of all this repetition
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
[Advisers/plastice: Exploding Plastic Fantastic Inevitable - Warhol's "happening"]
When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
[Bandits: Gay hustlers in Warhol films / boredom]
Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don’t have to speak to
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
The song was encrypted and was another EDIE SEDGWICK song; her relation to:
1.) her family (1st to second verses); Edie was a The Poor Little Rich Girl and
2.) to ANDY WARHOL and his Factory calling them as Plastic and bandits (3rd to 5th verses).
Sedgwick was now living in Chelsea Hotel during her estrangement from Warhol's inner circle when he meet Dylan. Dylan knew that she extravagantly spends her fortune in favor of Warhol and uses her for his own fame. Dylan offered her 'to come and see him' if she changed her heart but it never happened. Bob loved Edie very much and this was proven several times on his songs like "Like a Rolling Stone" (Highway 61 Revisited); 'Just Like A Woman' and "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" on 1966 Blonde on Blonde album.
I've always assumed this song was about an "if we're both still single at 40 then let's get together" kind of arrangement, the singer loves a woman enough that he will wait until she's no longer desirable to anyone else. It's bittersweet because she's popular, glamorous, etc., and has no time for him, but he cares enough that he'll wait a lifetime for her, he'll be waiting for her when everyone else is gone.
i consider that the song is about friendship. i mean true friendship. when everyone leaves jane and when she goes from a queen to absolutely nothing and she has no one left, the one who sings the song (dylan or anyone else) tells her that she can always count on him. cause he doesnt love her for her highness or her influence. unlike all the other snakes.
The "mother/invitation" verse refers to the folk movement, and they are not interested in his new pursuits, ie, electric music. "You are tired of your creations" refers to Dylan being tired of folk music. The mother, father, sister thing is the folk "family." The narrator, whomever he/she is, is inviting Dylan to come over, he/she will comfort him. He needs someone to talk to...he is alone, and tired of the folk community, sycophants, hangers-on, etc.
"Flower ladies/children" are the folk community, and they are tired of him, and how he has decided to abandon their little world.
I'm not sure who the "clowns he has commissioned" are--his sycophants? Why would he commission anyone? Hire anyone? Is this Grossman? Are his people no longer able to keep the critics at bay (died in commission, or in vain)? No one can protect him from all of the people who want to be part of him? "Sick of repetition" refers to churning out the same folk songs for the same folk crowd. He wants to "strike a match, and start anew."
"Advisors and their plastic?" People who supply him drugs? "More drastic?" Trying to get him more addicted? Not sure.
"The Bandits" are his critics whom he has let run rough-shod over (turned the other cheek), and now they have laid down their bandanas, trying to make up, but he doesn't want any part of their superficiality?
He seems to be pining for a big change. He seems to have grown tired of the entire scene he has become the star of. Watch Pennebaker's film--disguting! Nothing but a bunch of suck-ups and sycophants. Grossman regards Dylan as his "boy," hell-bent on protecting his little gold-mine from any and all harm. It was the only film I have ever seen that is like a total train wreck. Couldn't watch, couldn't take my eyes off of it. A Shakespearien kind of tragedy, where Dylan plays the tortured genius surrounded by a bunch of lemmings, and moronic critics, and aimless fools. You just knew the whole thing was bound to crash.
Dylan was more influenced by the Warhol crowd and Chelsea Hotel scene in those days than most people realize. Warhol was Dylan's greatest rival in New York; hence someone Dylan took seriously enough to address as an equal. Warhol was gay and always surrounded by an entourage; hence Queen Jane.
Note the references to creations (art, movies, happenings), repetition (Warhol's technique), and plastic (Exploding Plastic Inevitable events).
The song is Dylan's coded challenge to meet one-on-one with Warhol as an equal.