Standing on your window, honey
Yes, I've been here before
Feeling so harmless, I'm looking at your second door
How come you don't send me no regards?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, why are you so hard?

Kneeling 'neath your ceiling
Yes, I guess I'll be here for a while
I'm tryin' to read your portrait
But i'm helpless, like a rich man's child
How come you send someone out to have me barred?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, why are you so hard?

Like a poor fool in his prime
Yes, I know you can hear me walk
But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime
Or is it just solid rock?

Well, I lean into your hallway
Lean against your velvet door
I watch upon your scorpion
Who crawls across your circus floor
Just what do you think you have to guard?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, but you're so hard

Achilles is in your alleyway
He don't want me here, he does brag
He's pointing to the sky
And he's hungry, like a man in drag
How come you get someone like him to be your guard?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, but you're so hard


Lyrics submitted by Stoney

Temporary Like Achilles Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Temporary Like Achilles song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I love it too. Typical Blonde on Blonde song. Making you think 'what the -hell- could that mean?'.

    tiffany-twistedon February 21, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think the general meaning is basically summed up in the lines 'you know i want your lovin', honey, but your so hard' - he loves the girl but she's making it needlessly difficult. I think the name Achilles is used to for the guy she's with because he's saying he's not perfect. Maybe about Edie Sedgwich and Andy Warhol?

    msr123on April 26, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think the reference to Achilles means that the girl is very tough and can't be broken except for in her one weak spot, (Achilles' was his heel). I love the third verse part about the scorpion and circus floor. Also, I though it was tryna read your POETRY? I know on him website it says otherwise but still...

    jasssson February 05, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    he wants to sex her up but she's playing hard to get

    yourtongueinhisteethon August 06, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The one line that gets louder and louder since 1966

    “helpless like a rich man’s child.”

    Emaleon January 21, 2024   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    People remember Archilles - defining feature as one point of vulnerability. So is to be "Temporary like Archilles" - to have one point of vulnerability? The lyrics tell of his quest and reason, the futility and the legacy of the failed search for this "access" point. The "Lime" option, a comment - Limestone's unique composition, simultaneously soft and robust, has made it a favoured medium for sculptors. Its pliability allows for intricate detailing while maintaining structural integrity. Masterpieces like Michelangelo's "David" and the iconic Sphinx of Egypt bear testament to the exquisite artistry achievable with limestone.

    Emaleon January 21, 2024   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Realy love this song, can't understand why so many people conmsider it a dud. geocities.com/temptations_page/DylGuide2.html has a bit of an explaination

    HunterUkon July 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ive only just been getting into this song, but i reckon its one of the best on Blonde on Blonde. There's a lot of contrasts in it between masculinity and femininity. The girl being "hard" for example, and her "guard" who is presumably Achilles. But Dylan sees these two as temporary and fake, whilst his love for her and the fact that they should be together as true and permamnent. Like in Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat and Just Like A Woman and a lot of his other songs, like To Ramona, he's criticizing/helping the woman by telling her she should be living her own life, not doing what masculininty (achilles, the guard, + the hardness) is telling her to do.

    dan105on July 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A song about being in love with a neighbor.

    jigsawyouth666on September 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think the title is a reference to Achilles in the Illiad... he chooses a short life of glory over a long, boring life in obscurity.

    skjellyfettion May 24, 2009   Link

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