Lyrics for Absolutely Sweet Marie as interpreted by oofus

Absolutely Sweet Marie Lyrics
Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I'm just sitting here beating on my trumpet
With all these promises you left for me
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I waited for you when I was half sick
Yes, I waited for you when you hated me
Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic
When you knew I had some other place to be
Now, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously
But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately.

Well, six white horses that you did promise
Were fin'lly delivered down to the penitentiary
But to live outside the law, you must be honest
I know you always say that you agree
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I don't know how it happened
But the river-boat captain, he knows my fate
But ev'rybody else, even yourself
They're just gonna have to wait.

Well, I got the fever down in my pockets
The Persian drunkard, he follows me
Yes, I can take him to your house but I can't unlock it
You see, you forgot to leave me with the key
Oh, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Now, I been in jail when all my mail showed
That a man can't give his address out to bad company
And now I stand here lookin' at your yellow railroad
In the ruins of your balcony
Wond'ring where you are tonight, sweet Marie.

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impossibledreamer
04-15-2003

Rated 0 
Bob rocks

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mrjones
02-01-2005

Rated 0 
My favorite line, "To live outside the law you must be honest." Great song from my favorite Dylan album.

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chrisb1
02-03-2005

Rated 0 
"I got the fever down in my pockets"
Does this mean sexual arousal?
George Harrison did a great rendition on Dylan's 30th anniv Concert.

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elephant_range
03-19-2005

Rated 0 
"Well I wait, Edie, for you, inside the frozen traffic, Edie / When you knew I had some other place to be" listen closely...this is about Sedgwick.

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Mr. Blue Sky
10-27-2005

Rated 0 
"Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I'm just sitting here beating on my trumpet"

Sounds like she shuts him out (physically?), so he's forced to take care of his own, uh, "needs".

Beating on my trumpet?

Seems fairly obvoius to me. ;-)

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songofish
07-25-2006

Rated 0 
elephant range, its not, "Well I wait, Edia, for you" its, "Well I waited for you", even Bob's website has the lyrics that way.

Anyway great song, its pretty obvious that its about a girl that he wants but can't get for whatever reason. I love the 'beating on my trumpet' line.

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:)4thecamera
11-02-2006

Rated 0 
i think its basically about some dude whos girlfriend never did anything for him (posibly about the same girl from "fourth time around")

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Punty
03-16-2007

Rated 0 
Anyone know if there is any particular meaning to "the river-boat captain, he knows my fate?"

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haasing1986
06-05-2007

Rated 0 
"the river boat captain" could be Phlegyas - ferryman for the souls that cross the Styx into the underworld.

"he knows my fate" - his fate is to die.
As to how, why, when and where: "ev'rybody else, even yourself They're just gonna have to wait."

She is so wrapped up in herself. He's mocking her ignorance of the fact that death will come to her too - she's not that special ; she's one of those people "that think death's honesty Won't fall upon them naturally" _ it's alright ma (i'm only bleeding)

Sorry - it doesn't make sense the way I wrote it.

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atropos
08-16-2007

Rated 0 
Just want to comment on:
'And now I stand here lookin' at your yellow railroad
In the ruins of your balcony'
To me this always suggested moonlight falling through the balcony railings/pillars creating a pattern that looked like a 'yellow railroad' (a repeated pattern like railway sleepers on a rail line). Always considered that a beautiful image, economically put across.

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tomconway53
04-14-2008

Rated 0 
The song is about intraveneous drug use, I believe. The "tracks" it leaves on your arms. Jumping is injecting. "your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it. Sometimes it gets so hard, you see". After long term use, the arm "tracks" harden over. Infection causes them to "yellow". The "six white horses" are six hits of heroin. The "river-boat captain" is his dealer. etc. etc. He is wondering what, on her trip, Marie is thinking/dreaming about.

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FUCKINGBULLSHIT
06-12-2009

Rated 0 
it's about a girl who doesn't keep promises.
"I can take him to your house but I can't unlock it; you see, you forgot to leave me with the key."
This means she might have said it but she can't come through and actually do it.
"..looking at your yellow railroad/in the ruins of your balcony."
The ruins of the balcony represent BROKEN promises.
"I'm just sitting here, beating on my trumpet/with all these promises you left for me."
This one's obvious.

Marie can't keep her word, that's really all I got from it.
And this song really started making sense to me after my girlfriend broke all her promises...hmm.

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originl
08-28-2009

Rated +1 
He's longing after a woman that has stood him up / rejected him.

So he's thinking of her, sitting here "beating on his trumpet"

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