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Bob Dylan — Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
Album: Blonde on Blonde
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3156









Released: 1966
Length: 7:00
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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.
Comments (582)add comment
I like the varying melody patterns in every verse. Could have used a few more verses though..
Sorry but this is such an annoying song to me. It just sounds repetitive with bad, cliched organ fills. Dylan's voice is boring and totally un-melodic. The lyrics are borderline nonsensical, which is classic "profound" Dylan I guess. Don't get me wrong, I like some Dylan songs and I understand his contribution, but he's honestly completely over-rated in my opinion.
 idiot_wind wrote:

We should all be so lucky.

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."



Ohhhh mama!

You see Bob is actually singing about economic theory of "needs" vs "wants".   You know micro theory.  Pareto optimality. 

This may make him eligible for another Nobel prize in...economics!

Yes that's right. 
pure joy to listen to this gem
9 -> 10
 jelgator wrote:

Simply horrific.



Go listen to Ted Nugent.
STUCK inSIDE of MObile WITH the MEMphis BLUES aAGAIN.
 jelgator wrote:

Simply horrific.



Who cares!  
All these individuals ranting about who they don't like is like Trump going on about all the people hates. 
 Piranga wrote:

Almost as many 1s as 10s. That says it all. I don't have the BD gene. it's a 1 for me.



You're obviously as stupid as your  comment, try to think before you make the next one.  
 jjbix37 wrote:

yes we all know Dylan is almost a god, but not all of his songs are god-like. . . .


Yeah, but this one is 
Ick. Hard pass on this ditty. I can’t stand his damn sliding singtalk…. Never did.
Never will.
yes we all know Dylan is almost a god, but not all of his songs are god-like. . . .
It must be kismet.  Just 30 minutes ago I started planning to go on the road and see brother Bob in KC, STL, and CHI. Maybe 3 or 4 shows and bring a bag of money.  
 
This is a must sojourn. 

As brother Bob says:   "Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,"

I find it very interesting that people are so split on this song.  That usually tells me that it something that I need to pay attention to.  The first time I uncounted this was the movie Blowup with David Hemmings.  It really divided the critics.  It has not aged but when I first saw it I though it was genius,
Please let it finally be "the end."  I beg you. This song is just torture. 
 lizardking wrote:

I've always thought part of Bob's brilliance was how his timing and phrasing changes subtlety throughout a song (esp. on this cut) and the use of that technique provides part of the story of the song.  Repeating the chorus in this song many times is sort of an expression of the idea of being 'stuck' and yet even when one is stuck things can change, if ever so slightly, and that to me is the beauty of this song.  I'm sure my discussion here is not well expressed...and my guess is that 'experts' have written A LOT about this exact idea already.  Still....that's how my ears/brain feel it and that's the whole point, right?  LONG LIVE RP and Bob Dylan!!  10→11!! 


I understand why you're saying. Well put.
 DW4554 wrote:

The entire Blonde on Blonde album is worthy of a Nobel Prize for Literature all by itself, nevermind his vast body of work which garnered the actual award 
'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition'.

Hang tough warrior, you are much loved. 



You are a very smart and enlightened person.

And applying your logic, Dylan is due for four more Nobels for: Blood on the Tracks, Highway 61, Freewheeling, and Bringing it all back home. 

And yes...it's an outrage that he's  been snubbed  for so long! Oh the injustice! Oh the humanity!

 jelgator wrote:

Simply horrific.



As Curly of The Stooges would say: "ohhhh, a music lover!"


Simply horrific.
amphetamines write good lyrics
Give me Nashville Skyline or give me death (or the PSD button).
It's gonna be OK!
We should all be so lucky.

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."

 smartn1 wrote:


I love Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, and Opera. (but I don't get Neil Diamond or Elvis Costello and to a lesser extent the Beatles -I'm working on my flaws)


Y'all got some catchin' up to do.  Happy trails pard, well worth the effort.  
The entire Blonde on Blonde album is worthy of a Nobel Prize for Literature all by itself, nevermind his vast body of work which garnered the actual award 
'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition'.

Hang tough warrior, you are much loved. 
 tkosh wrote:

Too bad is all I can say.  I LOVE this song.  Maybe you just had to be there..  or actually lived some of this..  hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this.  But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads..  or Opera..


I love Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, and Opera. (but I don't get Neil Diamond or Elvis Costello and to a lesser extent the Beatles -I'm working on my flaws)
I'll be stuck "inside" of Memphis in a week. More Bartlett but hey, the address says Memphis.
 Roguewarer wrote:

gawd. I feel like b-slapping him until he sings not like a moron. Just. Awful.



Clueless fool.  May someone have mercy on your wicked soul.
 meauclaire wrote:

Almost broke my neck lunging for the PSD button.



Misguided but LOL
 Roguewarer wrote:

gawd. I feel like b-slapping him until he sings not like a moron. Just. Awful.



until he "sings not like a moron".  What a "charming" turn of phrase. 
Oh no!

People don't like his vocals!

I wonder if he cares?  I bet he changes his vocals after knowing that. 

 tkosh wrote:

Too bad is all I can say.  I LOVE this song.  Maybe you just had to be there..  or actually lived some of this..  hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this.  But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads..  or Opera..



he doesn't get you either
 aspalathin wrote:

Sounds like Mr. Burns singing



Dylan sings like an amputee - can't hold a note, can't carry a tune.
 jesseoxwell wrote:

Legendary song.



Eh. Tangled Up In Blue is legendary. Hurricane is legendary. This is bordering on self-caricature.
gawd. I feel like b-slapping him until he sings not like a moron. Just. Awful.
I like Dylan but I can understand why his vocals are hard for many to listen to. 
I have to be in a Bob Dylan mood to listen to Bob Dylan, but I am not whenever this song comes on. Too many stretched out syllables that start to get monotonous...have to skip. Even though I thought about buying tickets when he was in Texas last the $400 cost was a bit too much
hey brother bob

see you are touring in spring 2022

you need to come back to midwest

tell me its not "hopeless and forlorn"
  


"So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”


"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."  

 jesseoxwell wrote:

Legendary song.


Absolutely.  I’m astonished the average rating is below 7.

 aspalathin wrote:

Sounds like Mr. Burns singing



Thanks for the compliment
This sounds like a comedian doing a Bob Dylan impersonation.
Legendary song.
 dischuckin wrote:

he just smoked my eyelids, and punched my cigarette




saw dylan with the dead in ... 86? don't remember much of the show. well I mean, I remember everything, but nothing I remember actually happened.. you deadheads will understand.

anyway I do remember this song, and the line above. plus the lines

"one was texas medicine, the other was just railroad gin, like a fool I mixed them, and it strangled up my mind".. perfectly apt.

one of the worst dead shows I ever saw though. not gonna lie.
 4wel wrote:

RP more Dylan please!



you see...

the smartest people listen to RP
oh the hell with it,,,

just give the man another Nobel prize

he just smoked my eyelids, and punched my cigarette
 idiot_wind wrote:

That's it! 

His shows are always special, but for the two I'm gonna see in October, I'm gonna search for debutantes. 

I once had a  young female chorus sitting behind me, singing "blowin in the wind",  while he was singing it on stage. 

They sounded and looked like angels.  Or maybe...debutantes. 
   



Like this?  Helplessly Hoping - SYA
 bruceandjenna wrote:

What is he singing about?


power and fortune
 Piranga wrote:
Almost as many 1s as 10s. That says it all. I don't have the BD gene. it's a 1 for me.
 
It's a mutation
I give it an 8. The words are baffling but thoroughly interesting. The melody is nice enough. The singing, well, I'm not going to add anything someone else probably hasn't said more eloquently. 
Never knew that Zimmy used all the other names shown on the Wiki page here.
So many people don't understand how great Dylan is, it's like not understanding how great Shakespeare is.
 Canadese wrote:
I can't believe this only has a 6.6 rating, especially with all the positive comments.
A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.
 
Well, sure, but whenever someone posts a negative comment, they get shouted down. So looks like a bunch of people (understandably) don't like this, hit 1, and moved on.
 
This is definitely not one of Dylan's best.
 aspalathin wrote:
Sounds like Mr. Burns singing
 

"Oh, Mama, can this really be the end"

Every time he says it, I get my hopes up that it's almost over.

Yet it goes on and on, interminably so.

Feels like I'm getting trolled simultaneously by both the artist and the DJ.  
Almost as many 1s as 10s. That says it all. I don't have the BD gene. it's a 1 for me.
10
The torture never stops.
It's not "you must know about my debutante," it's "you know you know about my debutante." 
What is he singing about?
 Canadese wrote:
I can't believe this only has a 6.6 rating, especially with all the positive comments.
A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.


I gave it a ten, always a ten.
 

RP more Dylan please!
I can't believe this only has a 6.6 rating, especially with all the positive comments.
A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.
The genius of the song is so apparent it takes only a minute for it to work it's magic on me, which frees me up to move on with my day.
 stalfnzo wrote:
Nope. No matter how hard I try, it just doesn't work for me.

I suppose this is how my wife feels about Phish.
 

Yes... it is.
That's it! 

His shows are always special, but for the two I'm gonna see in October, I'm gonna search for debutantes. 

I once had a  young female chorus sitting behind me, singing "blowin in the wind",  while he was singing it on stage. 

They sounded and looked like angels.  Or maybe...debutantes. 
   
I confess to a perverse liking of the Sisters of Mercy line "Stuck outside of Memphis in a mobile home".
Bobby,

Get your ass back here for Summer tour!

Geeeez, Summer is almost 1/2 over!
Nope. No matter how hard I try, it just doesn't work for me.

I suppose this is how my wife feels about Phish.
Went downstairs for a potty break, came back and Bob's still banging on. 
 dc_zee wrote:
The comments seem (understandably) focused on the lyrics.  I find the cadence of the song between the refrains to be so of the time (1966 release I believe) and wonder if musicians could enlighten me further on that?
Proclivities wrote:

By "of the time", do you mean it sounds like it was recorded in 1966?  I'm not sure which cadence you mean by "between the refrains".  I assume by "refrain" you mean the chorus ("Oh, mama, can this really be the end.......with the Memphis blues again")  The parts between them (the verses) sound like the phrasing of a lot of Dylan's stuff and that other folk singers of that time.
 
I've always thought part of Bob's brilliance was how his timing and phrasing changes subtlety throughout a song (esp. on this cut) and the use of that technique provides part of the story of the song.  Repeating the chorus in this song many times is sort of an expression of the idea of being 'stuck' and yet even when one is stuck things can change, if ever so slightly, and that to me is the beauty of this song.  I'm sure my discussion here is not well expressed...and my guess is that 'experts' have written A LOT about this exact idea already.  Still....that's how my ears/brain feel it and that's the whole point, right?  LONG LIVE RP and Bob Dylan!!  10→11!! 
 dc_zee wrote:
The comments seem (understandably) focused on the lyrics.  I find the cadence of the song between the refrains to be so of the time (1966 release I believe) and wonder if musicians could enlighten me further on that?
 
By "of the time", do you mean it sounds like it was recorded in 1966?  I'm not sure which cadence you you mean by "between the refrains".  I assume by "refrain" you mean the chorus ("Oh, mama, can this really be the end.......with the Memphis blues again")  The parts between them (the verses) sound like the phrasing of a lot of Dylan's stuff and that other folk singers of that time.
The comments seem (understandably) focused on the lyrics.  I find the cadence of the song between the refrains to be so of the time (1966 release I believe) and wonder if musicians could enlighten me further on that?
Man, this album and this track in particular still speak to me.

Bill, I played this on my radio show last Friday.  Are you listening?


Its Friday! Where are the debutantes! And what do they need? 
brilliant. you have to have been stuck to understand the lyric and the urgent bitterness. classic dylan. 
 lizardking wrote:

you and I might be the few 10 raters for this track, apparently not so many also like BD; an overall 6.5 rating, seriously?

What I think is amazing about BD the performer, is not just how many freaking songs he knows, but that he can (for the most part) remember the lyrics to all of them.  That's some crazy lifelong obsession to music there (or as he has stated, a soul selling deal with the devil allows him all these talents) and I for one appreciate the hell out of his music.

Long Live RP and Bob Dylan!

PS - When BD dies in the next decade or so, I hope to be able to attend his funeral.  And no other famous person has ever elicited that sort of reaction from me (since Jim M died before I was born :-( )



 
Me too on the PS.  Always enjoy your comments, and will track you down at the funeral!  Have always loved this song, BTW.
 On_The_Beach wrote:

{#Roflol}  Oh yah, Bobby's up all night counting his "likes" on Facebook!

 
Yes, that title "Blonde on Blonde" probably meant something different then than it does now so he would get lots of click bait on Youtube!
 
 idiot_wind wrote:
Uh oh.  It appears that Bob's songs have some people irritated, annoyed, and maybe upset. 

Wow...that's never happen before. I'm sure Bob will change his musical approach as to stay trendy and perhaps get some tweets, and get mentioned on various forms of social media.        
 
{#Roflol}   Oh yeah, Bobby's up all night counting his "likes" on Facebook!
Uh oh.  It appears that Bob's songs have some people irritated, annoyed, and maybe upset. 

Wow...that's never happen before. I'm sure Bob will change his musical approach as to stay trendy and perhaps get some tweets, and get mentioned on various forms of social media.         
Oh mama can it really be PSD time again?

{#Jump}
Aaawww, Momma, Can This Really Be The End? Down and Out in Vegas, with Amphetamine Psychosis Again?  — H.S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Part 2.10)
 kurtster wrote:
Funny how no one notices the musicianship behind stuff like this.  This is a superb riff, hooky even.  Some crazy drumming, a wistful organ.  Much more going on besides Bob's singing.

 
Key words here "no one".  The rest of us notice.
Funny how no one notices the musicianship behind stuff like this.  This is a superb riff, hooky even.  Some crazy drumming, a wistful organ.  Much more going on besides Bob's singing.
Almost 25 years ago I lived in an apartment building on 3rd St. in Brooklyn. Neighbors on my floor would have regular Dylan singalong parties. 6, 8 people knew most of the lyrics and they'd be in the unit across the hall Rolling Stoning Rainy Day Womening Memphis and Tombstone Bluesing until midnight. The knowledge and the passion was incredible. 
Still sucks!{#Zip-lip}
Aaarrrrgh!  Why does this song never end??  AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
When I saw Bob in concert in Oct, he did not have his Nobel prize in display. Bummer.

However, he did have a grammy showcase on his piano.  

Gosh...what an ego!
Please make it stop.
Please make it stop.
Saw him live 2 mths ago for the first time and he blew me away with his creativity...
 idiot_wind wrote:
Just once, I wish I could meet a debutante.

But how would a person figure out what she wants and not need?

Ahhhhh....the age old insights raised by Bob Dylan.

Perhaps Bob will do more of this at his upcoming Nobel Prize event.  
    

 
you and I might be the few 10 raters for this track, apparently not so many also like BD; an overall 6.5 rating, seriously?

What I think is amazing about BD the performer, is not just how many freaking songs he knows, but that he can (for the most part) remember the lyrics to all of them.  That's some crazy lifelong obsession to music there (or as he has stated, a soul selling deal with the devil allows him all these talents) and I for one appreciate the hell out of his music.

Long Live RP and Bob Dylan!

PS - When BD dies in the next decade or so, I hope to be able to attend his funeral.  And no other famous person has ever elicited that sort of reaction from me (since Jim M died before I was born :-( )



Mr. Dylan’s lecture

S
uper Artist : )
 hakuindude wrote:
Play it louder! Genius is an acquired taste.
 
Agreed.
Bob's music is not for the simple-minded.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Make it end already! Thank Goddess for the mute button.
Whomever keeps stepping on the cat's tail... please stop, right now!
 
He's going to pick up his Nobel soon, seeing as he'll be stuck in Stockholm agin.
Thank Goddess for the mute control.
 talus wrote:
this song gave me a headache
 


 pontfarrer wrote:
I so wish RP didn't play Bob Dylan ... I don't get him at all ....

 
Neither did I until I was challenged by a writing teacher.

Sometime, go stand on a corner and try to write allegories or metaphors to fit your observations.  Afterwards, I expect you'll have a new appreciation.

 
Just once, I wish I could meet a debutante.

But how would a person figure out what she wants and not need?

Ahhhhh....the age old insights raised by Bob Dylan.

Perhaps Bob will do more of this at his upcoming Nobel Prize event.  
    
 pontfarrer wrote:
I so wish RP didn't play Bob Dylan ... I don't get him at all ....

 
Too bad is all I can say.  I LOVE this song.  Maybe you just had to be there..  or actually lived some of this..  hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this.  But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads..  or Opera..
 jab49 wrote:

Agreed! Maybe Dylan is the real voice-over for Mr Burns?
Burns giving advice to Homer, playing Golf, when Homer is stuck in a bunker:  "Use an open-faced club - a sand wedge" . Homer: "Mmm, open-faced club sandwich!"

 
{#Roflol} {#Roflol}. I'm visualising Mr. Burns recording many many songs in a studio and then replaying it over and over again at the nuclear plant to all his beloved workers {#Cheesygrin}
 danayork wrote:
that Mr Burns comment is the most accurate thing i've ever heard

 
Agreed! Maybe Dylan is the real voice-over for Mr Burns?
Burns giving advice to Homer, playing Golf, when Homer is stuck in a bunker:  "Use an open-faced club - a sand wedge" . Homer: "Mmm, open-faced club sandwich!"
that Mr Burns comment is the most accurate thing i've ever heard
STUCK inSIDE of MObile WITH the MEMphis BLUES aGAIN

 
 aspalathin wrote:
Sounds like Mr. Burns singing

 
LMAO! Ugh! My ears. Make it stop. 
Sounds like Mr. Burns singing
Play it louder! Genius is an acquired taste.
what a tune {#Music}
 marklaw wrote:

Nice sum up.  Commenting on Dylan's singing is like, well, commenting Leonard Cohen's singing,  What's the point?  That's not what they are about or what they bring to the table IMO.

 
Spot on Marklaw - one has to "see" beyond the voice which surprisingly, on such an eclectic station, so many appear to not have this ability
The singing is so annoying that I gave it a 7 for the attempt to get us all annoyed and not notice the fairly good lyrics.
Einmal ist keinmal.


https://goo.gl/X2Eo2z

hey Abilene,

How does it feel? To be stuck in inside of Abilene with the Dylan blues again?. 
 pontfarrer wrote:
torture, pure torture ... it doesn't end ... !!!!!

 
Gotta agree with you. 
 bam23 wrote:

"...when 'as (sic, I suppose) he built a fire on main street and shot it full holes." is what I suspect is the blown/missed lyric referred to. I've always noticed this odd vocal gap. Considering that this happened after numerous takes, I guess it was seen as acceptable, even though 40+ years later the oddity still remains. What I find odd is the strong dislike this song elicits from so many listeners to this eclectic station. In a world where Arrowsmith songs still pollute the air in apparent perpetuity, I feel there is no shame in appreciating genuinely transgressive music. So there, you PSD types!

 
Nice sum up.  Commenting on Dylan's singing is like, well, commenting Leonard Cohen's singing,  What's the point?  That's not what they are about or what they bring to the table IMO.


 treatment_bound wrote:


Thanks for the thumbs up, tkosh.

Just listened to it again on some vinyl...where's the "blown lyric"? 

 
"...when 'as (sic, I suppose) he built a fire on main street and shot it full holes." is what I suspect is the blown/missed lyric referred to. I've always noticed this odd vocal gap. Considering that this happened after numerous takes, I guess it was seen as acceptable, even though 40+ years later the oddity still remains. What I find odd is the strong dislike this song elicits from so many listeners to this eclectic station. In a world where Arrowsmith songs still pollute the air in apparent perpetuity, I feel there is no shame in appreciating genuinely transgressive music. So there, you PSD types!