Talkin' World War III Blues (Live at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA - May 1963)

Talkin' World War III Blues (Live at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA - May 1963) - Bob Dylan

Some time ago a crazy dream came to me

I dreamt I was walkin'

Into World War Three

I went to the doctor the very next day

To see what kinda words he could say

He said it was a bad dream

I wouldn't worry 'bout it none

Though

They were my own dreams

And they're only in my head

I said “Hold it Doc

A World War passed through my brain”

He said “Nurse get your pad

This boy's insane”

He grabbed my arm I said “Ouch ”

As I landed on the psychiatric couch

He said “Tell me about it”

Well the whole thing started

At 3 o'clock fast

It was all over by quarter past

I was down in the sewer

With some little lover

When I peeked out from a manhole cover

Wondering who turned the lights on

Well I got up

And walked around

And up and down the lonesome town

I stood a-wondering

Which way to go

I lit a cigarette

On a parking meter

And walked on down the road

It was a normal day

Well I rung the fallout shelter bell

And I leaned my head

And I gave a yell

“Give me a string bean

I'm a hungry man”

A shotgun fired and away I ran

I don't blame them too much though

I know I look funny

Down at the corner by a hot-dog stand

I seen a man

I said “Howdy friend

I guess there's just us two”

He screamed a bit and away he flew

Thought I was a Communist

Well I spied a girl

And before she could leave

“Let's go and play Adam and Eve”

I took her by the hand

And my heart it was thumpin'

When she said “Hey man you crazy or sumpin'

You see what happened last time they started”

Well I seen a Cadillac window uptown

And there was nobody aroun'

I got into the driver's seat

And I drove down 42nd Street

In my Cadillac

Good car to drive after a war

Well I remember seein' some ad

So I turned on my Conelrad

But I didn't pay my Con Ed bill

So the radio didn't work so well

Turned on my record player—

It was Rock-a-day Johnny singin'

“Tell Your Ma Tell Your Pa

Our Love's A-gonna Grow Ooh-wah Ooh-wah”

I was feelin' kinda lonesome and blue

I needed somebody to talk to

So I called up the operator of time

Just to hear a voice of some kind

“When you hear the beep

It will be three o'clock”

She said that for over an hour

And I hung up

Well the doctor interrupted me just about then

Sayin' “Hey I've been havin'

The same old dreams

But mine was a little different you see

I dreamt that the only person left

After the war was me

I didn't see you around”

Well now time passed and now it seems

Everybody's having them dreams

Everybody sees themselves

Walkin' around with no one else

Half of the people can be

Part right all of the time

Some of the people can be

All right part of the time

But all of the people can't be

All right all of the time

I think Abraham Lincoln said that

“I'll let you be in my dreams

If I can be in yours”

I said that