JOKERMAN

(original unreleased version)

Words and Music by Bob Dylan

Standing on the water casting your bread,
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing into the mist,
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing.
Freedom just around the corner for you,
But with truth so far off, what good will it do?

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

So swiftly the sun sets in the sky,
You rise up and say goodbye to no one.
No store bought shirt for you on your back,
One of the women must sit in the shack and sew one.
Shedding off one more layer of skin,
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

You're a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds,
Manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister.
You're going to Sodom and Gomorrah, but what do you care?
Ain't nobody there would want to marry your sister.
Scratching the world with a fine-toothed comb,
You're a king among nations, you're a stranger at home.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

Now, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers.
No crystal ball do you need on your shelf,
Michelangelo himself, could've carved out your features.
So drunk, standing in the middle of the street,
Directing traffic with a small dog licking your feet.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

Well, the preacher man talking about the deaf and the dumb,
And a world to come, thats already been pre-determined.
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, and padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks can't drown out his sermon.
You let the wicked walk right into a trap,
You give away all the good things that fall in your lap.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

It's a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray,
A woman just give birth to a prince today and she's dressed in scarlet.
He'll turn priests into pimps and make old men bark,
Take a woman who could have been Joan-of-Arc and turn her into a harlot.
Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants,
Oh, Jokerman, you don't show any response.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

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