More songs by Bob Dylan


This file is part of a collection that (moreso than the rest of the site) are not meant to be detailed or accurate transcriptions of the original recordings. They're just some simple chord charts that I made for my own use, some of them my own arrangements.
- T-rev


"TANGLED UP IN BLUE" by Bob Dylan www.bobdylan.com
From his 1975 album Blood on the Tracks
Words and music by Bob Dylan
Transcribed by T-rev www.t-rev.net
Capo on the 7th fret.  Chords named relative to capo.

D  Dsus2sus4  D  Dsus2sus4

  D                     C                D               C
  Early one mornin' the sun was shinin', I was layin' in bed
  D                 C                      G              G
  Wondrin' if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red
  D                       C              D                 C
  Her folks they said our lives together sure was gonna be rough
       D                     C                      G                    G
  They never did like Mama's homemade dress, Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
      A                     Bm               D                  G
  And I was standin' on the side of the road rain fallin' on my shoes
A                     Bm               D                    G
  Heading out for the east coast, Lord knows I've paid some dues
          A        C       G     D
  Gettin' through, Tangled Up In Blue

She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam I guess, but I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me, as I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder "We'll meet again some day
On the avenue, tangled up in blue"

I had a job in the great north woods, working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much, and one day the axe just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I happened to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat right outside of Delacroix
But all the while I was alone the past was close behind
I seen a lot of women, but she never escaped my mind
And I just grew tangled up in blue

She was workin' in a topless place, and I stopped in for a beer
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear
And later on as the crowd thinned out I's just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered somethin' under my breath, she studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces
Of my shoe, tangled up in blue

She lit a burner on the stove, and offered me a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello, she said, You look like the silent type
Then she opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet from the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page like it was written in my soul
From me to you, tangled up in blue

I lived with them on Montague Street in a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside
And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew, tangled up in blue

So now I'm goin' back again, I got to get to her somehow
All the people we used to know, they're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians, some are carpenters' wives
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point
Of view, tangled up in blue

Transcribed 2018-04-13 by T-rev
More tab available at www.t-rev.net

xx0232 D
xx0030 Dsus2sus4
x32010 C
320003 G
x02220 A
x24432 Bm

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