Desolation Row chords by Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead
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Verse 1
(D major) They're selling postcards
of the hanging (G major)
They're painting the passports brown
The (D major) (A major) beauty parlor is filled
with sailors (G major)
The circus is in town (D major)
Here comes the blind commissioner
(G major) They've got him in a trance (D major)
One hand is (A major) tied to the tight- rope walker
(G major) The other is in his pants (D major)
And the (G major) riot squad they're restless
They (D major) need somewhere to (G major) go
As Lady (D major) and I (G major) look out to (A major) night
From (G major) Desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major) (G major)
Verse 2
(D major)
Now Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It (G major) takes one to know one,
" she smiles (D major)
And puts her (A major) hands in
her back pockets (G major)
Bette Davis style (D major) (G major)
And in (D major) walks Romeo, he's moaning
"You be (G major) long to me I believe"
And (D major) someone (A major) says,
"You're in the wrong place
My friend (G major) you Better leave" (D major)
(G major) And the only sound you can hear
(D major) After the ambulances go (G major) (D major)
Is Cinderella sweep (A major) ing up on (G major)
Desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major) (G major)
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Verse 3
(D major)
Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For (G major) her I feel so afraid (D major)
(A major) On her twenty- second birthday
(G major) She already is an old maid (D major)
(A major) To (D major) her, death is quite romantic
(G major) She wears an iron vest (D major)
Her (A major) profession's her religion
(G major) Her sin is her lifelessness
(D major) An (G major) d though her gaze is gazed
Upon Noah's (D major) great rainbow (G major)
(D major) She spend her time (A major) peeking
in from (G major)
Desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major)
Verse 4
Now, Einstein disguised
as Robin (A major) Hood (D major) with
(G major) His memories in a trunk (D major) (A major)
Passed this way an hour ago
(G major) with his friend
A jealous monk (D major)
He looked so immaculately frightful (G major) as
He bummed a cigarette (D major)
As (A major) he went off sniffing drainpipes
And (G major) re citing the alphabet (D major)
Oh, you (G major) would not think to look at
Him but he was fam (D major) ous long ago (G major)
For (D major) playing the electric violin (A major)
On (G major) Desolation Row
(D major) (G major)
Verse 5
(D major)
Dr filth
He keeps his world in (G major) side
of a leather cup (D major)
(A major) But all his sexless patients they're
(G major) Trying to blow it up (D major) now his nurse
Some local loser she's
in charge (G major)
Of the cyanide hole (D major)
And she (A major) also keeps the cards that
Read "Have (G major) mercy on his soul" (D major)
(G major) They all play on the penny whistles,
yes (D major)
You can hear then blow (G major)
If you (D major) lean your head out (A major) far
enough from (G major)
Interlude 1
Desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major) (A major)
(G major) (D major) (G major) (D major) (A major) (D major)
(G major) (A major) (G major) (D major) (A major) (G major) (D major) (G major)
(D major) (G major) (D major) (A major) (G major) (D major)
Verse 6
Across the street (D major) they've
nailed the curtains
They're getting ready (G major) for the feast (D major)
(A major) The Phantom of the Opera
In (G major) a perfect image of a priest (D major)
Now they're spoon feeding Casanova (G major)
To get him to feel more assured
(D major) (A major) Then they'll kill him with
self- confidence
After (G major) poisoning him with words (D major)
And the (G major) Phantom's shouting
to skinny girls
"Get out (D major) ta here if you don't know" (G major)
Casanova (D major) is just being (A major) punished
for going to (G major)
Desolation Row
(D major) (G major)
Verse 7
(D major)
Now, at midnight all the agents
And (G major) the superhuman crew (D major) (A major)
They'll round up everyone
(G major) That knows more than they do (D major) (G major)
They take them (D major) to the factory
Where (G major) the heart- attack machine (D major)
(A major) Is strapped across their shoulders
(G major) And then the kerosene (D major)
Is (G major) brought down from the castles
By in (D major) surance men who go (G major)
(D major) Make sure nobody is escaping
(A major) To (G major) Desolation Row
(D major) (G major)
Verse 8
(D major)
Bob praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titan (G major) ic sails at dawn (D major) (A major)
Everybody's shouting
(G major) "Which side are you on?"
And (D major) Ezra Pound and T s eliot
They're (G major) fighting in the
captain's tower (D major)
While (A major) calypso singers laugh at them,
yes (G major)
And fish (A major) ermen (G major) hold flowers (D major)
Between (G major) the windows of the sea
Where lovely (D major) mermaids flow (G major)
And (D major) no one has to think (A major) too
much about (G major)
Interlude 2
Desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (A major) (D major) (A major)
(G major) (D major) (A major) (G major) (D major)
(G major) (D major) (A major) (G major) (D major) (G major)
(D major) (G major) (D major) (A major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major)
(G major) (D major)
Verse 9
Yes, I received (D major) your letter yesterday
About the time (G major) the door knob broke (D major)
When (A major) you asked how I was doing
(G major) Was that some kind of joke? (D major)
All these people that you mention
Yes, (G major) I know them, they're quite lame (D major)
I had to (A major) rearrange their faces
And give (G major) them all another name (D major) (G major) (D major)
(G major) Right now I can't read so good
Don't send me (D major) no more letters, no (G major) (D major)
Not unless you mail (A major) them from (G major)
Outro 1
desolation Row
(D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major) (G major) (D major)
Desolation Row
Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead
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