They're sellin' postcards of the hangin', they're paintin' the passports brown The beauty parlor's filled with sailors, the circus is in town. Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight rope walker, the other is in his pants An the riot squad they're restless, they need somewhere to go As lady an' i look out tonite from desolation row. Cinderella, she seems so easy, "It takes one to know one," she smiles An' puts her hands in her back pockets, Betty Davies' style Then in comes Romeo he's moanin', "You belong to me i believe'' An' someone says, "You're in the wrong place my friend, you'd better leave'' An' the only sound that's left after the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweepin' up on desolation row. Now the moon is almost hidden, the stars are beginnin' to hide The fortune teller lady has even taken all her things inside All except for cain an' abel an' the hunchback of Notre Dame Everybody is makin' love or else expectin' rain An the good samaritan he's dressin', he's gettin' ready for the show He's goin' to the carnival tonite on desolation row. Ophelia she's neath the window, for her i feel so afraid On her twenty second birthday, she already is an old maid To her death is quite romantic, she wears an iron vest Her profession's her religion, her sin is her lifelessness An' though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow She spends her time peekin' into desolation row. Einstein disguised as Robin Hood with his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago with his friend a jealous monk Now he looked so immaculately frightful as he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffin' drain pipes an' recitin' the alphabet You would not think to look at him but he was famous long ago For playin' electric violin on desolation row. Doctor Filth he keeps his world inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients they're tryin' to blow it up Now his nurse some local loser, she's in charge of the cyanide hole An' she also keeps the cards that read, "Have mercy on his soul'' They all play on the penny whistle you can hear them blow If you lean your head out far enough from desolation row. Across the street they've nailed the curtains they're gettin' ready for the feast The phantom of the opera in a perfect image of a priest They' are spoonfeeeding Casanova to get him to feel more assured Then they'kill him with self confidence after poisoning him with words An the pantom shoutin' to skinny girls, "Get outta here if you don't know Casanova is just bein' punished for goin' to desolation row''. At midnite all the agents an' the super human crew Come out an' round up everyone that knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory where the heart attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders an' then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles by insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escapin' to desolation row. Praise be to nero's neptune, the titanic sails at dawn Everybody's shoutin', "Which side are you on'' An' Ezra Pound an' T.S. Eliott fightin' in the captain's tower While calypso singers laugh at them an' fishermen hold flowers Between the windows of the sea where lovely mermaids flow An' nobody has to think too much about desolation row. Yes i received your letter yesterday about the time the door knob broke When you asked me, "How i was doin'', was that some kind of joke All these people that you mentionned, yes i know them they're quite lame I had to rearrange their faces an' give them all another name Right now i can't read too good don't send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them from desolation row.

On the slow train time does not interfere & at the Arabian crossing waits White Heap, the man from the newspaper & behind him the hundred Inevitables made of solid rock & stone -- the Cream Judge & the Clown -- the doll house where Savage Rose & Fixable live simply in their wild animal luxury . . . . Autumn, with two zeros above her nose arguing over the sun being dark or Bach is as famous as its commotion & that she herself -- not Orpheus -- is the logical poet "I am the logical poet" she screams "Spring? Spring is only the beginning!" she attempts to make Cream Judge jealous by telling him of down-to-earth people & while the universe is erupting, she points to the slow train & prays for rain and for time to interfere -- she is not extremely fat but rather progressively unhappy . . . . the hundred Inevitables hide their predictions & go to bars & drink & get drunk in their very special conscious way & when tom dooley, the kind of person you think you've seen before, comes strolling in with White Heap, the hundred Inevitables all say "who's that man who looks so white?" & the bartender, a good boy & one who keeps the buffalo in his mind, says, "I don't know, but I'm sure I've seen the other fellow someplace" & when Paul Sargent, a plainclothes man from 4th street, comes in at three in the morning & busts everybody for being incredible, nobody really gets angry -- just a little illiterate most people get & Rome, one of the hundred Inevitables whispers "I told you so" to Madam John . . . Savage Rose & Fixable are bravely blowing kisses to the Jade Hexagram Carnaby Street & to all the mysterious juveniles & the Cream Judge is writing a book on the true meaning of a pear -- last year. he wrote one on famous dogs of the civil war & now he has false teeth & no children . . . . when the Cream met Savage Rose & Fixable, he was introduced to them by none other than Lifelessness -- Lifelessness is the Great Enemy & always wears a hip guard -- he is very hipguard . . . . Lifelessness said when introducing everybody "go save the world" & "involvement! that's the issue" & things like that & Savage Rose winked at Fixable & the Cream went off with his arm in a sling singing "summertime & the livin is easy" . . . . the Clown appears -- puts a gag over Autumn's mouth and says "there are two kinds of people -- simple people & normal people" this usually gets a big laugh from the sandpit & White Heap sneezes -- passes out & rips open Autumn's gag & says "What do you mean you're Autumn and without you there'd be no spring! you fool! without spring, there'd be no you! what do you think of that???." then Savage Rose & Fixable come by & kick him in the brains & color him pink for being a phony philosopher -- then the Clown comes by and screams "You phony philosopher!" & jumps on his head -- Paul Sargent comes by again in an umpire's suit & some college kid who's read all about Nietzsche comes by & says "Neitzsche never wore an umpire's suit" & Paul says "You wanna buy some cloths, kid?" & then Rome & John come out of the bar & they're going up to Harlem . . . . we are singing today of the WIPE-OUT GANG -- the WIPE-OUT GANG buys, owns & operates the Insanity Factory -- if you do not know where the Insanity Factory is located, you should hereby take two steps to the right, paint your teeth & go to sleep . . . . the songs on this specific record are not so much songs but rather exercises in tonal breath control. . . . the subject matter -- though meaningless as it is -- has something to do with the beautiful strangers . . . . the beautiful strangers, Vivaldi's green jacket & the holy slow train you are right john cohen -- quazimodo was right -- mozart was right. . . . I cannot say the word eye any more . . . . when I speak this word eye, it is as if I am speaking of somebody's eye that I faintly remember . . . . there is no eye -- there is only a series of mouths -- long live the mouths -- your rooftop -- if you don't already know -- has been demolished . . . . eye is plasma & you are right about that too -- you are lucky -- you don't have to think about such things as eye & rooftops & quazimodo. Notes By Bob Dylan Bob Dylan -- Guitar, Harmonica, Piano and Police Car Michael Bloomfield -- Guitar Alan Kooper -- Organ and Piano Paul Griffin -- Piano and Organ Bobby Gregg -- Drums Harvey Goldstein -- Bass Charley McCoy -- Guitar Frank Owens -- Piano Russ Savakus -- Bass