Like a shot ricocheting at Heaven’s Door, Bob Dylan has released a masterpiece dissecting JFK's assassination
By Pepe Escobar
What spectacular timing. Like a shot ricocheting at Heaven’s Door as a virus pandemic rages and Planet Lockdown is the new normal, Bob Dylan has produced a stunning 17-minute masterpiece dissecting the November 22, 1963, assassination of JFK – releasing it at midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Thursday.
For baby boomers, not to mention obsessive Dylanologists, this is the ultimate sucker punch. Countless eyes will be plunged into swimming pools revisiting all the memories swirling around “the day they blew out the brains of the king / Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing.” But that’s not all: the Dylanmobile takes us on a magical mystery tour of the 60s and 70s, complete with the Beatles, the Age of Aquarius and the Who’s “Tommy.”
If there’s any cultural artifact capable of sending a powerful jolt across a discombobulated America trying to come to grips with a dystopic Desolation Row, this is it, the work of America’s undisputed, true Exceptionalist. The times, they are-a-changin’. Oh, yes, they are.
There are so many nuggets in Dylan’s lyrics they would be worthy of a treatise, tracking the vortex of music, literature, film references and interlocking Americana.
Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times. His latest book is 2030. Follow him on Facebook. - "Source"
At midnight on March 27, 2020, Bob Dylan released “Murder Most Foul”, his first studio release since 2017’s Triplicate and first original song release since 2012’s Tempest. He noted on Twitter that fans “might find [the song] interesting” and also to “stay safe, stay observant”.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]It was a dark day in Dallas, November '63 A day that will live on in infamy President Kennedy was a-ridin' high Good day to be livin' and a good day to dieBeing led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?" "Of course we do, we know who you are!" Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car Shot down like a dog in broad daylight Was a matter of timing and the timing was right You got unpaid debts, we've come to collectWe're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your faceWe've already got someone here to take your place The day they blew out the brains of the king Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise Right there in front of everyone's eyesGreatest magic trick ever under the sun Perfectly executed, skillfully done Wolfman, oh Wolfman, oh Wolfman, howl Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul
[Verse 2]Hush, little children, you'll understand The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand Slide down the banister, go get your coatFerry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags Pick up the pieces and lower the flagsI'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age Then I'll go over to Altamont and sit near the stage Put your head out the window, let the good times rollThere's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll Stack up the bricks, pour the cementDon't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President Put your foot in the tank and then step on the gasTry to make it to the triple underpass Blackface singer, whiteface clownBetter not show your faces after the sun goes down Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beatLiving in a nightmare on Elm Street When you're down on Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe Don't ask what your country can do for you Cash on the barrelhead, money to burn Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turnI'm going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride The place where faith, hope, and charity died Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can See if you can shoot the invisible man Goodbye, Charlie! Goodbye, Uncle Sam! Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn What is the truth, and where did it go? Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know "Shut your mouth," said a wise old owl Business is business, and it's a murder most foul [Verse 3]Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine Ridin' in the back seat next to my wife Headed straight on in to the afterlife I'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trapWhere we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give We're right down the street, from the street where you live They mutilated his body and they took out his brain What more could they do? They piled on the pain But his soul was not there where it was supposed to be atFor the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are freeSend me some lovin', then tell me no lie Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on byWake up, little Susie, let's go for a drive Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive Turn the radio on, don't touch the dialsParkland Hospital, only six more miles You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead That magic bullet of yours has gone to my headI'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline Never shot anyone from in front or behindI've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier Zapruder's film I seen night before Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean Ugliest thing that you ever have seen They killed him once and they killed him twice Killed him like a human sacrifice The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "SonThe age of the Antichrist has just only begun" Air Force One comin' in through the gateJohnson sworn in at 2:38 Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel It is what it is, and it's murder most foul [Verse 4]What's new, pussycat? What'd I say? I said the soul of a nation been torn away And it's beginning to go into a slow decayAnd that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment Day Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues He's going on and on at the top of his lungs Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack Play it for me in my long Cadillac Play me that "Only the Good Die Young" Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung Play "St. James Infirmary" and the Court of King James If you want to remember, you better write down the namesPlay Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind" Play it for the man with the telepathic mind Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"Play it for that strip club owner named Jack Guitar Slim going down slowPlay it for me and for Marilyn Monroe
[Verse 5] Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any goodPlay Don Henley, play Glenn Frey Take it to the limit and let it go by Play it for Carl Wilson, too Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust" Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust" Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road Stand there and wait for his head to explode Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree Play it for the reverend, play it for the pastorPlay it for the dog that got no master Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan GetzPlay "Blue Sky," play Dickey Betts Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk Charlie Parker and all that junk All that junk and "All That Jazz" Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz Play Buster Keaton, play Harold LloydPlay Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd Play the numbers, play the odds Play "Cry Me a River" for the Lord of the gods Play Number nine, play Number sixPlay it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"Play "Down in the Boondocks" for Terry Malloy Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin" There's twelve million souls that are listening inPlay "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death" Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the wayYour brothers are comin', there'll be hell to pay Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell? Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming," we'll get them as well Love Field is where his plane touched down But it never did get back up off the ground Was a hard act to follow, second to noneThey killed him on the altar of the rising sun Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon" Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June" Play "Lonely at the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave" Play it for Houdini spinning around in his grave Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille" Play "Deep in a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel" Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums" Play darkness and death will come when it comesPlay "Love Me or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell Play "The Blood-Stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul |
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=See Also==
U.S. Debt Clock
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