Tough Mama Lyrics
Meat shaking on your bones
I'm gonna go down to the river and get some stones
Sister's on the highway with that steel drivin' crew
Papa's in the big house, his working days are through
Tough mama
Can I blow a little smoke on you.
Won't you move it on over and make somme room ?
It's my duty to bring you down to the field where the flowers bloom
Ashes in the furnace, dust on the rise
You came through it all the way flying through the skies
Dark beauty
With that long night's journey in you eyes.
Born of a blinding light and a changing wind
Now don't be modest, you know who you are and where you've been
Jack, the cowboy, went up north, he's buried in your past
The lone wolf went out drinking, that was over pretty fast
Sweet Goddess
Your perfect stranger's coming in at last.
With the badge of the lonesome road written on your sleeve
I'd be grateful if this golden ring you would receive
Today on the countryside it was a hotter than a crotch
I stood alone upon the ridge and all I did was watch
Sweet Goddess
It must be time to carve another notch.
The world of illusion is at my door
I ain't a-haulin' any of my lambs to the marketplace anymore
The prison walls are crumbling, there is no end in sight
I've gained some recognition but I lost my appetite
Sweet beauty
Meet me at the border late tonight.
i can't believe dylan used the phrase, "a-hotter than a crotch."
"Sweet beauty, meet me at the border late tonight" evokes the same feeling in me as that line from Abandoned Love, "One more time at midnight near the wall, take off your heavy makeup and your shawl." And from When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky: "It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line." Borders, midnights, secret assignations, where journeys and relationships begin and end.
This might be my favorite song on Planet Waves. I like the album because there a kind of childlikeness to the writing. Here, Dylan just cuts loose with images that strike at your real heart; and "Tough Mama" is a great case in point.
It's pretty simple, really; the tough mama is a powerful love interest. She's been around, she's got spirit, she's "got back," she's the sweet bosom on which our hero pauses to rest his head after a wearing sojourn in this world of dark delusion. He's been there, done that, and then some, and he's ready for love. And he sees complementary qualities in this dark beauty. Is she ready? With a worshipful, lusty, rainbow-studded come-on like this, how could she not be?!
I always figure that real women just want to be seen as beautiful and want to be loved. This song is about exactly that.
Planet Waves is one of his greatest albums. It's music is so amazing, and the poetry in it is so accessible and yet so mysterious at the same time. Just fantastic stuff.