High Water (For Charley Patton) Lyrics
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big Joe Turner lookin' East and West
From the dark room of his mind
He made it to Kansas City
Twelfth Street and Vine
Nothing standing there
High water everywhere
Folks lose their possessions - folks are leaving town
Bertha Mason shook it - broke it
Then she hung it on a wall
Says, "You're dancin' with whom they tell you to
Or you don't dance at all."
It's tough out there
High water everywhere
Got a hopped up Mustang Ford
Jump into the wagon, love, throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I'm no pig without a wig
I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin' up out there
High water everywhere
Coffins droppin' in the street
Like balloons made out of lead
Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm going to do
"Don't reach out for me," she said
"Can't you see I'm drownin' too?"
It's rough out there
High water everywhere
"You can't open your mind, boys
To every conceivable point of view."
They got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway Five
Judge says to the High Sheriff,
"I want him dead or alive
Either one, I don't care."
High Water everywhere
I'm preachin' the Word of God
I'm puttin' out your eyes
I asked Fat Nancy for something to eat, she said, "Take it off the shelf -
As great as you are a man,
You'll never be greater than yourself."
I told her I didn't really care
High water everywhere
Keeping away from the women
I'm givin' 'em lots of room
Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything is looking blue
I just can't be happy, love
Unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
High water everywhere
This song is NOT a Charley Patton cover. Not only did he never record this song, many references in it (e.g. Big Joe Turner and the Ford Mustang) did not come about until long after he had died. It does however bear some similarity to Patton's song 'High Water Everywhere'
This song contains many references to old blues songs, such as the title and the line "high water everywhere" referring to the above mentioned Patton song, the lines "Bertha Mason shook it - broke it/Then she hung it on a wall" refering to Pattons 'Shake it and Break it' and the line "I believe I'll dust my broom" refering to a Robert Johnson song of the same name to name only three.
And to FackingHell, you shouldn't call someone a "fucking retard". You asked "could you be more wrong?". I don't know if he could, but you sure seem to manage it.
It's not about a literal "flood of h20"...again, not literal. It's a flood of problems, trouble, deceit, theft, schemes, scams, disease, pestilence, economic failure, pandemonium, chaos, confusion, tyranny, lies, injustice, EVIL and the plundering of society (just to name a few things)....its about the "HERE and NOW". It's similar to the "flood" spoken of in the book of Revelations (not Noah's flood). And yes, "ITS BAD OUT THERE". It's a DELUGE of water. Just like the song the Levee's gonna break has nothing to do with literal water. That is about problems. If it keeps on "rainin'", the Levee's gonna break. In other words if we keep getting bombarded with problems more and more...something has to give.
IF YOU GO DOWN IN THE FLOOD ITS GONNA BE YOUR FAULT
Bob Dylan is a literary genius and at the same time it's so simple a child could understand it.
I have no idea what this song means but I love it. It's my favorite song from Love & Theft (Mississippi is darn goodtoo but this one has grown on me and outstripped even that).
@heartbeats_xxx there is a great live version on Tell Tale Signs. Check it out, think you\'ll like it too.
@heartbeats_xxx there is a great live version on Tell Tale Signs. Check it out, think you\'ll like it too.
I think this song is a political song on modern day culture i think the whole album relates to modern culture "love and Theft" a kinda of oxymoran sayin societys gone mad and were gonna pay the piper soon, "Things have changed was written bout the same time too and that states that people are crazy and times are strange. this song was wrote just before 9/11 in a worldwide state of wariness every one was walkin on egg shells a risk of terrorism was high and obviously inevitable the worlds was just so close to disaster it was looming on us and something was about to happed disaster will strike due to our ignorance and then what happened? 9/11 hurrican Katrina, a shit load of problems due to iraq and terrorism, 7/11,the recent terrorist attack on heathrow, and whatevers to come theres high water and its gettin higher by the day
"High water risin', six inches 'bove my head"
"I believe I'll dust my broom" Maybe I'm just stupid, but I think it's funny that that very same line is used in "Wilbury Twist" by the Traveling Wilburys, which Dylan was in I wonder if that's a knock back to that band?
No, in both cases it's a reference to the 1936 Robert Johnson blues song of the same name.
No, in both cases it's a reference to the 1936 Robert Johnson blues song of the same name.
Bob uses a lot of METAPHORS...in literature things like a "flood" or a "twister" or "winds" "driving rain" "hail" "storms" have meanings other than the literal.
High water risin' - risin' night and day All the gold and silver are being stolen away. I'm thinking this line at least, refers to the deficit. the debt ceiling, and wall street big shots wringing out our economy.
Coffins droppin' in the street Like balloons made out of lead. Twin Towers? Maybe.
You may find an extensive lyric analysis of this greatsong on: http://www.keesdegraaf.com/index.php/175/bob-dylans-high-water-for-charley-patton-an-analysis-part-1 http://www.keesdegraaf.com/index.php/176/bob-dylans-high-water-for-charley-patton-an-analysis-part-2 http://www.keesdegraaf.com/index.php/178/bob-dylans-high-water-for-charley-patton-an-analysis-part-3
Nice. Such a grand compliment this early in the morning. Starts my day off just peachy (or should I say floaty:)
I was wondering if anyone had any idea(s) about what the significance might be about the intersection mentioned near the beginning of the song, "Twelfth Street & Vine" (in Kansas City) ...