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Murder Most Foul

Bob Dylan

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Murder Most Foul

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It was a dark day in Dallas, November '63A day that will live on in infamyPresident Kennedy was a-ridin' highGood day to be livin' and a good day to dieBeing led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lambHe 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 carShot down like a dog in broad daylightWas a matter of timing and the timing was rightYou got unpaid debts, we've come to collectWe're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respectWe'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your faceWe've already got someone here to take your placeThe day they blew out the brains of the kingThousands were watching, no one saw a thingIt happened so quickly, so quick, by surpriseRight there in front of everyone's eyesGreatest magic trick ever under the sunPerfectly executed, skillfully doneWolfman, oh Wolfman, oh Wolfman, howlRub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foulHush, little children, you'll understandThe Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your handSlide down the banister, go get your coatFerry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throatThere's three bums comin' all dressed in ragsPick up the pieces and lower the flagsI'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian AgeThen I'll go over to Altamont and sit near the stagePut your head out the window, let the good times rollThere's a party going on behind the Grassy KnollStack up the bricks, pour the cementDon't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. PresidentPut your foot in the tank and then step on the gasTry to make it to the triple underpassBlackface singer, whiteface clownBetter not show your faces after the sun goes downUp in the red light district, they've got cop on the beatLiving in a nightmare on Elm StreetWhen you're down on Deep Ellumput your money in your shoeDon't ask what your country can do for youCash on the barrelhead, money to burnDealey Plaza, make a left-hand turnI'm going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a rideThe place where faith, hope, and charity diedShoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you canSee if you can shoot the invisible manGoodbye, Charlie, goodbye, Uncle SamFrankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damnWhat is the truth, and where did it go?Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know"Shut your mouth, " said a wise old owlBusiness is business, and it's a murder most foulTommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid QueenI'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousineRidin' in the back seat next to my wifeHeaded straight on in to the afterlifeI'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lapHold on, I've been led into some kind of a trapWhere we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we giveWe're right down the street, from the street where you liveThey mutilated his body and they took out his brainWhat more could they do? They piled on the painBut his soul was not there where it was supposed to be atFor the last fifty years they've been searchin' for thatFreedom, oh freedom, freedom over meI hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are freeSend me some lovin', then tell me no lieThrow the gun in the gutter and walk on byWake up, little Susie, let's go for a driveCross the Trinity River, let's keep hope aliveTurn the radio on, don't touch the dialsParkland Hospital, only six more milesYou got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with leadThat magic bullet of yours has gone to my headI'm just a patsy like Patsy ClineNever shot anyone from in front or behindI've blood in my eye, got blood in my earI'm never gonna make it to the new frontierZapruder's film I seen night beforeSeen it thirty-three times, maybe moreIt's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's meanUgliest thing that you ever have seenThey killed him once and they killed him twiceKilled him like a human sacrificeThe 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: 38Let me know when you decide to throw in the towelIt is what it is, and it's murder most foulWhat's new, pussycat? What'd I say?I said the soul of a nation been torn awayAnd it's beginning to go into a slow decayAnd that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment DayWolfman Jack, he's speaking in tonguesHe's going on and on at the top of his lungsPlay me a song, Mr. Wolfman JackPlay it for me in my long CadillacPlay me that "Only the Good Die Young"Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hungPlay "St. James Infirmary" and the Court of King JamesIf 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 mindPlay John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"Play it for that strip club owner named JackGuitar Slim going down slowPlay it for me and for Marilyn MonroePlay "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any goodPlay Don Henley, play Glenn FreyTake it to the limit and let it go byPlay it for Carl Wilson, tooLooking far, far away down Gower AvenuePlay "Tragedy", play "Twilight Time"Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crimePlay 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 roadStand there and wait for his head to explodePlay "Mystery Train" for Mr. MysteryThe man who fell down dead like a rootless treePlay it for the reverend, play it for the pastorPlay it for the dog that got no masterPlay Oscar Peterson, play Stan GetzPlay "Blue Sky, " play Dickey BettsPlay Art Pepper, Thelonious MonkCharlie Parker and all that junkAll that junk and "All That Jazz"Play something for the Birdman of AlcatrazPlay Buster Keaton, play Harold LloydPlay Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy FloydPlay the numbers, play the oddsPlay "Cry Me a River" for the Lord of the godsPlay Number nine, play Number sixPlay it for Lindsey and Stevie NicksPlay Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"Play "Down in the Boondocks" for Terry MalloyPlay "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 MacbethDon't worry, Mr. President, help's on the wayYour brothers are comin', there'll be hell to payBrothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming"we'll get them as wellLove Field is where his plane touched downBut it never did get back up off the groundWas a hard act to follow, second to noneThey killed him on the altar of the rising sunPlay "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 gravePlay Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"Play "Deep in a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharpAnd "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harpPlay "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 PowellPlay "The Blood-Stained Banner"play "Murder Most Foul"
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