She was married when they first met
Soon to be divorced
He helped her out of a jam i guess
But he used a little too much force
An' he (they) drove that car as far as  he (they) could
Abandoned it out west
An' (they) split up on a sad dark night
Both agreein' it was best
An' she turned around to look at him
As he was walkin' away
An' she said ``This ain't (can't be) the end
We'll meet again some day (on another day)
On the avenue
Tangled up in Blue''.

He had a job in the great (old) north woods
Workin' as a cook for a spell
But he never did like it all that  much
An' one day the axe just fell
So (When) he drifted out to L.A.
Where he reckoned he'd tried his luck
Workin' for a while in a airplane plant
Loadin' cargo onto a truck
But all the while he was alone
The past was close behind
He seen a lot of women
But she never escaped his mind
An' he just grew
Tangled up in blue.

She was workin' in topless place
An'  i stopped in for a beer
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
An' later on when the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same
She was standin' there in back of my chair
Said to me, ``What's your name?''
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath
She studdied the lines on my face
I must admit i felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces
Of my shoes
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove
An' offered me a pipe
``I thought you'd never say hello'', she said
``You look like the silent type''
Then she opened up a book of poems
An' handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
An' every one of them words rang true
An' glowed like burning coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue.

He was always in a hurry
Too busy or too stoned
An' everythin' that she ever planned
Just had to be postponed
She (He) thought they were successful
He (She) thought they were blessed
With objects an' material things
But i never was impressed
An' when it all came crashin' down
I became withdrawn
The only thing i knew how to do
Was keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue.

So now i'm goin' back again
(I) Got to get to her some how
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are doctors wives
Don't know how it all got started
Don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me i'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point
Of view
Tangled up in blue.