I Shall Be Released - guitar chords and comments

Lyrics without distraction HERE

Though written in 1967, Dylan didn't officially cut this himself until US "Greatest Hits Vol.II"(1971), and then with pleasing assistance from Happy Traum. Three more unreleased famous songs got the same treatment during the same September recording session: "You Ain't Going Nowhere", "Tomorrow Ia a Long Time" and "Down in the Flood" (Crash on the Levee).

First appearence was in the recording sessions of "Basement Tapes" in '67, but the first official recording was with Raymond "Boz" Burrell (famous with King Crimson and later Bad Company) in 1968. The Band cut it short afterwards for their debut album "Music from Big Pink", with Richard Manuel on vocals. Then everybody caught it. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it #6 on a list of the "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs".

A                             Bm
they say everything can be replaced
E6          E              A
yet every distance is not near
A                    Bm
so I remember every face
E6        E               A
of every man who puts me here

A                     Bm
I see my light come shining
E6        E                 A
from the west down to the east
A             Bm
any day now  any day now
E6  E          A
I shall be released