bob dylan
Dylan didn't officially cut this himself until US "Greatest Hits Vol.2" (1975), and then with pleasing assistanse from Happy Traum. Three more unreleased famous songs got the same treatment during the same September recording session: "I Shall Be Released", "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" and "Down in the Flood" (Crash on the Levee).
The song was written in Woodstock 1967, and first recorded in the basement studio of "Big Pink" - the house rented by members of the later "The Band". These recordings were going into the wild, and in April '68 the Byrds grabbed it, released it first and made it a single hit.
The "lyrics" have been changed many times; of course also by Dylan. I use the Big Pink originals. I think you're free to alter them; even add your own nonsense. Nobody will sue you for that. And, for the Sake of Decency, this is not the song that earned Dylan the Nobel Price.
clouds so swift : rain won't lift
gate won't close : railings froze
get your mind off wintertime
you ain't goin' nowhere
whoo-ee ! ride me high
tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh oh are we gonna fly down in the easy chair
I don't care how many letters they sent
morning came and morning went
pick up your money and pack up your tent
you ain't goin' nowhere
buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
tailgates and substitutes
strap yourself to a tree with roots
you ain't goin' nowhere
Genghis Khan he could not keep
all his kings supplied with sleep
we'll climb that hill no matter how steep
when we get up to it
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
G Am clouds so swift rain won't lift C G gate won't close railings froze Am get your mind off wintertime C G you ain't goin' nowhere Am whoo-ee ! ride me high C G tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come Am C G Oh oh are we gonna fly down in the easy chair
