Melody of Words
for Bob Dylan
If not for you Its been a hard days night If not for you Mr. Fantasy If not for you All along the watchtower If hot for you Bad girls If not for you Winter would have no Spring If not for you Woke up this morning had them statesboro blues Take the A train If not for you She's got a ticket to ride If not for you All the lonely people If not for you That’s all I want to say If not for you Would you promise to be true If not for you These are words If not for you Black bird singin If not for you Sign on the window says lonely If not for you Babe I'm gonna leave you If not for you So happy just to be alive underneath this sky of blue If not for you Maybe in some Isle of Isles If not for you In the South Seas azure miles If not for you Among what rushes will they build If not for you And evenings full of the linnet's wings If not for you The moon and the night lily unite in love If not for you Take me disappearin through If not for you A love can be had A love SUPREME If not for you This must be the day If not for you That all my dreams come true If not for you This is the end my only friend If not for you The end IF not for you Time passes slowly If not for you Into this world we’re thrown If not for you Girl we couldn’t get much higha If not for you Deep down inside honey you If not for you And noon a purple glow If not for you Don’t know if its up or down If not for you I will arise and go now If not for you The flames they followed Joan of Arc If not for you Please allow me to introduce myself If not for you Freedom rider If not for you Im not gonna let them find the midnite rida If not for you Take me disappearin If not for you How does it feel If not for you Now it looks as though its here to stay If not for you Surely we must be learnin If not for you Father of day father of night If not for you Night and day day and night If not for you My china grill MY china girl If not for you Some girls If not for you Take sunset to the sea Riders on the storms comin If not for you Brown suga If not for you The night passed so quickly If not for you Who finished the milk If not for you I forgot the combination If not for you The Sicilian defense If not for you No direction home If not for you Ring them bells If not for you For the times that flies If not for you For the child that cries Cause her momma has a different name for the color of the wind If not for you How does it feel IF not for you Now it looks as though its here to stay If not for you Surely we must be learnin If not for you I’ll never hear the bells if you leave me If not for you Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf If not for you For all of us who are left If not for you When my girls she’s kissin me Up on the roof If not for you Shes got a ticket to ride If not for you I hear the bells a ringin in my ears If not for you Do you love me? IF not for you Id go insane If not for you I’d never hear the bells again IF not for you All along the watch tower If not for you In the sunshine of your love If not for you Don’t you worry bout a thing If not for you All is fair in lov If not for you The time is right for dancing in the street If not for you There will be music playin If not for you Wine comes in through the mouth If not for you And love comes in through the eye IF not for you Don’t forget the motor city If not for you For the time that flies If not for you Times passes slowly up here in the mountains If not for you I’m so glad, I’m so glad, I’m glad I’m glad I’m glad If not for you That’s all we shall know for truth If not for you Before we grow young and live forever If not for you Oh, desire If not for you Baby lite my fire If not for you You made my heart feel so free If not for you Baby you NEED me If not for you Oh, my desiree Michelle my bell All the lonely people IF not for you I don’t like you but I love you If not for you Seems like I’m also thinking of you If not for you You really gotta hold on me If not for you We’re gonna go walkin through the PARK everyday People think Im CRAZY If not for you Not for you this shadow of dreams Drippin pearls into the ocean of raga Is but a drop of a grain of sand Babe you know I never leave you If not for you I’m gonna leave you in the summer time And the livin is easy Easy to love You’d be so nice to come home to IF not for you There is a rose in Spanish Harlem If not for you There’s some Tahitian girls that are dyin to meet me I’ll trade their numba for my black hat with dried white flowers IF not for you I’ve got to get away If not for you I really got to ramble If not for you It’s when its callin me If not for you Back home If not for you Then you know you have entered the garden of Red Pine If not for you The green-eyed immortal with auburn hair If not for you Cold as the March wind my eyes If not for you Oh Jamie Mack when are you comin back? If not for you This girl keeps comin ‘round If not for you She’s be dragging on my time If not for you She’s been foolin on my mind IF not for you That was the best pastrami sandwich I ever had If not for you She paid $1.79 for two mango smoothies If not for you I sang for the surveillance camera If not for you Mr Tambourine Man If not for you The man in the long black coat If not for you If your travelin to Carmel If not for you Pale Rider If not for you The jewel treasure of the ocean If not for you Shes from Russia without love IF not for you Shes from Australia without love If not for you Let it Be If not for you My, Me, Mine If not for you A night in Tunisia IF not for you You must remember this If not for you A kiss is just a kiss If not for you Her lips soft as a lavender rose in the cool morning dew IF not for you With the sun shinin efulgant If not for you If not for you IF not for you Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide He’s a real nowhere man If not for you She and she and she a parta me If not for you I MISS YOU If not for you COME on Come ON If not for you Bird of Paradise If not for you I open the door Snow covers the hills For miles If not for you I’m just getting started
© 2007 Michael Robinson All rights reserved
This is roughly the first half of an extended poem in tribute to Bob Dylan, using something like his style of speak, using the title of his song, "If Not For You," as a tanpura, including myriad references to other Dylan songs, the Beatles, and other music artists and songs I love. It was decided not to include the second half of the poem, which heads in a somewhat different direction. "Melody of Words" was written in January 2007. Revisiting the poem, it now seems a unique tribute to Dylan and many of his contemporaries worthy of being included among my Writings About Music. Please note that what may appear to be spelling and punctuation errors in the text of the poem are intentional. - Michael Robinson, April 2020, Los Angeles
Michael Robinson is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer (musicologist).
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