The Clothes Line Saga

Clothes Line Saga

After a while we took in the clothes
Nobody said very much
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants
Which nobody really wanted to touch.

Mama come in and picked up a book
An’ Papa asked her what it was

Someone else asked, “What do you care?”

Papa said, “Well, just because.”

Then they started to take back their clothes

Hang ’em on the line

It was January the thirtieth

And everybody was feelin’ fine.

The next day everybody got up

Seein’ if the clothes were dry

The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed

Mama, of course, she said, “Hi!”

“Have you heard the news,” he said, with a grin

“The Vice-President’s gone mad!”

“Where?” “Downtown.” “When?” “Last night.”

“Hmm, say, that’s too bad!”

“Well, there’s nothin’ we can do about it,” said the neighbor

“It’s just somethin’ we’re gonna have to forget.”

“Yes, I guess so,” said Mama

Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet .

I reached up, touched my shirt

And the neighbor said, “Are those clothes yours?”

I said, “Some of ’em, not all of ’em.”

He said, “Ya always help out around here with the chores?”

I said, “Sometimes, not all the time”

Then my neighbor, he blew his nose

Just as Papa yelled outside

“Mama wants you t’ come back in the house and bring them clothes.”

Well, I just do what I’m told

So, I did it, of course

I went back in the house and Mama met me

And then I shut all the doors.

Copyright © 1969 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1997 by Dwarf Music

So guess who wrote that? Bob Dylan. It's been put to music by Bob, and also by Suzzy and Maggie Roche in the album "A Nod To Bob: An Artists' Tribute To Bob Dylan On His Sixtieth Birthday." Look it up on ITunes. It's great.

I've got more to write about clotheslines, but I'll save it for another time.