WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2



No man no woman knows the hour that sorrow will come.


WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2





There's an evenin' haze settlin' over town

Starlight by the edge of the creek

The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down

Money's gettin' shallow and weak

Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory

It's a new path that we trod

They say low wages are reality

If we want to compete abroad

My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf

Come sit down on my knee

You are dearer to me than myself

As you yourself can see

While I'm listening to the steel rails a-hum

Got both eyes tight shut

Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from

Creeping it's way into my gut

Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

Well, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul

Tossed by the winds and the seas

I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall

I'll sell 'em to their enemies

I'm a-tryin' to feed my soul with thought

Gonna sleep off the rest of the day

Sometimes no one wants what you got

Sometimes you can't give it away

Now the place is ringed with countless foes

Some of them may be deaf and dumb

No man, no woman knows

The hour that sorrow will come

In the dark I hear the night birds call

I can feel a lover's breath

I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall

Sleep is like a temporary death

Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

Well, they burned my barn, and they stole my horse

I can't save a dime

I got to be careful, I don't want to be forced

Into a life of continual crime

I can see for myself that the sun is sinking

How I wish you were here to see

Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking

That you have forgotten me?

Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret

They waste your nights and days

Them I will forget

But you I'll remember always

Old memories of you to me have clung

You've wounded me with your words

Gonna have to straighten out your tongue

It's all true, everything you've heard

Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

In you, my friend, I find no blame

Wanna look in my eyes, please do

No one could ever claim

That I took up arms against you

All across the peaceful sacred fields

They will lay you low

They'll break your horns and slash you with steel

I say it, so it must be so

Now I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue

Gonna give you another chance

I'm all alone, I'm expecting you

To lead me off in a cheerful dance

I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife

I can live on rice and beans

Some people never work a day in their life

Don't know what work even means

Well, meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues




PERFORMANCES


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - October 11, 2006

Seattle, Washington - October 13, 2006

Portland, Oregon - October 14, 2006

San Francisco, California - October 16, 2006

San Francisco, California - October 17, 2006

San Diego, California, - October 22, 2006

Denver, Colorado, - October 24, 2006

Lincoln, Nebraska, - October 25, 2006

Chicago, Illinois, - October 27, 2006

Chicago, Illinois, - October 28, 2006

Madison, Wisconsin, - October 31, 2006

Boston, Massachusetts, - November 11, 2006

Birmingham, England, - April 17, 2007

Morrison, Colorado - July 19, 2007

Morrison, Colorado - July 20, 2007

Telluride, Colorado - July 21, 2007

Albuquerque, New Mexico - July 22, 2007

Tucson, Arizona - July 24, 2007

Costa Mesa, California - July 26, 2007

Paso Robles, California - July 27, 2007

Kelseyville, California - July 28, 2007

Christchurch, New Zealand - August 8, 2007

Sydney, Australia - August 15, 2007

Adelaide, Australia - August 21, 2007

Perth, Australia - August 23, 2007

Auckland, New Zealand - August 26, 2007

Auckland, New Zealand - August 27, 2007

Austin, Texas - September 15, 2007

Austin, Texas - September 16, 2007

Nashville, Tennessee - September 19, 2007

Nashville, Tennessee - September 20, 2007

Duluth, Georgia - September 22, 2007

Clemson, South Carolina - September 23, 2007

Norfolk, Virginia - September 25, 2007

Charlottesville, Virginia - September 27, 2007

Columbia, Maryland - September 28, 2007

Kingston, Rhode Island - September 29, 2007

Bridgeport, Connecticut - September 30, 2007

Worcester, Massachusetts - October 2, 2007

Portland, Maine - October 4, 2007

Syracuse, New York - October 8, 2007

Rochester, New York - October 9, 2007

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - October 11, 2007

Ypsilanti, Michigan - October 12, 2007

Columbus, Ohio - October 13, 2007

Cincinnati, Ohio - October 15, 2007

Dayton, Ohio - October 16, 2007

Louisville, Kentucky - October 17, 2007

Bloomington, Indiana - October 19, 2007

Bloomington, Illinois - October 20, 2007

St. Louis, Missouri - October 22, 2007

Iowa City, Iowa - October 24, 2007

Omaha, Nebraska - October 26, 2007

Chicago, Illinois - October 27, 2007

Chicago, Illinois - October 28, 2007

Chicago, Illinois - October 29, 2007

Dallas, Texas - February 21, 2008

Dallas, Texas - February 22, 2008

Dallas, Texas - February 23, 2008

Mexico City, Mexico - February 26, 2008

Monterrey, Mexico - February 29, 2008

Guadalajara, Mexico - March 2, 2008

São Paulo, Brazil - March 5, 2008

São Paulo, Brazil - March 6, 2008

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - March 8, 2008

Santiago, Chile - March 11, 2008

Córdoba, Argentina - March 13, 2008

Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 15, 2008

Rosario, Argentina - March 18, 2008

Worcester, Massachusetts - May 16, 2008

Lewiston, Maine - May 17, 2008

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - May 21, 2008

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada - May 24, 2008

Reykjavik, Iceland - May 26, 2008

Odense, Denmark - May 28, 2008

Stavanger, Norway - May 30, 2008

St. Petersburg, Russia - June 3, 2008

Tallinn, Estonia - June 4, 2008

Warsaw, Poland - June 7, 2008

Vienna, Austria - June 10, 2008

Grenoble, France - June 19, 2008

Pamplona, Spain - June 24, 2008

Alicante, Spain - July 2, 2008

Jaén, Andalucia, Spain - July 5, 2008

San Diego, California - September 6, 2008

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada - October 25, 2008

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada - November 1, 2008

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 6, 2008

Kalamazoo, Michigan - November 8, 2008

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada - November 13, 2008

Oneonta, New York - November 19, 2008

Berlin, Germany - April 1, 2009

München, Germany - April 4, 2009

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - April 10, 2009

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - April 11, 2009

Florence, Italy - April 18, 2009

London, England - April 25, 2009

Birmingham, England - April 29, 2009

Glasgow, Scotland - May 2, 2009

Eastlake, Ohio - July 11, 2009

Allentown, Pennsylvania - July 14, 2009

Bethel, New York - July 18, 2009

Lakewood, New Jersey - July 23, 2009

Norfolk, Virginia - July 25, 2009

Simpsonville, South Carolina - July 29, 2009

Alpharetta, Georgia - July 30, 2009

Corpus Christi, Texas - August 5, 2009

Lubbock, Texas - August 8, 2009

Fresno, California - August 14, 2009

Stockton, California - August 15, 2009

Portland, Oregon - October 7, 2009

Berkeley, California - October 11, 2009

Los Angeles, California - October 14, 2009

Phoenix, Arizona - October 17, 2009

Denver, Colorado - October 21, 2009

Tulsa, Oklahoma - October 24, 2009

Chicago, Illinois - October 29, 2009

Chicago, Illinois - October 31, 2009

Canton, Ohio - November 5, 2009

Detroit, Michigan - November 6, 2009

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 9, 2009

Fairfax, Virginia - November 11, 2009

Boston, Massachusetts - November 13, 2009

New York City, New York - November 18, 2009

New York City, New York - November 19, 2009

Tokyo, Japan - March 28, 2010

Athens, Greece - May 29, 2010

Belgrade, Serbia - June 6, 2010

Prague, Czech Republic - June 11, 2010

Padova, Italy - June 15, 2010

Dornbirn, Austria - June 19, 2010

Paddock Wood, England - July 3, 2010

Limerick, Ireland - July 4, 2010

Austin, Texas - August 4, 2010

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - August 6, 2010

Kansas City, Missouri - August 7, 2010

Lincoln, Nebraska - August 8, 2010

Sturgis, South Dakota - August 10, 2010

Billings, Montana - August 11, 2010

Boise, Idaho - August 15, 2010

Las Vegas, Nevada - August 18, 2010

Ontario, California - August 19, 2010

Troutdale, Oregon - August 28, 2010

Post Falls, Idaho - September 1, 2010

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - October 6, 2010

Gainesville, Florida - October 8, 2010

Birmingham, Alabama - October 13, 2010

Nashville, Tennessee - October 19, 2010

Cedar Falls, Iowa - October 24, 2010

East Lansing, Michigan - October 26, 2010

Kalamazoo, Michigan - October 29, 2010

Highland Heights, Kentucky - November 3, 2010

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - November 7, 2010

Charlottesville, Virginia- November 10, 2010

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - November 12, 2010

Amherst, Massachusetts - November 19, 2010

New York City, New York - November 23, 2010

Mashantucket, Connecticut - November 27, 2010

Rotterdam, The Netherlands - October 20, 2011

Champaign, Illinois - April 25, 2013

Nagoya, Japan - April 17, 2014

Osaka, Japan - April 21, 2014

Munich, Germany - July 1, 2014

Prague, Czech Republic - July 2, 2014

Zwickau, Germany - July 3, 2014

Rostock, Germany - July 7, 2014

Flensburg, Germany - July 8, 2014

Aarhus, Denmark - July 9, 2014

Helsingborg, Sweden - July 14, 2014

Hamilton, New Zealand - August 10, 2014

Perth, Australia - August 13, 2014

Perth, Australia - August 14, 2014

Perth, Australia - August 15, 2014

Melbourne, Australia - August 18, 2014

Melbourne, Australia - August 19, 2014

Melbourne, Australia - August 20, 2014

Melbourne, Australia - August 21, 2014

Brisbane, Australia - August 25, 2014

Brisbane, Australia - August 27, 2014

Canberra, Australia - August 29, 2014

Adelaide, Australia - August 31, 2014

Sydney, Australia - September 3, 2014

Sydney, Australia - September 4, 2014

Sydney, Australia - September 5, 2014

Sydney, Australia - September 7, 2014

Sydney, Australia - September 8, 2014

Christchurch, New Zealand - September 10, 2014

Seattle, Washington - October 17, 2014

Seattle, Washington - October 18, 2014

Seattle, Washington - October 19, 2014

Portland, Oregon - October 21, 2014

Hollywood, California - October 24, 2014

Hollywood, California - October 25, 2014

Hollywood, California - October 26, 2014

Oakland, California - October 28, 2014

Oakland, California - October 29, 2014

Oakland, California - October 30, 2014

Denver, Colorado - November 01, 2014

Minneapolis, Minnesota - November 04, 2014

Minneapolis, Minnesota - November 05, 2014

Minneapolis, Minnesota - November 61, 2014

Chicago, Illinois - November 08, 2014

Chicago, Illinois - November 09, 2014

Chicago, Illinois - November 10, 2014

Cleveland, Ohio - November 12, 2014

Boston, Massachusetts - November 14, 2014

Providence, Rhode Island - November 15, 2014

Toronto, Ontario - November 17, 2014

Toronto, Ontario - November 18, 2014

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - November 20, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 21, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 22, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 23, 2014

Washington, D.C. - November 25, 2014

Newark, New Jersey - November 26, 2014

New York City, New York - November 28, 2014

New York City, New York - November 29, 2014

New York City, New York - December 01, 2014

New York City, New York - December 02, 2014

New York City, New York - December 03, 2014

Atlantic City, New Jersey - April 10, 2015

Baltimore, Maryland - April 11, 2015

Richmond, Virginia - April 12, 2015

Savannah, Georgia - April 14, 2015

Montgomery, Alabama - April 15, 2015

North Charleston, South Carolina - April 17, 2015

St. Augustine, Florida - April 18, 2015

Orlando, Florida - April 19, 2015

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - April 21, 2015

Clearwater, Florida - April 22, 2015

Atlanta, Georgia - April 24, 2015

Durham, North Carolina - April 25, 2015

Greenville, South Carolina - April 26, 2015

Nashville, Tennessee - April 27, 2015

New Orleans, Louisiana - April 29, 2015

Memphis, Tennessee - April 30, 2015

Thackerville, Oklahoma - May 02, 2015

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - May 03, 2015

Houston, Texas - May 05, 2015

Austin, Texas - May 06, 2015

San Antonio, Texas - May 07, 2015

Catoosa, Oklahoma - May 09, 2015

Kansas City, Missouri - May 10, 2015

St. Louis, Missouri - May 11, 2015

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - May 13, 2015

Detroit, Michigan - May 15, 2015

Columbus, Ohio - May 16, 2015

South Bend, Indiana - May 17, 2015

Mainz, Germany - June 20, 2015

Tübingen, Germany - June 21, 2015

Bamberg, Germany - June 23, 2015

Ljubljana, Slovenia - June 25, 2015

Wiesen, Austria - June 26, 2015

San Daniele del Friuli, Italy - June 27, 2015

Rome, Italy - June 29, 2015

Lucca, Italy - July 01, 2015

Torino, Italy - July 02, 2015

Barcelona, Spain - July 04, 2015

Zaragoza, Spain - July 05, 2015

Madrid, Spain - July 06, 2015

Granada, Spain - July 08, 2015

Cordoba, Spain - July 09, 2015

San Sebastian, Spain - July 11, 2015

Phoenix, Arizona - October 04, 2018

Tuscon, Arizona - October 05, 2018














"WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was recorded early in 2006 for 'Modern Times', released in August of 2006. The live debut of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" in Vancouver, British Columbia during the opening night of the fall tour of 2006 was the second song from 'Modern Times' performed on stage. Altogether this song appeared in 12 of the 29 shows during that tour. During the fine European spring tour of 2007 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed only once, in Birmingham, England. During the North American summer tour of 2007 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed during the last eight of the 27 shows; and during the New Zealand and Australia tour in August 2007 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" appeared in six of the 12 shows. During the USA fall tour of 2007 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed in 29 of the 30 shows.

In 2008 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed thirteen times during the (mainly Latin American) tour in February and March; and then fifteen times in eleven countries during the (mainly European) tour from May to July. The last of the ten European performances, in Jaén, Andalucia, Spain, I had the extraordinary pleasure to see and hear for myself from the rail. I had hoped to experience it at least once during my ten day holiday in Spain, as I have listened to and enjoyed most versions of this gem on field recordings, and I sure am very glad to have witnessed now for myself such an outstanding version of this extraordinary masterpiece of a song. Seven more times "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" appeared in North America from September 2008 to November 2008. In 2009 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed eight times in Europe in the spring, and eleven times in the US in the summer. During the fall tour of 2009 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" appeared in fifteen of the 33 shows.

The first performance of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" in 2010 was in March, during the penultimate of seven shows in Tokyo, Japan. The second appearance of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" in 2010 was two months later, in Greece, during the first show of the European tour. Six more times this gem was performed masterfully on a European stage in the following weeks, in Serbia, in the Czech Republic, in Italy, in Austria, in England, and finally as the finest song of Dylan's concert in Limerick, Ireland, where I had the extraordinary pleasure to be a part of the audience once more, after seeing this gem of a song already two years earlier in Jaén. In the US "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed eleven times in the summer and fourteen times in the fall of 2010.

The only appearance of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" in 2011 was in October, when Dylan chose to perform it in Rotterdam. In 2012 it was not performed at all in concert by Bob Dylan, but in April 2013 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" reappeared with some new lyrics in Champaign, Illinois, with Bob standing at his grand piano, Donnie on pedal steel, Tony on standup bass with bow, and George on drums playing with hands. Almost a year later, in April 2014, in Nagoya, Japan, Bob Dylan performed a new arrangement of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2", center stage, with even more new lyrics (for transcription see bottom of this page). A few days after that, the song was performed once again, in Osaka, Japan.

In Europe, in the summer of 2014, this new version of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" appeared seven times in July, at first on three consecutive days in Munich, in Prague, and in Zwickau; then a few day later on three consecutive days in Rostock, in Flensburg, and in Aarhus; and finally during the first of the two Swedish shows, in Helsingborg. During the down under tour in August and September of 2014 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" was performed in eighteen of the nineteen concerts; and during the North American tour from October to December 2014 "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2"" appeared in all 33 concerts. In 2015 Bob Dylan chose to perform "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2" in all 28 concerts of his US spring tour; and during the European summer tour in the first 15 of the 19 concerts. Next, after more than three years, in October 2018, Dylan surprised the first two audiences of his long US fall tour with fine versions of "WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2", both performed in Arizona.





~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ TUSCON, ARIZONA ~ OCTOBER 5, 2018 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ PHOENIX, ARIZONA ~ OCTOBER 4, 2018 ~ soomlos recording ~












































~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ COLUMBUS, OHIO ~ MAY 16, 2015 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ HELSINGBORG, SWEDEN ~ JULY 14, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ AARHUS, DENMARK ~ JULY 9, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ FLENSBURG, GERMANY ~ JULY 8, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ ROSTOCK, GERMANY ~ JULY 7, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ ZWICKAU, GERMANY ~ JULY 3, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC ~ JULY 2, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ MUNICH, GERMANY ~ JULY 1, 2014 ~











~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ OSAKA, JAPAN ~ APRIL 21, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ NAGOYA, JAPAN ~ APRIL 17, 2014 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS ~ APRIL 25, 2013 ~





~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ LIMERICK, IRELAND ~ JULY 4, 2010 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ JAÉN, SPAIN ~ JULY 5, 2008 ~





~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ ROSARIO, ARGENTINA ~ MARCH 18, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA ~ MARCH 15, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ CORDOBA, ARGENTINA ~ MARCH 13, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ SANTIAGO DE CHILE ~ MARCH 11, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ DALLAS, TEXAS ~ FEBRUARY 23, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ DALLAS, TEXAS ~ FEBRUARY 22, 2008 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ TUSCON ~ JULY 24, 2007 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ MORRISON ~ JULY 19, 2007 ~


~ MP3 ~ WORKINGMAN'S BLUES #2 ~ BIRMINGHAM ~ APRIL 17, 2007 ~










new rewritten lyrics, as first performed in Nagoya, Japan, on April 17th, 2014



There's an evenin' haze settlin' over town

Starlight by the edge of the creek

The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down

Money's gettin' shallow and weak

Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory

It's a new path that we trod

They say low wages are reality

If we want to compete abroad

My cruel weapons put on the shelf

Come and sit down on my knee

You are dearer to me than myself

As you yourself can see

I'm listening to the steel rails hum

I got both eyes tight shut

I'm just trying to keep the hunger from

Creeping it's way into my gut

Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back, fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

Well, I'm sailin' on back, getting ready for the long haul

I'm leaving everythin' behind

If I stay here I could lose it all

The bandits will rob me blind


I'm tryin' to feed my soul with thought

I'm gonna sleep off the rest of the day

Sometime nobody want what you got

Sometime you can't give it away

I woke up this morning and I sprung to my feet

And I went into town on a whim

I saw my father in the street

At least I think it was him


In the dark I hear a song bird call

You know the hills are rugged and steep

But
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall

If I told you my whole story you'll weep


Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back, fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

Well they burned my barn they stole my horse

I can't save a dime

It's a long way down, I don't want to be forced

Into a life of continual crime

I can see for myself that the sun is sinking

Over the deep blue sea

Tell me now am I wrong in thinking

That you have forgotten me

Now they worry and they hurry they fuss and they fret

They waste your nights and days

Them I will forget

You I'll remember always

It's a cold black night, and its mid-summer's eve

And the stars are spinnin' around

I'm still finding it so hard to believe

Someone would kick me when I'm down


Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back, fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues

I'll be back home in a month or two

When the frost is on the vine

I’m gonna punch my spear right straight through

Half-ways down his spine

Then I’ll lift my arms to the star-lit skies

And I’ll pray the fugitive prayer

I’m guessin' tomorrow the sun will rise

I hope the final judgement's fair

Now the battle is over up in the hills

And the mist is settlin' in

Look at me with all my spoils

What did I ever win?


I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife

I can live on rice and beans

Some people never work a day in their life

They don't know what work even means

Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind

Bring me my boots and shoes

You can hang back, fight your best on the frontline

Sing a little bit of these workingman blues