At the height of his 80s “lost” period, Bob Dylan wrote what has got to be the best rock song ever about the second coming. Though he obscures the meaning a bit (force of habit?), the gist comes across, loud and clear, and it’s powerful.
The song exists in two recorded versions, an official one with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and an “unofficial” one with none other than Springsteen’s E Street band behind him. The latter is superior in every way, almost a different song entirely, and definitely worth seeking out (on the Bootleg Series, Vol. 3). I’ve included the lyrics, as well as a live video with the Heartbreakers:
Look out across the fields, see me returning,
Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile.
From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning,
You’ve had time to think about it for a while.
Well, I’ve walked two hundred miles, now look me over,
It’s the end of the chase and the moon is high.
It won’t matter who loves who,
You’ll love me or I’ll love you
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can see through your walls and I know you’re hurting,
Sorrow covers you up like a cape.
Only yesterday I know that you’ve been flirting
With disaster that you managed to escape.
I can’t provide for you no easy answers,
Who are you that I should have to lie?
You’ll know all about it, love,
It’ll fit you like a glove
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river,
You must have been protecting someone last time I called.
I’ve never asked you for nothing you couldn’t deliver,
I’ve never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.
I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness,
For the love of a lousy buck, I’ve watched them die.
Stick around, baby, we’re not through,
Don’t look for me, I’ll see you
When the night comes falling from the sky.
In your teardrops, I can see my own reflection,
It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line.
I don’t want to be a fool starving for affection,
I don’t want to drown in someone else’s wine.
For all eternity I think I will remember
That icy wind that’s howling in your eye.
You will seek me and you’ll find me In the wasteland of your mind
When the night comes falling from the sky.
Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter
But you were gambling for support.
This time tomorrow I’ll know you better
When my memory is not so short.
This time I’m asking for freedom,
Freedom from a world which you deny.
And you’ll give it to me now,
I’ll take it anyhow
When the night comes falling from the sky.
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3 responses to “When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky”
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I feel enlightened, had not heard this one. I adore Dylan!
thanks for this DZ. really great!
You are mistaken. The E Street Band version from Bootleg series is not better.