Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

Album: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3: Rare & Unreleased (1991)
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  • I saw it advertised one day,
    Bear Mountain picnic was comin' my way.
    "Come along 'n' take a trip,
    We'll bring you up there on a ship.
    Bring the wife and kids
    Bring the whole family."
    Yippee!

    Well, I run right down 'n' bought a ticket
    To this Bear Mountain Picnic.
    But little did I realize
    I was in for a picnic surprise.
    Had nothin' to do with mountains.
    I didn't even come close to a bear.

    Took the wife 'n' kids down to the pier,
    Six thousand people there,
    Everybody had ticket for the trip.
    "Oh well." I said, "it's a pretty big ship.
    Besides, anyway, the more the merrier."

    Well, we all got on 'n' what d'ya think,
    That big old boat started t' sink
    More people kept a-pilin' on,
    That old ship was a-slowly goin' down.
    Funny way t' start a picnic.

    Well, I soon lost track of m' kids 'n' wife,
    So many people there I never saw in m' life
    That old ship sinkin' down in the water,
    Six thousand people tryin' t' kill each other,
    Dogs a-barkin', cats a-meowin',
    Women screamin', fists a-flyin', babies cryin',
    Cops a-comin', me a-runnin'.
    Maybe we just better call off the picnic.

    I got shoved down 'n' pushed around,
    All I could hear there was a screamin' sound,
    Don't remember one thing more,
    Just remember walkin' up on a little shore,
    Head busted, stomach cracked,
    Feet splintered, I was bald, naked. . .
    Quite lucky to be alive though.

    Feelin' like I climbed outa m' casket,
    I grabbed back hold of m' picnic basket.
    Took the wife 'n' kids 'n' started home,
    Wishin' I'd never got up that morn.

    Now, I don't care just what you do,
    If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you.
    But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it,
    'Cause, see, I just lost all m' picnic spirit.
    Stay in m' kitchen, have m' own picnic. . .
    In the bathroom.

    Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny
    What some people are gonna do f'r money.
    There's a bran' new gimmick every day
    Just t' take somebody's money away.
    I think we oughta take some o' these people
    And put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to Bear Mountain . . .
    For a picnic. Writer/s: BOB DYLAN
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

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