Album: Farewell, Angelina (1965)

License This Song 

• Farewell, Angelina, the bells of the crown
  Are being stolen by bandits, I must follow the sound
  The triangle tingles and the trumpets play slow
  Farewell, Angelina, the sky is on fire and I must go
  
  There's no need for anger, there's no need for blame
  There's nothing to prove, everything's still the same
  Just a table standing empty by the edge of the sea
  Means farewell, Angelina, the sky is trembling and I must leave
  
  The jacks and queens have forsaked the courtyard
  Fifty-two gypsies, now file past the guards
  In the space where the deuce and the ace once ran wild
  Farewell, Angelina, the sky is changing color, I'll see you in a while
  
  See the cross-eyed pirates sitting perched in the sun
  Shooting tin cans with a sawed-off shotgun
  And the neighbors they clap and they cheer with each blast
  But farewell, Angelina, the sky's changing color and I must leave fast
  
  King Kong, little elves on the rooftops they dance
  Valentino-type tangos while the make-up man's hands
  Shut the eyes of the dead not to embarrass anyone
  But farewell, Angelina, the sky is embarrassed and I must be gone
  
  The machine guns are roaring, the puppets heave rocks
  The fiends nail time bombs to the hands of the clocks
  Call me any name you like, I will never deny it
  But farewell, Angelina, the sky is erupting, I must go where it's quiet
  Writer/s: BOB DYLAN
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

• Laurel from Sedona AzThis is one of my favorite Dylan songs. To me it evokes the Vietnam War and all its horrors: the gypsies (soldiers as disposable playing cards) filing by the guards (the draft board), the cross-eyed pirate shooting tin cans (My Lai?) while the neighbors (the American people) cheer, the makeup man shutting the eyes of the dead American soldiers so the politicians aren’t embarrassed, and finally, “the machine guns are roaring while the puppets heave rocks, while fiends nail time bombs to the hands of the clocks” is pretty descriptive of war. And each verse ending line describes how or where or why the narrator “must go”. And the last lines are the most evocative of that time: Call me any name you like, I will never deny it…I must go where it’s quiet.” He is fleeing to Canada rather than go and likely die in a politically motivated, useless war, which is grinding up young American men like hamburger for no good reason, and he is willing to be called a draft-dodger, a traitor, and any other derogatory names used for those who wouldn’t go to be sacrificed in the Cold War.
• MelanieFarewell, Angelina is the most hauntingly, beautiful, surrealistic song I think Dylan ever wrote and I love how Paul Anka does this song
• Zale from Cambria Ca.Farewell Angelina seems to fit the moment of the Pandemic perfectly and it is a dark picture indeed Joan Baezs voice is the only soothing thing about this Dali painting. Dylan / Dali ..... they certainly had similar ways of expressing their thoughts.

More Songfacts:

Tainted LoveSoft Cell

"Tainted Love" started as a 1964 soul song by Gloria Jones, became a huge hit when Soft Cell covered it in 1981, and was the basis for Rihanna's 2006 #1 "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)."

Stay With MeSam Smith

A gospel choir appears in Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" video, but the vocals on the song are all Smith - about 20 tracks of his voice were used to make him sound like a chorus.

Kiss The RainBillie Myers

Desmond Child thought Gavin Rossdale was singing "Kiss The Rain" on the Bush song "Glycerine." When he found out the truth, he wrote a song called "Kiss The Rain" for Billie Myers.

Kickstart My HeartMötley Crüe

"Kickstart My Heart" is about all the ways Motley Crue gets their blood flowing without drugs. It was inspired by their bass player Nikki Sixx, who claimed he had to be revived with a shot of adrenaline to the heart after an overdose.

What's Love Got To Do With ItTina Turner

Tina Turner hated "What's Love Got To Do With It" but when her manager convinced her to record it anyway, it became her big comeback hit.

Three Little BirdsBob Marley & the Wailers

Bob Marley's backup singers, The I Threes, claim they are the "Three Little Birds" in his famous song.

Editor's Picks

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

Guy ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the artists who have looked to Clark for insightful, intelligent songs.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.