Bob Dylan - Chimes of Freedom

[cbdo2007]

Far between sundown’s finish an’ midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

In the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin’ rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an’ forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin’ constantly at stake
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An’ the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Through the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an’ blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an’ cheated by pursuit
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Even though a cloud’s white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An’ the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An’ for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/chimes-freedom

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I literally can't comprehend how someone can write this. It's utterly amazing and I read it every day with awe and wonderment. Congrats Bob!

[Mendocino]

1. In the next 10 or 20 years or so,

whenever he passes, we will look back and say there went the greatest songwriter... EVER! But let us rejoice now.

[cbdo2007]

2. Awwww....

I got a tear in my eye just reading that.

I'm hoping to see him on tour again this year. I never know when I may have seen him for the last time.

[DutchLiberal]

3. I get the same feeling reading lyrics of 'Gates of Eden', 'Changing of the Guards' and many others..

Even a deceptively simple (at first sight) song like 'Spirit on the Water' is so well-crafted it blows my mind.

'Chimes of Freedom' to me, feels like a comfort song for every wronged person. I always get goosebumps listenting to it, especially during the last two verses. I wish it was more well-known.

[PunkinPi]

4. One of my all time favorite Dylan songs...always gives me chills.

Thanks for posting!