Murder Most Foul – English Lyrics

• By: Bob Dylan

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into Bob Dylan's epic ballad, “Murder Most Foul,” a seventeen-minute exploration of American history and culture through the lens of the JFK assassination. Experience Dylan's poetic storytelling and discover the numerous cultural references that make this song a unique and profound artistic statement.

[English]

Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63

...

A day that will live on in infamy

...

President Kennedy was a-ridin' high

Good day to be livin' and a good day to die

Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb

He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?"

"Of course we do. We know who you are"

Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car

Shot down like a dog in broad daylight

Was a matter of timing and the timing was right

You got unpaid debts we've come to collect

We're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect

...

We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face

We've already got someone here to take your place

...

The day they blew out the brains of the king

Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing

It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise

Right there in front of everyone's eyes

Greatest magic trick ever under the sun

Perfectly executed, skillfully done

Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl

Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

...

Hush, little children, you'll understand

The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand

Slide down the banister, go get your coat

Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat

...

There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags

Pick up the pieces and lower the flags

I'm going to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age

Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage

Put your head out the window, let the good times roll

...

There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll

Stack up the bricks, pour the cement

Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President

Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas

Try to make it to the triple underpass

Blackface singer, whiteface clown

Better not show your faces after the sun goes down

Up in the red light district, like a cop on the beat

Living in a nightmare on Elm Street

When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe

Don't ask what your country can do for you

Cash on the ballot, money to burn

Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn

I'm going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride

...

The place where faith, hope, and charity died

...

Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can

...

See if you can shoot the invisible man

Goodbye, Charlie, goodbye, Uncle Sam

Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn

...

What is the truth, and where did it go?

Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know

"Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl

Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

...

Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen

I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine

Riding in the backseat next to my wife

Heading straight on in to the afterlife

I'm leaning to the left, I've got my head in her lap

Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap

Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give

We're right down the street from the street where you live

They mutilated his body, and they took out his brain

What more could they do? They piled on the pain

But his soul was not there where it was supposed to be at

For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that

...

Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me

...

I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free

Send me some lovin', tell me no lie

...

Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by

...

Wake up, little Susie, let's go for a drive

Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive

...

Turn the radio on, don't touch the dials

Parkland hospital, only six more miles

You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead

That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head

I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline

Never shot anyone from in front or behind

I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear

I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier

Zapruder's film I seen night before

Seen it 33 times, maybe more

It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean

Ugliest thing that you ever have seen

They killed him once and they killed him twice

Killed him like a human sacrifice

The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son

The age of the Antichrist has just only begun"

Air Force One coming in through the gate

Johnson sworn in at 2:38

Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel

It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?

I said the soul of a nation been torn away

And it's beginning to go into a slow decay

...

And that it's 36 hours past Judgment Day

Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues

He's going on and on at the top of his lungs

Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack

Play it for me in my long Cadillac

Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"

Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung

Play St. James Infirmary and the Court of King James

If you want to remember, you better write down the names

Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind"

Play it for the man with the telepathic mind

Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"

Play it for that strip club owner named Jack

...

Guitar Slim going down slow

Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

...

Play, "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good

Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey

Take it to the limit and let it go by

Play it for Karl Wirsum, too

Looking far, far away at Down Gallow Avenue

Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"

Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime

Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"

Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"

Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road

Stand there and wait for his head to explode

Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery

The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree

Play it for the Reverend, play it for the Pastor

Play it for the dog that got no master

...

Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz

Play "Blue Sky", play Dickey Betts

...

Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk

Charlie Parker and all that junk

All that junk and "All That Jazz"

Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz

Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd

Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd

Play the numbers, play the odds

Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods

Play Number 9, play Number 6

Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks

Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"

Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy

Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"

There's twelve million souls that are listening in

Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"

Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the way

Your brothers are coming, there'll be hell to pay

Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?

Tell them, "We're waiting. Keep coming," we'll get them as well

...

Love Field is where his plane touched down

But it never did get back up off the ground

Was a hard act to follow, second to none

They killed him on the altar of the rising sun

Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"

Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"

Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"

Play it for Houdini spinning around in his grave

Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"

Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"

Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp

And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp

Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"

Play darkness, and death will come when it comes

Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell

Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
murder /ˈmɝː.dər/ C2	noun - the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another
assassination /əˌsæs.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ C2	noun - the act of murder, especially of a prominent person, for political or ideological reasons
president /ˈprez.ɪ.dənt/ B2	noun - the elected head of a republican state
slaughter /ˈslɔː.tər/ C2	noun - the killing of animals or people in a cruel or violent manner
clown /klaʊn/ B2	noun - a comic performer, typically in a circus, who wears distinctive makeup and costumes
revelation /ˌrɛv.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ C1	noun - a surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed
conspiracy /kənˈspɪr.ə.si/ C2	noun - a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful
sacrificial /ˌsækrəˈfɪʃəl/ C1	adjective - relating to or used in a sacrifice
infamy /ˈɪn.fə.mi/ C2	noun - the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed
surprise /sərˈpraɪz/ B1	noun - an unexpected event or fact that causes astonishment
tragedy /ˈtrædʒ.ə.di/ B2	noun - an event causing great suffering, destruction, or distress

Key Grammar Structures

• Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63

  ➔ Archaic Contraction ('Twas')

  ➔ "Twas" is an archaic contraction of "it was". It's used here to evoke a sense of historical storytelling and solemnity. Common in older literature and folk songs.

• A day that will live on in infamy

  ➔ Relative Clause with Future Tense

  ➔ The relative clause "that will live on in infamy" modifies "a day". "Will live" indicates future tense, emphasizing the enduring negative impact of the day.

• Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb

  ➔ Passive Voice with Participle Phrase

  ➔ "Being led" represents a passive construction using a present participle, indicating a state of being acted upon. The phrase "like a sacrificial lamb" is a simile comparing Kennedy to a victim.

• Shot down like a dog in broad daylight

  ➔ Simile and Passive Voice

  ➔ "Shot down" is a passive construction. "Like a dog" functions as a simile, emphasizing the cruel and undignified nature of the assassination.

• You got unpaid debts we've come to collect

  ➔ Relative Clause with Present Perfect

  ➔ "we've come to collect" is a relative clause modifying "unpaid debts". The present perfect "we've come" implies that the action of coming to collect happened recently and is still relevant.

• The day they blew out the brains of the king

  ➔ Simple Past Tense and Metaphor

  ➔ "Blew out" is in the simple past tense, describing a completed action in the past. "The brains of the king" is a metaphorical reference to President Kennedy, implying the destruction of his intellect and leadership.

• What is the truth, and where did it go?

  ➔ Interrogative Sentences in Simple Present and Past

  ➔ "What is the truth" is a question in the simple present tense, asking about a current state. "Where did it go" is a question in the simple past tense, inquiring about a past event.

• Send me some lovin', tell me no lie

  ➔ Imperative Sentences and Negative Imperative

  ➔ "Send me some lovin'" is an imperative sentence, a direct command or request. "Tell me no lie" is a negative imperative, instructing someone not to perform a certain action.

• Zapruder's film I seen night before

  ➔ Ellipsis and Non-Standard Grammar

  ➔ This line uses ellipsis (omission of words) and non-standard grammar. The auxiliary verb "had" is omitted: "Zapruder's film I had seen night before". Also, "seen" is used as the past tense instead of "saw" (non-standard). These choices contribute to a more colloquial and informal tone.