Bob Dylan - Ballad In Plain D

ballad in plain D

C Am F C
i once loved a girl , her skin it was bronze
Am A# F
with the innocence of a lamb , she was gentle like a fawn
C Am F C
i courted her proudly , but now she is gone
G G7 C G G6 G7
gone as the season she’s ta – – ken .

C Am F C
in a young summer’s youth , i stole her away
Am A# F
from her mother and sister , though close did they stay
C Am F C
each one of them suffering from the failures of their day
G C
with strings of guilt they tried hard to guide us .

C Am F C
of the two sisters , i loved the young
Am A# F
with sensitive instincts , she was the creative one
C Am F C
the constant scrapegoat , she was easily undone
G C
by the jealousy of others around her .

C Am F C
for her parasite sister , i had no respect
Am A# F
bound by her boredom , her pride to protect
C Am F C
countless visions of the other she’d reflect
G C
as a crutch for her scenes and her society .

C Am F C
myself , for what i did , i cannot be excused
Am A# F
the changes i was going through can’t even be used
C Am F C
for the lies that i told her in hopes not to lose
G C
the could – be dream – lover of my lifetime .

C Am F C
with unseen consciousness , i possessed in my grip
Am A# F
a magnificent mantelpiece , though its heart being chipped
C Am F C
noticing not that i’d already slipped
G G7 C
to a sin of love’s false security .

C Am F C
from silhouetted anger to manufactured peace
Am A# F
answers of emptiness , voice vacancies
C Am F C
till the tombstones of damage read me no question but , “please
G G7 C
what’s wrong and what’s exactly the matter?”

C Am F C
and so it did happen , like it could have been foreseen
Am A# F
the timeless explosion of fantasy’s dream
C Am F C
at the peak of the night , the king and the queen
G C
tumbled all down into pieces .

C Am F C
“the tragic figure” her sister did shout
C Am A# F
“leave her alone , god damn you , get out”
C Am F C
and i in my armour , turning about
G
and nailing her in the ruins of her pettiness .

C Am F C
beneath a bare light bulb the plaster did pound
Am A# F
her sister and i in a screaming battleground
C Am F C
and she in between , the victim of sound
G C
soon shattered as a child to the shadows .

C Am F C
all is gone , all is gone , admit it , take flight
Am A# F
i gagged in contradiction , tears blinding my sight
C Am F C
my mind it was mangled , i ran into the night
G C
leaving all of love’s ashes behind me .

C Am F C
the wind knocks my window , the room it is wet
Am A# F
the words to say i’m sorry , i haven’t found yet
C Am F C
i think of her often and hope whoever she’s met
G C
will be fully aware of how precious she is .

C Am F C
ah , my friends from the prison , they ask unto me
Am A# F
“how good , how good does it feel to be free”?
C Am F C
and i answer them most mysteriously
G G7 C
“are birds free from the chains of the skyway”?