12_billy/knockin_on_heavens_door.htm

   1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   2 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
   3 "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
   4 <html lang="en" xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
   5
   6 <!-- Created from
   7      ../12_billy/knockin_on_heavens_door.tex
   8      by bpb2html on Wed Mar 30 09:41:32 Centr. Europa, normaltid 2005 -->
   9
  10 <head>
  11 <title>Knockin' On Heaven's Door</title>
  12 <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../css/general.css" />
  13 </head>
  14
  15 <body>
  16
  17 <h1 class="songtitle">Knockin' on Heaven's Door</h1>
  18
  19 <p>Words and music Bob Dylan<br />
  20 Released on <a href="index.htm" class="recordlink">Pat Garret &amp; Billy The Kid</a> (1973) and on <a
  21 href="../28_biograph/index.htm" class="recordlink">Biograph</a> (1985), and in live versions on <a
  22 href="../15_beforetheflood/index.htm" class="recordlink">Before the Flood</a> (1974), <a
  23 href="../21_budokan/index.htm" class="recordlink">At Budokan</a> (1978), <em>Dylan and the Dead </em>(1988), <a href="../37_unplugged/index.htm" class="recordlink">MTV Unplugged</a> (1995), and <a
  24 href="../42_bs5/index.htm" class="recordlink">Live 1975</a> (2002)<br />
  25 Tabbed and transcribed by Eyolf &Oslash;strem</p>
  26
  27 <hr />
  28
  29 <p>The challenge with this song is not the chords, which are quite simple, actually, but
  30 the lyrics, which change quite a lot, almost from show to show, with improvised new lines
  31 about what brings him to the door, knockin'.</p>
  32
  33 <p>The Am7 is played as a simple Am in most versions.</p>
  34
  35 <p><a class="recordlink" href="../37_unplugged/index.htm">Unplugged</a> version same as below, but with a capo on the 2nd fret (on Jackson's guitar;
  36 Dylan fumbles around with an occasional lick on an uncapoed guitar).</p>
  37
  38 <hr />
  39
  40 <pre class="tab">
  41 |:G . D . Am7 . . . |G . D . C . . . :|</pre>
  42
  43 <pre class="verse">
  44 G               D            Am7
  45 Mama, take this badge off of me
  46 G        D         C
  47  I can't use it anymore.
  48 G             D                 Am7
  49  It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
  50 G                D                    C
  51  I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
  52
  53 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  54 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  55 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  56 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  57
  58 Mama, put my guns in the ground
  59 I can't shoot them anymore.
  60 That long black cloud is comin' down
  61 I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
  62
  63 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  64 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  65 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
  66 Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door</pre>
  67
  68 <hr />
  69
  70 <h2 class="songversion">Live 1975 version</h2>
  71
  72 <p>The chords are the same as above.</p>
  73
  74 <p>Mama wipe the blood off of my face<br />
  75 I can't see through it anymore<br />
  76 I need someone to talk to, and a new hiding place<br />
  77 I feel like I'm looking at heaven's door</p>
  78
  79 <p>[Roger McGuinn:]<br />
  80 Mama I can hear that thunder roar<br />
  81 Echoin' down from God's distant shore<br />
  82 I can hear 'em callin' for my soul<br />
  83 Feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door</p>
  84
  85 <hr />
  86
  87 <h3>Live version, 2001</h3>
  88
  89 <p>The most stable chord sequence in the world (maybe with the exception of &quot;All
  90 Along the Watchtower&quot;) has been changed!</p>
  91
  92 <pre>| E . B . | F#m . . . | E . B . | A . . . |</pre>
  93
  94 <pre>
  95 E               B            F#m
  96 Mama, take this badge off of me
  97 E        B         A
  98  I can't use it anymore.
  99 A             E(/g#)            B
 100  It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
 101 C#m              B                    A
 102  I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.</pre>
 103
 104 <hr />
 105
 106 <h3>Alternative outtake verses from the Burbank sessions, Feb 1973</h3>
 107
 108 <p>Take #1:</p>
 109
 110 <p>Mama, put my guns in the ground<br />
 111 I don't need them anymore.<br />
 112 long black train is comin' round<br />
 113 I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.</p>
 114
 115 <p>Mama, take this badge off of me<br />
 116 I don't need it anymore.<br />
 117 It's gettin' dark, too dark to see<br />
 118 I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.</p>
 119
 120 <p>Mama, put my guns in the ground<br />
 121 I can't shoot them anymore.<br />
 122 that long black train is comin' round<br />
 123 I'm knockin' up on heaven's door</p>
 124
 125 <p>Take #2: </p>
 126
 127 <p>&quot;Ok, let's do it without the vocal. It's the last time I work for anybody though,
 128 on a movie. With music.&quot;</p>
 129
 130 <hr />
 131
 132 <h3>Various live lyric changes</h3>
 133
 134 <p>Mama wipe the blood from my face<br />
 135 I'm sick and tired of the war<br />
 136 Got a lone black feelin', and it's hard to trace<br />
 137 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 138 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (1974, various locations, incl. the version on <a
 139 href="../15_beforetheflood/index.htm"><em>Before the Flood</em></a>. <br />
 140 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This verse is inserted between the two verses on the original album)</p>
 141
 142 <p>Mama take these bells out of my ears<br />
 143 I can't hear them anymore<br />
 144 They're bringin' me down and givin' me tears<br />
 145 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door</p>
 146
 147 <p>Roger McGuinn's verse:<br />
 148 Mama I can hear that thunder roar<br />
 149 Echoin' down from God's distant shore<br />
 150 I can hear it callin' for my soul<br />
 151 Feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 152 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Waterbury CT, 751111)</p>
 153
 154 <p>Mama wipe the blood off of my face<br />
 155 I can't see through it anymore<br />
 156 I need someone to talk to, and a new hiding place<br />
 157 I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door<br />
 158 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Boston, 751121)</p>
 159
 160 <p>Mama take these tears out of my eyes<br />
 161 I can't see through them anymore<br />
 162 Just for once, I'd like to see the sunrise<br />
 163 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 164 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (MSG, &quot;Night of the Hurricane&quot;, 751208)</p>
 165
 166 <p>Mama take this badge off of me<br />
 167 I can't feel it anymore<br />
 168 It's getting dark, too dark to see<br />
 169 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 170 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (New Orleans, 760503, Fort Worth 760516)</p>
 171
 172 <p>Mama tow my barge down to sea<br />
 173 Pull it down from shore to shore<br />
 174 Two brown eyes are lookin' at me <br />
 175 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door. </p>
 176
 177 <p>Goin' down by that road <br />
 178 Feelin' down and more and more <br />
 179 Take the train by [...]<br />
 180 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door. <br />
 181 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Earl's Court, London 810328)</p>
 182
 183 <p>[...] on this scene<br />
 184 fallin' down like to the floor<br />
 185 Two brown eyes are looking at me<br />
 186 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 187 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Earl's Court, London 810329) </p>
 188
 189 <p>Mama take me above all that misery<br />
 190 Let it fall down to the floor<br />
 191 Two brown eyes are looking at me<br />
 192 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door<br />
 193 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Drammen, Norway, 810710)</p>
 194
 195 <p>Mama take this [front part away]<br />
 196 I just don't want it anymore<br />
 197 Aah, when I get in front of something it's too much to pay<br />
 198 Yeah, Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door</p>
 199
 200 <p>Mama take my boat [out of the sea]<br />
 201 Let it fall down to the floor<br />
 202 Two brown eyes are looking at me<br />
 203 Feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.<br />
 204 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Avignon, 810725)</p>
 205
 206 <p>Mama wipe the blod from my face<br />
 207 I just can't see trough it any more<br />
 208 Sometimes you feel so damn out of place<br />
 209 And I feel like I'm knockin' on-a heavens door<br />
 210 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Bristol Connecticut, Lake Compounce 4 Sep, 1988. Submitted by Patrik Winquist)</p>
 211
 212 <p>The sun is setting down<br />
 213 On this ill-forgotten town<br />
 214 Two riders are coming down<br />
 215 Bury my heart in this ground<br />
 216 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Unknown date and location, submitted by Chris Barrett)</p>
 217 </body>
 218 </html>