by Bob Dylan



Like the lion tears the flesh off of a man

So can a woman who passes herself off as a male

They sang "Danny Boy" at his funeral and the Lord's Prayer

Preacher talking 'bout Christ betrayed

It's like the earth just opened and swallowed him up

He reached too high, was thrown back to the ground

You know what they say about bein' nice to the right people on the way up

Sooner or later you gonna meet them comin' down



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back



Hear ya got a brother named James, don't forget faces or names

Sunken cheeks and his blood is mixed

He looked straight into the sun and said revenge is mine

But he drinks, and drinks can be fixed

Sing me one more song, about ya love me to the moon and the stranger

And your fall by the sword love affair with Erroll Flynn

in these times of compassion when conformity's in fashion

Say one more stupid thing to me before the final nail is driven in.



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back



There's a retired businessman named Red, cast down from heaven and he's out of his head

He feeds off of everyone that he can touch

He said he only deals in cash or sells tickets to a plane crash

He's not somebody that you play around with much

Miss Delilah is his, a Philistine is what she is

She'll do wondrous works with your fate

Feed you coconut bread, spice buns in your bed

If you don't mind sleepin' with your head face down in a grave.



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back



Well they'll choose a man for you to meet tonight

You'll play the fool and learn how to walk through doors

How to enter into the gates of paradise

No, how to carry a burden too heavy to be yours

Yeah, from the stage they'll be tryin' to get water outta rocks

A whore will pass the hat, collect a hundred grand and say thanks

They like to take all this money from sin, build big universities to study in

Sing "Amazing Grace" all the way to the Swiss banks



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back



They got some beautiful people out there, man

They can be a terror to your mind and show you how to hold your tongue

They got mystery written all over their forehead

They kill babies in the crib and say only the good die young

They don't believe in mercy

Judgment on them is something that you'll never see

They can exalt you up or bring you down main route

Turn you into anything that they want you to be



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back



Yes, I guess I loved him too

I can still see him in my mind climbin' that hill

Did he make it to the top, well he probably did and dropped

Struck down by the strength of the will

Ain't nothin' left here partner, just the dust of a plague that has left this whole town afraid

From now on, this'll be where you're from

Let the dead bury the dead. Your time will come

Let hot iron blow as he raised the shade



Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down

Ain't no goin' back