Originally Posted by Dan Sullivan
Gary, I got a kick out of your story about Bowie's song mocking Dylan. I'd never heard of that. Kind of like a guy in a rowboat throwing snowballs at a Battleship.


Dan, I don't think he's mocking Dylan. I took it that he was saying music at the time Bowie wrote this was boring ('same old') and overrated ('from the brow of the super-brain'). And, that Dylan probably had better songs in his scrapbook than the industry was putting out at the time.

Here's the lyric from www.Chordie.com I'm not sure it's fully accurate. The melody and arrangement are good too. The songwriting on "Hunky Dory" is consistently good, by the way.

Correction; here's the lyric from YouTube.

Song For Bob Dylan
David Bowie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPxnCNRm_nY

Ah, hear this Robert Zimmerman
I wrote a song for you
‘bout a strange young man called Dylan
With a voice like sand and glue
Some words of truthful vengeance
That could pin us to the floor
Brought a few more people on
and put the fear in a whole lot more

Ah, Here she comes
Here she comes
Here she comes again
The same old painted lady
From the brow of the super-brain
She'll scratch this world to pieces
As she comes on like a friend
A couple of songs
From your old scrapbook
Could send her home again

You gave your heart to every bedsit room
At least a picture on the wall
And you sat behind a million pair of eyes
And told them how they saw
Then we lost your train of thought
Your paintings are all your own
While troubles are rising
We'd rather be scared
Together than alone

Ah, Here she comes
Here she comes
Here she comes again
The same old painted lady
From the brow of the super-brain
She'll scratch this world to pieces
As she comes on like a friend
But a couple of songs
From your old scrapbook
Could send her home again

(Instrumental Interlude)

Now hear this Robert Zimmerman
Though I don't suppose we'll meet
Ask your good friend Dylan
If he'd gaze a while down the old street
Tell him we've lost his poems
So they're writing on the walls
Give us back our unity
Give us back our family
You're every nation's refugee
Don't leave us with our sanity

Ah, Here she comes
Here she comes
Here she comes again
The same old painted lady
From the brow of the super-brain
She'll scratch this world to pieces
As she comes on like a friend
But a couple of songs
From your old scrapbook
Could send her home again

A couple of songs
From your old scrapbook
Could send her home again
Oh, here she comes, here she comes
Here she comes

(Coda)

Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 01/29/12 06:15 AM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com