Clothes Line Saga

Bob Dylan

After a while we took in the clothes 
Nobody said very much
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants 
Which nobody really wanted to touch
Mama come in and picked up a book 
An' Papa asked her what it was
Someone else asked, "What do you care?"
Papa said, "Well, just because?"
Then they started to take back their clothes 
Hang'em on the line
It was January the thirtieth 
And everybody was feelin' fine.

The next day, everybody got up 
Seein' if the clothes were dry
The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed 
Mama, of cource, she said, "Hi"
"Have you heard the news?" he said with a grin 
"The Vice President's gone mad"
"Where?" "Downtown." "When?" "Last night" 
"Hmm, say, that's too bad"
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," said the neighbor 
"It's just something we're gonna have to forget"
"Yes, I guess so" said Ma 
Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet.

I reached up, touched my shirt 
And the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"
I said, "Some of them, not all of them" 
He said, "Ya always help out around here with the chores ?"
I said, "Sometime, not all the time" 
Then my neighbor he blew his nose
Just as papa yelled outside 
"Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes"
Well, I just do what I'm told so I did it, of course
I went back in the house and Mama met me 
And then I shut all the doors.