She was married when we first met soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam I guess but I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could abandoned it out west
We split up on a sad dark night both agreeing it was best

She turned around and looked at me as I was walking away
Then I heard her say over my shoulder we'll meet again someday
On the avenue tangled up in blue

I was living in the great north woods working as a cook for a spell
I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I happened to be employed
Yeah I was working for a while on a fishing boat
Right outside of De La Croix

And all the while I was alone the past was close behind
I'd seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind
And I just grew tangled up in blue

She was working at a topless bar
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear

Now later on as the crowd thinned out
And I was just about to do the same
Yeah but she was standing there at the back of my chair
She said, "Don't I know your name?"

Well I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces
Of my shoes we were tangled up in blue I know, I know, I know

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello she said, "You look like the silent type"
And then she opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century

Every one of his words rang true and glowed like burning coal
Pouring off every page like it was written in my soul
From me to you tangled up in blue, yeah, yeah

I lived with them on Montague street
In a basement down the stairs, yeah
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air

That's when he started into dealing with slaves, yeah
Something inside of her died just died
And she had to sell everything she owned
And she froze up inside

Finally when the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew tangled up in blue, oh yeah

Now I'm headed back again I gotta get to her somehow
And all the people we used to know they're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians some are carpenter's wives
I don't know how they all got started
I don't know what they're doing with their lives

But me I'm still on the road headed for another joint
We always did feel the same we just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue I know, I know, I know