The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you
I want you, I want you
I want you so bad
Honey, I want you
Some facts:
- Dylan has played “I Want You” 214 times live
- First time was in San Antonio, TX – May 11, 1976
- Last performance: Vancouver, BC – Jul 20, 2005
- Peak year: 1978 with 56 renditions
Here are five great live versions:
Westfalenhalle 1
Dortmund, West Germany
15 September 1987
- Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar & harmonica)
- Tom Petty (guitar)
- Mike Campbell (guitar)
- Benmont Tench (keyboards)
- Howie Epstein (bass)
- Stan Lynch (drums)
On this Dortmund tape you can hear an intro to “I Want You” that gathers such momentum as piano is joined by bass and then drum and then harmonica, that its energy and personality become unstoppable and can be felt throughout the song, in the spirit of the vocal and the way singer and musicians work together.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performance Artist 1986-1990 And Beyond (Mind Out Of Time)
Continue reading Listen: Bob Dylan – 5 Great Live Versions of “I Want You”