key west

Bob Dylan

McKinley hollered, McKinley squalled
Doctor said, "McKinley, death is on the wall
â?ªSay it to me, if you got something to confess"
â?ªI heard all about it, he was going down slow â?¬
â?ªI heard it all, the wireless radio â?¬
â?ªFrom down in the boondocks way down in Key West
â?ªI'm searching for love, for inspiration â?¬
â?ªOn that pirate radio station
â?ªComing out of Luxembourg and Budapest â?¬
â?ªRadio signal, clear as can be
â?ªI'm so deep in love that I can hardly see â?¬
â?ªDown on the flatlands, way down in Key West

â?ªKey West is the place to be â?¬
â?ªIf you're looking for immortality â?¬
â?ªStay on the road, follow the highway sign â?¬
â?ªKey West is fine and fair
â?ªIf you lost your mind, you will find it there
â?ªKey West is on the horizon line

â?ªI was born on the wrong side of the railroad track
â?ªLike Ginsberg, Corso and Kerouac
â?ªLike Louis and Jimmy and Buddy and all the rest â?¬
â?ªWell, it might not be the thing to do â?¬
â?ªBut I'm sticking with you through and through â?¬
â?ªDown in the flatlands, way down in Key West
â?ªI got both my feet planted square on the ground â?¬
â?ªGot my right hand high with the thumb down â?¬
â?ªSuch is life, such is happiness
â?ªHibiscus flowers, they grow everywhere here
â?ªIf you wear one, put it behind your ear
â?ªDown in the bottom, way down in Key West â?¬

â?ªKey West is the place to go
â?ªDown by the Gulf of Mexico â?¬
â?ªBeyond the sea, beyond the shifting sand
â?ªKey West is the gateway key â?¬
â?ªTo innocence and purity â?¬
â?ªKey West, Key West is the enchanted land

â?ªI've never lived in the land of Oz â?¬
â?ªOr wasted my time with an unworthy cause â?¬
â?ªIt's hot down here, and you can't be overdressed
â?ªChina blossoms of a toxic plant â?¬
â?ªThey can make you dizzy
I'd like to help you but I can't
â?ªDown in the flatlands, way down in Key West â?¬
â?ªWell, the fish tail ponds, and the orchid trees
â?ªThey can give you that bleeding heart disease
â?ªPeople tell me
I ought to try a little tenderness â?¬
â?ªOn Newton Street, Bayview Park â?¬
â?ªWalking in the shadows after dark â?¬
â?ªDown under, way down in Key West â?¬
â?ªI played Gumbo Limbo spirituals
â?ªI know all the Hindu rituals â?¬
â?ªPeople tell me that I'm truly blessed â?¬
Bougainvillea blooming in the summer, in the spring
Winter here is an unknown thing
Down in the flat lands, way down in Key West

Key West is under the sun, under the radar, under the gun
You stay to the left, and then you lean to the right
Feel the sunlight on your skin
and the healing virtues of the wind
Key West, Key West is the land of light

Wherever I travel, wherever I roam
I'm not that far before I come back home
I do what I think is right, what I think is best
History Street off of Mallory Square
Truman had his White House there
East bound, West bound, way down in Key West
Twelve years old, they put me in a suit
Forced me to marry a prostitute
There were gold fringes on her wedding dress
That's my story, but not where it ends
She's still cute, and we're still friends
Down on the bottom, way down in Key West
I play both sides against the middle
Trying to pick up that pirate radio signal
I heard the news, I heard your last request
Fly around, my pretty little Miss
I don't love nobody, give me a kiss
Down on the bottom, way down in Key West

Key West is the place to be
If you're looking for immortality
Key West is paradise divine
Key West is fine and fair
If you lost your mind, you'll find it there
Key West is on the horizon line