Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues Lyrics

I saw it advertised one day,
Bear mountain picnic was comin' my way.
"come along 'n' take a trip,
We'll bring you up there on a ship.
Bring the wife and kids
Bring the whole family."
Yippee!

Well, I run right down 'n' bought a ticket
To this bear mountain picnic.
But little did I realize
I was in for a picnic surprise.
Had nothin' to do with mountains.
I didn't even come close to a bear.

Took the wife 'n' kids down to the pier,
Six thousand people there,
Everybody had ticket for the trip.
"oh well." I said, "it's a pretty big ship.
Besides, anyway, the more the merrier."

Well, we all got on 'n' what d'ya think,
That big old boat started t' sink
More people kept a-pilin' on,
That old ship was a-slowly goin' down.
Funny way t' start a picnic.

Well, I soon lost track of m' kids 'n' wife,
So many people there I never saw in m' life
That old ship sinkin' down in the water,
Six thousand people tryin' t' kill each other,
Dogs a-barkin', cats a-meowin',
Women screamin', fists a-flyin', babies cryin',
Cops a-comin', me a-runnin'.
Maybe we just better call off the picnic.

I got shoved down 'n' pushed around,
All I could hear there was a screamin' sound,
Don't remember one thing more,
Just remember walkin' up on a little shore,
Head busted, stomach cracked,
Feet splintered, I was bald, naked. . .
Quite lucky to be alive though.

Feelin' like I climbed outa m' casket,
I grabbed back hold of m' picnic basket.
Took the wife 'n' kids 'n' started home,
Wishin' I'd never got up that morn.

Now, I don't care just what you do,
If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you.
But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it,
'cause, see, I just lost all m' picnic spirit.
Stay in m' kitchen, have m' own picnic. . .
In the bathroom.

Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny
What some people are gonna do f'r money.
There's a bran' new gimmick every day
Just t' take somebody's money away.
I think we oughta take some o' these people
And put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to bear mountain . . .
For a picnic.

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 : Rare And Unreleased, 1961-1991

Aug 1997

1. Hard Times In New York Town
2. He Was A Friend Of Mine
3. Man On The Street
4. No More Auction Block
5. House Carpenter
6. Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
8. Rambling, Gambling Willie
9. Talkin' Hava Negeilah Blues
10. Quit Your Low Down Ways
11. Worried Blues
12. Kingsport Town
13. Walkin' Down The Line
14. Walls Of Red Wing
15. Paths Of Victory
16. Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues
17. Who Killed Davey Moore?
18. Only A Hobo
19. Moonshiner
20. When The Ship Comes In
21. The Times They Are A-Changin'
22. Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie
23. Seven Curses
24. Eternal Circle
25. Suze (The Cough Song)
26. Mama, You Been On My Mind
27. Farewell, Angelina
28. Subterranean Homesick Blues
29. If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Gotta Stay All Night)
30. Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence
31. Like A Rolling Stone
32. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
33. I'll Keep It With Mine
34. She's Your Lover Now
35. I Shall Be Released
36. Santa-Fe
37. If Not For You
38. Wallflower
39. Nobody 'Cept You
40. Tangled Up In Blue
41. Call Letter Blues
42. Idiot Wind
43. If You See Her, Say Hello
44. Golden Loom
45. Catfish
46. Seven Days
47. Ye Shall Be Changed
48. Every Grain Of Sand
49. You Changed My Life
50. Need A Woman
51. Angelina
52. Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart
53. Tell Me
54. Lord Protect My Child
55. Foot Of Pride
56. Blind Willie McTell
57. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky
58. Series Of Dreams