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Standing In The Doorway

Written by 
Tabbed by 

This song features prominently in my essay The Momentum of Standstill, about time and the blues in Dylan’s music.

The song plays very well in open E tuning; the beginning sounds very much like Simple Twist of Fate. For standard tuning, I have given chords with a capo at the  4th fret.

When Time out of Mind came out, I collected some of the textual references that were discussed in rec.music.dylan. Here is a version of the file with some of those textual commentaries.

Chords 
       C major    E major
Chords (capo 4th) open tuning

C      032010     054000 (or 050000 or 000000)
C/b    x22020     044000
Am     002210     020020
C/g    332010     000000 (or 004000)
F      133211     555555 (or 020120)
Bb/f   113331     575655 (or 575675)
G      320003     777777
D      x00232     222222
C                 000000

Album version

|: C C/b Am C/g  :|

C                 /b   Am                 C/g
I'm walkin' through      the summer nights
C         /b        Am   C/g
the jukebox playing low
C                   /b Am                 C/g
yesterday everything    was goin' too fast
C    /b                 Am    C/g
Today   it's movin' too slow

F        Bb/f           F     Bb/f
I got no place left to turn
F                 Bb/f  F     F  G
I got nothin' left to burn

C               /b                 Am                   C/g
Don't know if I saw you if I would kiss you or kill you
C                    /b               Am    C/g
It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
F           C       G               D
You left me standing in the doorway cryin'
F                           C
I got nothin' to go back to now.

The light in this place is so bad
Makin' me sick in the head
All the laughter is just makin' me sad
The stars have turned cherry red
   I'm strummin' on my gay guitar
   Smokin' a cheap cigar
The ghost of our old love has not gone away
Don't look it like it will anytime soon
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Under the midnight moon.

Maybe they'll get me and maybe they won't
But not tonight and it won't be here
There are things I could say, but I don't
I know the mercy of God must be near
   I been ridin a midnight train
   Got ice water in my veins
I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Sufferin' like a fool.

When the last rays of daylight go down
Buddy you'll roll no more
I can hear the church bells ringin' in the yard
I wonder who they're ringin' for
   I know I can't win
   But my heart just won't give in
Last night I danced with a stranger
But she just reminded me you were the one
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
In the dark land of the sun.

I eat when I'm hungry drink when I'm dry
And live my life on the square
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care
   It always means so much
   Even the softest touch
I see nothing to be gained by any explanation
There's no words that need to be said
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Blues wrapped around my head.

Live version 2003

New arrangement during the 2003 southern US tour. The basic structure of the song is the same as the album version, but a new riff has snuck into the first part, with the chords in the descent coming twice as fast and with an extra turn at the end. In the version that has been available to me (Austin, 20 April 2003) it sounds as if the two different guitars are in two different capo positions: the main rhythm guitar at the 3rd fret and the other at the 1st fret. I have given suggestions for the main riff in those two positions. In the 3rd position there are two suggestions, one which is more or less what is played by the band, the other a version which is more suitable for a single guitar. In the 1st-fret version I have included the chords to the whole verse.

The Am (Bm with capo 1st fret) could also be played F (G)


Capo 3rd fret (sounding key Eb major)

  C             G/b           Am            C/g
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|/5---5-5-5---|-3---3-3-3---|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|
|/5---5-5-5---|-4---4-4-4---|-2---2-2-2---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
  C/e           F             Gsus4         G
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-0---0-0-0---|-2---2-2-2---|-0---0-0-0---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-2---2-2-2---|-3---3-3-3---|-0---0-0-0---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

Or, if you want the descent in the bass (which is probably better on a single guitar):

  C             G/b           Am            C/g
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|
|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----2-2-2---|-----0-0-0---|-----2-2-2---|-----2-2-2---|
|-3-----------|-2-----------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|
  C/e           F             Gsus4         G
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----0-0-0---|-----2-2-2---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----2-2-2---|-----3-3-3---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|-2-----------|
|-0-----------|-1-----------|-3-----------|-------------|

Capo 1st fret:

  D             A/c#          Bm            D/a
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-7-----------|-5-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|
|-7-----------|-6-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
  D/f#          G             Asus4         A
  :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .     :   .   .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|-2-----------|
|-2-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|-2-----------|
|-4-----------|-5-----------|-2-----------|-2-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
D    A/c#       Bm   D/a D/f#   G      Asus4   A
 I'm walkin' through        the summer nights
D    A/c# Bm   D/a D/f#  G  Asus4  A
jukebox    playing low
D         A/c# Bm D/a               D/f#            G Asus4  A
 yesterday           everything was movin' too fast
D     A/c# Bm          D/a          D/f#   G      A   D
 Today      it's moving, moving too slow

G              C       G     C
I got no place left to turn
G             C       G      G   A
I got nothin' left to burn

D                  A/c#  Bm   D/a D/f#                   G      Asus4   A
 I don't know if I saw you        if I would kiss you or kill you
D                     A/c#   Bm     D/a    D/f#  G  A   D
 It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
G                    D   A                                 E
You left me standing,    standing in the doorway cryin'
G                              D/f#   Em7  D
 Ah, well, I got nothin' to go back to     now.

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