Waiting To Get Beat

Written by 
Bob Dylan
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

Recorded during the Empire Burlesque sessions (1985). Possibly Dylan’s worst song, at least musically and production-wise. Another track, going by the title “The very thought of you”, which is basically just a less worked out version of the same song with even worse production and less clear lyrics, is reproduced below. 

This silly little thing is played at the end of most lines:

      A   D   A
  :   .   .   .   
|-----5----------------|
|-----5---7---5--------|
|-----6---7---6--------|
|---------7---7--------|
|-0--------------------|
|----------------------|
A       E      A
Waiting to get beat
     A        E      A
On a dark and lonely street
D        E      
Pay time ’round,
A        D   
pay back down
A       E      A
Waiting to get beat
Waiting to get beat
Waiting like a piece of meat
The mumble is on,
the thrill is gone
Waiting to get beat
Bm
You’re playin’ around with daddy, baby
A
When you should have quit
Bm
Nobody messes up one of these boys
    C#m           E7
And get away with it
Waiting to get beat
Can’t sleep, can’t eat
Getting rude, getting bold
Getting ready to be rolled
Waiting to get beat
Setting a match to the house that you live in
And falling for the first clown you see
One day there’ll be a knock on the door
And you know who it’ll be
Waiting to get beat
Playing with a heart that will cheat
Getting pretty, getting ripped
Getting dressed to get whipped
Waiting to get beat

The Very Thought of You

Lyrics taken from Untold Dylan.

The very thought of you
Oh what it can do
Deep in my mind I'm so intertwined
With the very thought of you
The very thought of you
Oh what it can do
Turn me down I'm ironed out ???
To the very thought of you
Dont you see the the things that last
From the best of wicked charms
See the place when you call my name
Just as soon as I am ????
The very thought of you
Oh what it can do
I can't get ? but I can't escape
From the very thought of you

[instrumental]

Oh don't you see the things that last
from the best of wicked charms
And my ?  are ? when you call my name
Just as soon as I ?
The very thought of you
Oh what it can do
I can take but I can't escape
From the very thought of you

Contact

Corrections, additions, questions? Contact me