Originally published in newsgroup gen.opinions 1992, one of many stories from my Taxi Diaries indexed as "Muskat Muses."
Mr. Bojangles' covenant woman, a sad eyed lady from the lowlands, had a job for me to do. "Get thee some country pie, a big yellow taxi, and while you are watching the river flow, write me some of your impressions from the After The Show Dylan Party."
"I don't wanna do it," I replied to the dear landlord. She said, "If not for you, it's all over now and when you get back, I'll be your baby tonight." Well, all I really want to do is, well, just let me die in my footsteps. It's a long time gone & I'm goin!
"You ain't goin nowhere," she replied.
Just like a woman!
"I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody," I said with a sign on the cross to Ramona at the door checking tickets. Buckets of rain from Sinead put her on Desolation Row for a while but (don't ya tell Henry) last I saw of her she was either down along the cove with Kristopherson or down along the highway with the Memphis blues again. It was hard times in New York town for hero blues.
It was a million dollar bash. Was I dreamin or just knockin on heaven's door? Tom Petty & Gamblin Willie (sometimes ramblin Willie) were talking New York & as I said he was a friend of mine. Walkin down the line sharing jokes was Neil Young and Tracy Chapman. Trouble tough mama, this wheel's on fire! The old man, on a night like this talkin hava negeilah blues before he gets all tangled up in blue.
I thanked June Carter and Johnny Cash for their voices, and like my back pages, belong on
Maggie's farm. She's got the money blues & I said, & I meant it, if you gotta go, go now & if ya don't well, if you see her, say hello.
No Mo Li'l Stevie Wonder was blowin in the wind with Al Kooper. A jet pilot mumbling just another drink with you & love is just a four letter word, sat closeby, a license to kill, up against a long distance operator who was, of course, on the road again for just one more night or was it just one more weekend?
"After Patty's gone to Laredo," Richie Havens said, "nothing was delivered". "Open the door, Homer," said Eric Clapton to Roxanne Cash, "and one of us must know that we're only a pawn in their game." Richie looked at me as if to say one of us must know. Just pledging my time he said back to Eric. Somethings burning baby, lay lady lay.
Bob Dylan's 115th dream was a father in the night to every grain of sand. "Enough is enough," said George Harrison as Bob gamely sat in the corner wearing nothing but boots of Spanish Leather with his golden loom & eyes that said goin to Acapulco in seven days for some shelter from the storm. She's your lover now! This stepchild will be standing on the highway.
The party was startin to get to me so I took a shot of love & the seven curses that led me to another room. The Clancy Brothers and the OJ's were taking accordion lessons from Quinn the Eskimo and Rita May. Some said they were saving grace, but it looked like mixed up confusion. Anyway, I was a man of peace, as well as a man on the street. I threw it all away and went downstairs with tears of rage because my song to Woody hurt, temporary like Achilles.
Pearl Jam, after one more cup of coffee & some jokes & tokes with Ron Woods were hanging out like a clothes line, but were coming from the heart because the road is long. Together, they were more like a motorpsycho nightmare than a main title theme, but what kind of friend is this if when the ship comes in on a night like this there's a hurricane?
Eric & George & Bob & Neil & Mary Carpenter were by the walls of red wing. When Sinead, no more tombstone blues, O'Connor, put the thief on the cross, her paths of victory were at odds and ends. Oh sister! No time to think! Woogie boogie cause you're a big girl now.
"I can't leave her behind," Bob said, but had, just several hours earlier. "Honey," he said to her, "Just allow me one more chance, it will be the final theme young girl from the north country."
"Maybe," she replied, "On a rainy afternoon if those masters of war who are living the blues get legionnairs' disease first. Oh, let's keep it between us."
Johnny Cash asked "baby let me follow you down," to Sara & Sarah. One of them asked him, "Can you please crawl out your window?"
All along the watchtower, with one blue moon and the boxer was the man of constant sorrow. He musta been the man gave names to all the animals cause he wasn't Mr. Tambourine Man & I didn't see him again until the new morning. Anyway, he was only a hobo who didn't know sign language, had no romance in Durango and as he said to me, just a satisfied mind, that everybody must get stoned I thought of Queen Jane, approximately. Or, was it Absolutely sweet Marie and her rocks and gravel that finally led me to believe that the leopard skin pill box hat belongs with your watered down love?
I don't know, but It's allright ma because I believe in you & I shall be free. On Highway 61 it takes a lot to laugh, it hurts me too, but it takes a train to cry. Lou Reed said to Ry Cooder, "just don't fall apart on me tonight. Nobody 'cept you brought me the new pony, so baby just give me one more chance, what can I do for you?" Tom Petty, minstrel boy, looked to be in Oxford town.
While the changing of the guards occurred, lo and behold, my back was to the door. If I had to do it all over again, I'll keep it with me. Otherwise, if I don't be there in the morning, guess I'm doin fine. I'm not gonna change my way of thinking the fourth time around & I'll remember you as long as we are in the garden, in the summertime with Isis and we can be playboys and playgirls until three angels, forever young are emotionally yours.
Oh, Bob says Hi. He's spent his life sitting on a barbed wire fence watching all the tired horses & he was positively fourth street, but precious angel, you angel you, it was all solid rock, more than a simple twist of fate & it wasn't even the gates of Eden.