Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues lyrics

Song information

Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961-1991

Lyrics

Well, I was feelin' sad and feelin' blue
I didn't know what in the world I was gonna do
Them communists they wus comin' around
They wus in the air
They wus on the ground
They wouldn't gimme no peace. .

So I run down most hurriedly
And joined up with the john birch society
I got me a secret membership card
And started off a-walkin' down the road
Yee-hoo, I'm a real john bircher now!
Look out you commies!

Now we all agree with hitlers' views
Although he killed six million jews
It don't matter too much that he was a fascist
At least you can't say he was a communist!
That's to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria

Well, I wus lookin' everywhere for them gol-darned reds
I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked under my bed
Looked in the sink, behind the door
Looked in the glove compartment of my car
Couldn't find 'em . .

I wus lookin' high an' low for them reds everywhere
I wus lookin' in the sink an' underneath the chair
I looked way up my chimney hole
I even looked deep inside my toilet bowl
They got away . .

Well, I wus sittin' home alone an' started to sweat
Figured they wus in my t.v. set
Peeked behind the picture frame
Got a shock from my feet, hittin' right up in the brain
Them reds caused it!
I know they did . . . them hard-core ones

Well, I quit my job so I could work alone
Then I changed my name to sherlock holmes
Followed some clues from my detective bag
And discovered they wus red stripes on the american flag!
That ol' betty ross . .

Well, I investigated all the books in the library
Ninety percent of 'em gotta be burned away
I investigated all the people that I knowed
Ninety-eight percent of them gotta go
The other two percent are fellow birchers . . . just like me

Now eisenhower, he's a russian spy
Lincoln, jefferson and that roosevelt guy
To my knowledge there's just one man
That's really a true american: george lincoln rockwell
I know for a fact he hates commies cus he picketed the movie exodus

Well, I fin'ly started thinkin' straight
When I run outa things to investigate
Couldn't imagine doin' anything else
So now I'm sittin' home investigatin' myself!
Hope I don't find out anything . . . hmm, great god!