My Back Pages --- Bob Dylan
[C]Crimson flames
tied [Am]through my ears rollin’ [Em]high
and [F]mighty [G]traps
[C]Pounced with fire
on [Am]flaming roads using [Em]ideas
[F]as my [G]maps
“We’ll [Am]meet on
edges [Em]soon,” said I [F]proud
‘neath heated [G]brow.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.
[C]Half-cracked
preju-[Am]dice leaped forth “Rip [Em]down
all [F]hate,” I [G]screamed
[C]Lies that life is
[Am]black and white spoke [Em]from
my [F]skull I [G]dreamed
Ro-[Am]mantic facts
of [Em]musketeers foun-[F]dationed
deep some-[G]how.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.
Girls’ [C]faces
formed the [Am]forward path from [Em]phony
[F]jealous-[G]y
[C]To memorizing [Am]politics
of [Em]ancient [F]histo-[G]ry
Flung [Am]down by
corpse e-[Em]vangelists un-[F]thought
of thought some-[G]how.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.
A [C]self-ordained
pro-[Am]fessor’s tongue too [Em]seri-[F]ous
to [G]fool
[C]Spouted out that
[Am]Liberty is just e-[Em]quali-[F]ty
in [G]school
“Equality” I [Am]spoke
the word as [Em]if a [F]wedding
[G]vow.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.
In a [C]soldier’s
stance I [Am]aimed my hand at the [Em]mongrel
[F]dogs who [G]teach
Fearing [C]not that
I’d become my [Am]enemy in the [Em]instant
[F]that I [G]preach
My ex-[Am]istence
led by con-[Em]fusion boats [F]mutiny
from stern to [G]bow.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.
Yes my [C]guard
stood hard when [Am]abstract threats too
[Em]noble [F]to
ne-[G]glect
De-[C]ceived me into
[Am]thinking I had [Em]something
[F]to pro-[G]tect
[Am]Good and bad I
de-[Em]fine these terms quite [F]clear
no doubt some-[G]how.
Ah but [C]I was [Am]so
much [Em]older [F]then
I’m [C]younger [G]than
that [C]now.