Bob Dylan Songs - Isis Lyrics

Bob Dylan - Isis

Bob Dylan - Isis Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Desire
Released: 1976

Isis Lyrics

I married Isis on the fifth day of may
But I do not hold on to her very long
So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong

I came to a high place of darkness and light
The dividing line ran through the center of town
I hitched up my pony to a post on the right
Went in to a laundry to wash my clothes down

A man in the corner approached me for a match
I knew right away he was not ordinary
He said, are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?
I said, I got no money he said, that ain't necessary

We set out that night for the cold in the north
I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word
I said, where are we goin' he said we'd be back by the fourth
I said, "that's the best news that I've ever heard

I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless

How she told me that one day we would meet up again,
And things would be different the next time we wed,
If I only could hang on and just be her friend
I still can't remember all the best things she said

We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice
He said, "there's a body I'm tryin' to find
If I carry it out it'll bring a good price
'Cause then that I knew what he had on his mind

The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious
But I made up my mind that I had to go on

I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,
Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover
I said a quick prayer and I felt satisfied
Then I went back to find Isis just to tell her I love her

She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise
Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed,
I came in from the east with the sun in my eyes
I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead

She said, where ya been, I said,no place special
She said, you look different I said, well, yes
She said, you been gone I said, that's only natural
She said, you gonna stay I said, if you want you me, yeah

Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child
What drives me to you is what drives me insane
I still can remember the way that you smiled
On the fifth day of may in the drizzlin' rain

Writer/s: DYLAN BOB, BOB DYLAN
Publisher: BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Isis Song Chart

This song is about a man who has recently split from his wife, Isis. He leaves town atop a pony headed "for the wild unknown country." Along his way, he meets with a shady character and the both of them begin a search for treasure. During the journey, the man keeps thinking back to his ex-wife:

As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold
I was thinking about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless

The shady character dies midway into the voyage, leaving the man to continue the treasure hunt alone:

When he died I was hoping that it wasn't contagious
But I made up my mind that I had to go on

Upon reaching the tomb where the supposed treasure lies, the man is shocked to find an empty casket:

There were no jewels no nothing, I felt I'd been had

Frustrated, he drags his dead companion into the casket, before deciding to ride back home to Isis, "just to tell her I love her."

After questioning his recent whereabouts, Isis accepts her ex-husband back. The song then concludes with the man pondering Isis and her magnetic influence:

Isis oh Isis you're a mystical child
What drives me to you is what drives me insane

This was written while Dylan was separating from his then-wife, Sara, therefore many fans believe this song alludes to the couple's turbulent relationship. This argument is supported by the fact it features on the album, Desire, which closes with the poignant "Sara," during which Dylan openly sings about his "radiant jewel, mystical wife." This biographical approach to writing was a rare feat for Dylan, who usually preferred to write under personas (as in "Isis").

A live version of "Isis" features on the compilation album, Biograph. Dylan introduces it as "a song about marriage."

The female character in this song is named after Isis, the goddess in ancient Egyptian mythology who is idolized as the ideal wife and protective mother.

"Isis" was one of seven songs on Desire co-written between Dylan and songwriter/theater director, Jacques Levy.

In their early years, The White Stripes frequently covered this song.

The song's co-writer Jacques Levy was asked by the Dylan fanzine Isis about this song title and its significance in Egyptian mythology. Levy replied that it was an attempt at an old Western ballad like the kind The Band used to pen: "Well, this is a similar kind of thing," he said, "and just as The Band wrote 'pulled into Nazareth,' you know, well, 'Isis' has as much to do with Egypt as Fanny has to do with Nazareth."