Bob Dylan: Man Gave Names To All The Vegetables

By Larry Fyffe

Note: The Untold Dylan Offices received the following by mail in a plain brown envelope. Apparently, it’s a copy of a song re-written by Bob due to protests from vegetable rights groups – 

Man Gave Names To All The Vegetables

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

He saw a vegetable that likes to grow
In big long rows that he has to hoe
Some coloured yellow, some coloured green
"Ah, I think I'll call it a bean"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

 He saw a vegetable with great big ears
It's very tall but it can not hear
Li'l Boy Blue come blow your horn
"Ah, I think I'll call it a corn"
 
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

 He saw a vegetable with lots of eyes
It can't see, but it makes good fries
Sliced up nice by chef Van Gogh
"Ah, I think I'll call it a potato"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

He saw a vegetable that likes to sprout
Come on baby, we can work it on out
With a little help from Peter Rabbit
"Ah, I think I'll call it a carrot"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

Next vegetable that he did meet
Had bright red roots, and tastes like feet
Walkin' without boots in a boggy peat
"Ah, I think I'll call it a beet"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave name to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

He saw a vegetable with great big pods
Dancin' in the breeze, and givin' him nods
Saw it appear by a lake down near a tree
"Ah, I think I call it a pea"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

He saw a vegetable that made him tear
In Scarlet Town where a graveyard's near
There lies the body of Damon Runyon
"I think I'll call it an onion"

Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the vegetables
In the beginning, long time ago

He saw a vegetable he doesn't like
When nature walkin' on a hike
"What's it's name....I'll give you a guess
I think I'll call it .........."

What else is on the site

You’ll find an index to our latest posts arranged by themes and subjects on the home page.  You can also see details of our main sections on this site at the top of this page under the picture.

The index to the 500+ Dylan compositions reviewed is now on a new page of its own.  You will find it here.  It contains reviews of every Dylan composition that we can find a recording of – if you know of anything we have missed please do write in.

We also have a discussion group “Untold Dylan” on Facebook.  Just type the phrase “Untold Dylan” in, on your Facebook page or follow this link 

And please do note   The Bob Dylan Project, which lists every Dylan song in alphabetical order, and has links to licensed recordings and performances by Dylan and by other artists, is starting to link back to our reviews.