Bob Dylan’s to fall in love with you. All the versions of the lyrics

Commentary by Tony Attwood; lyrics by readers of this site, as noted in each case.

This song is the most popular of what one might call, “the more obscure” or even “lost” or perhaps “bootleg only” Dylan songs on this site.  Indeed in terms of the articles that are read the most each year, the original review of this song is the one that dominates all the reviews of lesser known songs.

Aside from being on YouTube it appeared on the bootleg “Hearts of Fire” Sessions with Eric Clapton in 1986 which can be found here

This song turns up at around the 56 minute mark.  Elsewhere on the recording there are a lot of versions of “Had a Dream about you baby” plus several versions of “Old Five and Dimers Like Me”.

To the very best of my knowledge this is the only version of the song we have.  One commentator wrote to say that it was performed in Florence in 2009 but the official list of songs from BobDylan.com for that gig does not show it mentioned.  If that is right and it was performed there it would be a major breakthrough if anyone had a copy of it recorded that night but so far no one has posted it.

This is the third “Untold Dylan” article on this song.  Here are the other two.

Here are the lyrics, with the transcriber noted in each case…

By Larry Fyffe

My deal go down, my day is real
Like a dying eye upon the stage
And me just roll, from me, from you
What paradise, what can I do?
There dying am I, and the day is dark
I can believe far in the touch
What I could find for time is around
To fall in love with you, to fall in love with you
To fall in love with you

The day is dark, our time is right
Day in the night, deep in the night
I cleaned every bag I had in my supply
I see it in your lips, I knew it in your eyes
Well, I feel your love, and I feel no shame
I cannot ease your heart, I call your name
What good to me, what can I do
To fall in love with you, to fall in love with you
To fall in love with the you?

It just rolls upon the sand
Never this and now had made the man
And makes you be what I can find
I know it in my day, in my very mind
Where the ages roll, where the ages fly
I hear your name where the angel lie
What do I know, what a-come it’s true
To fall in love with you, to fall in love with love
To fall in love with you

How can the door trust on a nail
I cannot be surprised most every day
I read it in the road, I can’t be the same
I feel no love, I feel no shame
Okay, what’s to be, am I alone with a dusty man?
I gave my tears to go, I did not like goodbye
With lack of doubt
To fall in love with you, to fall in love with you
To fall in love with you

By Shyam

A leaf falls down,
in the autumn light,
my day has run,
to another night,
moon on the rise,
in the evening wind,
but your eyes,
has got me sinned,
my heart has sank,
in your smiles,
I’ll swim to your hand,
a million miles,
where should I go,
what can I do,
to have your love,
to have your love,
to have your love,
what can I do?

A lone soldier,
stranded on a field,
there is a tear,
that’s got me kneeled,
I’ll be going home,
down the dusky road,
my mind would roam,
your dream would flow,
but I wish I knew,
wish I had the key,
to your heart so true,
where could it be,
where should I go,
what can I do,
to have your love,
to have your love,
to have your love,
what can I do?

There is no rose,
without a thorn,
in time I’d know,
if your flame would burn,
but what could fall,
to keep this in me,
I’ll forsake it all,
it’s plain to see,
cause I hear your name,
in the autumn winds,
I feel no shame,
you drove me to this,
where should I go,
what can I do,
to have your love,
to have your love,
to have your love,
what can I do?

By Oaks

To Fall in Love with You

My tears go down
My day is real
Like your dying eyes
Upon the sea
And makes the road
For me from you
What paradise?
What can I do?

That time of mind
When the game is done
I can’t believe
Or end the trying
What I could find?
For time is around
For feeling love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you

The day is done
Our time is right
Day in the night
Deep in the night
You can’t have me back
I hear to my surprise
I see it in your lips
I knew it in your eyes

But I feel your love
And I feel no shame
I can’t release your heart
I call your name
What does it mean?
What can I do?
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you

The ancient road
Upon the sand
Never did slow down
And made the man
That meant to be
I walked out to find
I know it in my days
Or in my daily mind

Oh, will ages roll?
Will angels fly?
I hear your name
Where angels lie
What do I know
What’s to come? It’s true
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you

I’ve been adored
I trust not in vain
How can I be surprised
Most every day?
Are you just then to roam?
I can be the same
I feel no love
I feel no shame

I cannot watch the pain
And am I unknown?
Was I just a man?
I can’t have missed it all
I didn’t know I could find
What I could doubt
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you

by EC Groce

To Fall in Love with You

My tears go down, my day is real
But your drying eye upon the sea
And ages roll from me from you
What paradise, what can I do?
Well damned am I and the day is dark
I can’t believe for in your trust
What I can find, oh time is right
If I fell in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with you

The day is dark, our time is right
Stay in the night, deep in the night
I can’t yet be back, I heard it by my surprise
I see it in your lips, I knew it in your eyes
Well, I feel your love and I feel no shame
I can’t unleash your heart, I call your name
What you’re to me, what can I do?
To fall in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with you

Ages roll upon the sand
Ever this and now and made the man
Can a picture be what I can find?
I know it in my days, in my dreary mind
Well ages roll, well ages fly
I hear your name where angels lie
What do I know, far to come it’s true
To fall in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with you

How can the door trust on a nail?
Can I be surprised of most everything?
In the distant road, I can’t be the same
I feel no love, I kill no shame
I can’t watch the bay out on my own
With a destined man, I can attest it all
I didn’t wave goodbye, where I could go
To fall in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with you

By Julian Morgan (with commentary)

My feel go down…my day is real ( what we feel IS reality ! )
Like a dying eye…upon this day. ( memento mori )
And it just rolls…from me , from you . ( universal- beyond right and wrong ! )
What paradise…what can I do ? (Personal- universal )
That dying am I …and the day is dark ( fear )
I can’t believe …far in your touch. ( very personal … Universal insecurity ,Well done Dylan ! )
What I can find…oh the time is around ( but we DO have enough time !)
For feel in love.. To fall in love with you ( illumination )
That day is dark….my time is right! ( embracing ones fear )
Day in the night…deep in the night .
I cleaned every bag…I heard my surprise. ( I’ve given you ALL I can ..still don’t know !)
I see it in your lips…I know it in your eyes. ( you still want more ? )
But I feel your love…and I feel no shame.
I can’t release your heart !…I call your name ! ( story of my life ! .. Yours too I imagine )
What good to me ?…what can I do ?
I just fall in love .. Just fall in love…to fall in love with you ( that’s life ! )
It just rolls…upon the sand.
Ever this and now ….hath made the man ( universal .. ‘ hath’ biblical .. The nature of man .)
And it makes you be ….what I can find (relationship with listener – part complaint ? )
I know it in my days….ah, my daily mind. ( that’s what I live with !)
Where ages roll….where ages fly
I hear your name …..where angel lies ( double entendres intended I think . Worth reflex ion )
What do I know ?…what to come it’s true ( self confession )
To fall in love with you etc.
How can the doors ….trust on a nail ( universal )
I tend to be surprised…most every day ! ( personal)
I’m reading in the road….I can’t be the same !( personal- universal )
I feel you love….I feel no shame. ( try it ! )
I dunno what’s to pay…and am I in awe ( self reflexion )
With a dusty man….l gave my tears to go. ( personal-universal .. The great paradox )
I did all I could buy!…what I could do ! ( that’s all everybody .thats my best ! )
To fall in love with you etc. ( my life adds up to that ! )

By Tony Attwood

A tear goes down my day is real
but your drying eye upon the shame
Each needs a road for me from you
what paradise? what can I do?
That die for my and the day is dark
I can’t believe for your touch
What I could find oh time is right
If I fell in love to fall in love
To fall in love with you

The day is dark, our time is right
day in the night deep in the night
I can’t yet be back I heard my- surprise
I see it in your lips I knew it in your eyes
Well I feel your love and I feel no shame
I can’t unleash your horde I call your name
What you’re to me what can I do?
To fall in love to fall in love
To fall in love with you

It just rolls upon the sand
ever this for now I’m made a man
can make you see what I can find
I know it in my days ah in my daily mind
Oh will ages roll will ages fly?
I hear your name where angels lie.
What do I know? for to come it’s true
To fall in love To fall in love
To fall in love with you

How can the doors trust on a nail?
how can I be surprised of most every day?
In the distant road I can’t be the same
I feel no love I feel no shame
I can’t watch the bay out on my own
we’ve a destined man I can attest it all
I didn’t I could find where I could go
To fall in love to fall in love
To fall in love with you

By Daniel

A tear goes down
My day is reached
Like a dying eye
Upon the stage
And makes the road
For me from you
Towards paradise
What can I do?
That doubt of mine
And the day is dark
I can’t believe
For the end of time
What I could find
Or what time is right
If I fell in love
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love
With you

The day is dark
Our time is right
Day in the night
Deep in the night
I can’t yet be back
I heard my surprise
I see it in your lips
I knew it in your eyes
Well I feel your love
And I feel no shame
I came to unleash your horse
I call your name
What good to me?
What can I do?
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love
With you

The ancient road
Upon the sand
Never missed an hour
I’m made a man
Can’t make you be
What I design
I know it in my days
In my very mind
Where ages roll
Will ages fly?
I hear your name
Where angels lie
What do I know?
Are the comets true?
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love
With you

How can the doors
Trust on a nail?
How can I be surprised
Of most everything?
In the distant road
I can’t be the same
I feel no love
I feel no shame
I can’t watch the bay
Out on my own
With a destined man
I came to risk it all
I didn’t know what I could find
What I could do
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love
With you

What else is on the site?

Untold Dylan contains a review of every Dylan musical composition of which we can find a copy (around 500) and over 300 other articles on Dylan, his work and the impact of his work.

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 alphabetical index to the 552 song reviews can be found here.  If you know of anything we have missed please do write in.  The index of the songs in chronological order can be found here.

We also now 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.

7 Comments

  1. I ‘hear’ things differently nearly every time I listen to the not-so-clear words in the song, and so the words I wrote down above in no way are meant to be definitive because they’re not.

    All versions, including mine, even though some versions be closer than others, have glaring errors in them as far a I can tell.

  2. LarryFyffe you are right to say that many of the words are unclear. I see a lot of parallels here with “I’m Not There” from the Basement Tapes. In both cases I think Dylan has just had a moment of inspiration and wants to nail it down before it goes. He is quite unclear himself about the words but feels that he can work on this later. This might be the way in which many of his songs were written, but in the case of these two songs he either couldn’t find the right words to complete them or just forgot! In both cases the music seems much more “finished” and very evocative of a mood which he perhaps just could not find the words to reflect.

  3. This is my transcription

    My tears go down, my Desirae
    Like your darling eyes upon the sea
    And angels roll from me from you
    What paradise, what can I do
    With doubt of mind, and the day is dark
    I can believe, for into trust
    What I could find, for time is round
    To feel your love, to fall in love
    To fall in love, with you

    The day is dark, my time is right
    Day in the night, deep in the night
    I can’t give you back, my hurting eyes aren’t blind
    I see it your lips, I knew it in your eyes
    Well I feel your love and I feel no shame
    I cannot be so hard, I call your name
    What words from me, what can I do?
    To fall in love, to fall in love
    To fall in love, with you

    The ages roll upon the sand
    Never missing out that knew the man
    That’s meant to be, I work hard to find
    I know it in my days, and in my daily mind
    Where ages roll, where angels fly
    I hear your name, where angels lies
    What do I know, what to come that’s true
    To fall in love, to fall in love
    To fall in love, with you

    I knew before, I trust not in me
    How can I be surprised, most every day
    I hear that engine roar, I can’t be the same
    I feel your love, I feel no shame
    I can’t know what’s to be, how am I to know?
    Where my destiny met, and can my destiny go
    Would that I could buy, what I could know
    To fall in love, to fall in love
    To fall in love with you

  4. Oh Tony thanks for noticing my very late transcript for this! I am so glad you commented because I was remiss in not telling you how much I enjoyed finding your article!

    I did not read the other transcripts till I submitted mine because I did not want to be affected.

    I am not sure I got it perfect or anything but I when I listened through my new headphones it just seemed quite clear. I heard Desirae and so I looked up the meaning knowing it must derive from desire.
    Here is what I found:
    “Desirae comes from the word désirée, meaning “desired.” A diminutive of the antique name Desiderâta, Desirae is fresh, modern, and spelled phonetically to ensure French pronunciation.” To me it made perfect sense to the lyrics.

    After I transcribed it hit me that part of this songs conception and impetus might have something to do with Bob’s daughter – Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan so I looked up her birthdate and it is January 31, 1986! This song was recorded in 1986. I am not 100% sure but it seems viable that he purposely slurred his words on this song to conceal a dedication to Desiree! I don’t think anyone knew of his marriage to Carolyn Dennis or his daughter until 2001. I could be wrong but I find it an interesting speculation at least.”

    Thanks again Tony
    denise

  5. More tham a specuiation Denise, I think you have got it in one. That’s what it is about.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *