Is there a cooler album cover? I seriously doubt it. Sally Grossman – wife of Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman – reclines in the background with effortless poise, her striking red dress and enigmatic gaze oozing both kitsch and timeless class. Photographer Daniel Kramer took 10 shots in total and the final one was chosen since it was the only one where the cat was looking at the lens.
Today is not the first time It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue has appeared here. I first mentioned it when Dylan and Donovan confronted each other for a famous folk duel in the D. A. Pennebaker documentary Don’t Look Back of Dylan’s 1965 concert tour of England. Both left the ‘ol’ corral’ as victors to my mind as Donovan sang To Sing For You and Dylan – Baby Blue. Another time I cited Dylan’s Baby Blue was in the article on Badfinger’s Baby Blue where there do seem some lyrical and melodic overlaps.
You know, I might not always reach for Dylan’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue ahead of some other gems from that legendary period – but when I do take a moment to sit down, be present, and really listen, there are few songs I relish more. The way Dylan weaves his wordplay and the lyrical imagery envelopes my senses completely.
The song was released on the 1965 Bringing It All Back Home, the first of the trilogy of albums (Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde) that would change the landscape of contemporary music forever.
Most of the following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:
The lyrics were heavily influenced by Symbolist poetry (seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images) and bid farewell to the titular “Baby Blue“. Lines such as “take what you have gathered from coincidence” reflect the I Ching philosophy that coincidence represents more than mere chance.
There has been much speculation about the real life identity of “Baby Blue“, with possibilities including Joan Baez, David Blue, Paul Clayton, Dylan’s folk music audience, and even Dylan himself. Although Dylan himself has remained mute on the subject, Dylan scholars believe that it is probably an amalgam of personalities within Dylan’s social orbit.
The master take of the song was recorded on January 15, 1965 (9 years to the day prior to my birthday. Hurrah!). The track which concludes the album, was recorded on the same day Dylan recorded the other three songs on side 2 of the album: Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates of Eden and It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).
Notable Covers
- The Belfast band Them (featuring Van Morrison) recorded a cover of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue“
- The Byrds‘ recording of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” first saw release on October 29, 1969, as part of the band’s Ballad of Easy Rider album. They also recorded two earlier versions in their Turn!, Turn! Turn! studio sessions.
[Verse 1]
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out, the saints are coming through
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
[Verse 2]
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
The sky, too, is folding under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
[Verse 3]
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty-handed armies are going home
Your lover, who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
[Verse 4]
Leave your stepping stones behind, there’s something that calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start anew
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
References:
1. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Another favorite Bob Dylan song of mine – and come to think of it one of the first ones by the maestro I ever heard, apart from «Blowin’ In the Wind.» I’m thrilled I have a ticket to see the man in mid-September in New Jersey, as part of the «Outlaw Tour» with Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow. It would be such a thrill if Dylan played that song or any other of his many gems and I could actually recognize them – regardless, I have no doubt it will be an unforgettable experience!
I have been listening a fair bit to the audience recordings of his latest concerts on this Outlaw tour. I’m pleasantly surprised by many.
There are also sites with his set lists, which if you don’t know about already should give you some indication of what he might bring closer to the event. I really hope all your excitement pays off when you finally see him.
one of the finest songs ever written..ever…