I’ve been listening to Dylan’s I’m Not There a lot lately. That might seem odd, considering that the track starts part way through the first verse and many of the lyrics are inaudible. The song was unfinished an never intended for release. It was recorded at the legendary Basement Tape / Big Pink sessions:
As Dylan recovered from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in July 1966, he summoned the Band and began to record both new compositions and traditional material with them. All of the sixteen Dylan compositions are thought to have been recorded in 1967 in the basement of Big Pink, a house shared by three of the members of the Band, while the eight Band songs were recorded at various times and locations between 1967 and 1975; overdubs were also added in 1975 to some of the Dylan songs
The song wasn’t formally released until it was included in the I’m Not There Motion Picture Soundtrack. Even though the cut of the song is rough, the melody is hypnotic and the listener can get the sense of what Dylan was trying to say. Despite the relative popularity of the song, it’s hard to find a decent transcription of the lyrics. I thought I’d give it a shot.
