They sat together
In the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him
He felt a spark tingle to his bones
'Twas then he felt alone
And wished that he’d gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate
They walked down by the old canal
Got a little confused, I remember well
And then they stopped
In a strange hotel
With the neon burning bright
He felt the heat of night
Hit him like a freight train
And moving with a simple twist of fate
Saxophone some place nearby played
She was walking on by the arcade
As a light burst through a beat up shade
But he was waking up
She dropped a coin into a cup
Of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate
He woke up
And the room was bare
He didn’t see her
Anywhere
He told himself
He didn’t care
He pushed the window
Open wide
He felt an
Emptiness inside
To which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate
He hears the ticking of the clocks
Small waves whisper to the rocks
He hunts her down
By the waterfront docks
Where the sailors all come in
Perhaps he’ll see her once again
How long must he wait
Once more
For a simple
Twist of fate
People tell me it’s a crime
To feel too much
At any one time
All it cost me was a dime
But the bells refuse to ring
He was born in the spring
But I was born too late
To blame it on
A simple twist of fate
This cover version completely knocks me out every time I hear it. It's one of the most sad, mournful songs I've ever heard. Jeff Tweedy just knocks it out of the park. Spot on classic.
Bobby Z, himself, often tweaks the lyrics to this masterpiece. That's what "folk" music is supposed to do - an oral tradition medium passed from one to another to use as a means of communicating your present "scene" or human condition...in addition, I think Toddy Haynes made a wonderful choice to use this in "I'm Not There"
I'm so angry with Jeff, here I was completely expecting him to ruin this cover for me, and now I like it more than Dylan's version. STOP RUINING SONGS FOR ME JEFF TWEEDY OF WILCO LEAD SINGER FAME! YOU JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW!