We just saw her last week and she played this as an encore. She preceded it with the comment that she thought it was the "greatest song ever written." Interesting because I never thought about it or Dylan's lyrics here that much, but when a song writer like Sarah makes a comment like that -- well, let's just say I've been giving this song a lot of thought lately.
Ring them bells, ye heathen From the city that dreams Ring them bells from the sanctuaries ’Cross the valleys and streams For they’re deep and they’re wide And the world’s on its side And time is running backwards And so is the bride [Verse 2] Ring them bells St. Peter Where the four winds blow Ring them bells with an iron hand So the people will know Oh, it’s rush hour now On the wheel and the plow And the sun is going down Upon the sacred cow [Verse 3] Ring them bells Sweet Martha For the poor man’s son Ring them bells so the world will know That God is one Oh, the shepherd is asleep Where the willows weep And the mountains are filled With lost sheep [Verse 4] Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf Ring them bells for all of us who are left Ring them bells for the chosen few Who will judge the many when the game is through Ring them bells, for the time that flies For the child that cries When innocence dies [Verse 5] Ring them bells St. Catherine From the top of the room Ring them from the fortress For the lilies that bloom Oh, the lines are long And the fighting is strong And they’re breaking down the distance Between right and wrong
