Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bedroom Demo #270)

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

words and music: Bob Dylan

Ooh, Ooh

Ooh, Ooh

Mama, take this badge off of me

I can’t use it anymore

It’s getting dark, too dark to see

I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Mana, put my guns in the ground

I can’t shoot them anymore

That long black cloud is comin’ down

I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock knock knockin’ on heaven’s door…..

Ooh Ooh Ooh

Ooh Ooh Ooh

Ooh Ooh Ooh

Ooh Ooh Ooh….

guitars and vocals: T.S. Taylor

note:

Described by Bob Dylan’s biographer as “an exercise in splendid simplicity,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” was originally written to be used in Sam Peckinpah’s movie “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” for the scene in which the frontier law man (played by Slim Pickens) lies dying while his wife, who he calls “Mama,” attempts to comfort him. The song was released as a single in 1973, two months after the film’s release, and it became a global hit, occupying spots in the Top 10 on charts all around the world. KOHD has been covered by over a 150 artists, including Neil Young, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Bono, and Jerry Garcia. The song became popular again in 1990 when “Guns and Roses” released a more elaborate version of it, which went on to become an international hit. My band, Lost Dogs, also covered KOHD in our live performances, often inviting audience members on stage to sing along with us.

Obviously the song is about death, which is an inevitability we will all face. However, the song’s solemn subject matter is offset by an air of sad peacefulness. Featuring only two brief verses KOHD nevertheless has a timeless feel to it.

For me there is a dying-breath kind of weary surrender being expressed in this simple but profound gem. As my days go swiftly by, my curiosity increases: what is it like to have my knocks at the door finally answered; to see it open, to take those first steps into the unimaginable world that lies behind it?