Knockin On Heavens Door lyrics
by Indigo Girls



"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a Bob Dylan song from 1973. The girlshave been doing it now and then since at least 1988. There'ssomething about the girls' version that kinda confuses me... See,the official Dylan lyric sheet has two verses:Mama, take this badge off of meI can't use it anymoreIt's getting dark, too dark for me to seeI feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's doorKnock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...Mama, put my guns in the groundI can't shoot them anymoreThat long black cloud is comin' downI feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's doorKnock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...Though I know that Dylan often sings a third verse live:Mama, wipe the blood from my faceI can't see through it anymoreIt's a feeling that I just can't traceI feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's doorKnock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...Though in every IG version I have, Amy sings the following thirdverse:Mama, wipe this blood from my faceI can't see through the wallsSix white horses coming to carry me awayI feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's doorKnock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...So, I don't know whether Amy re-wrote Dylan's third verse, or whetherit's from some Dylan version I don't know. What I'm trying to say isthat I don't know whether to attribute the "six white horses" line toDylan or to Amy.To further complicate matters, I've got one version that features aFOURTH verse, sung by Michelle Malone. This verse breaks both themeter and the rhyme scheme (ABBB in favor of ABAB), so I'm willing tobet that it's just Ms. Malone improvising...Mama, take these chains off of me'Cause I don't want them anymoreThey're getting too damn heavy, I'm crawling across the floorI feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's doorKnock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...Oh - BTW - the first person who asks me about the "Guns-n-Roses"version will feel my wrath...-Vic..