1967 – Santa-Fe – Bob Dylan

Songs About New Mexico: Santa-Fe

written and performed by Bob Dylan (1967)

“Santa-Fe” is a song that was recorded by Bob Dylan and the Band in the summer or fall of 1967 in the Woodstock area of New York State. It was recorded during the sessions that would in 1975 be released on The Basement Tapes but was not included on that album. These sessions took place in three phases throughout the year, at a trio of houses, and “Santa-Fe” was likely put on tape in the second of these, at a home of some of the Band members, known as Big Pink. The composition, which has been characterized as a “nonsense” song, was copyrighted in 1973 with lyrics that differ noticeably from those on the recording itself.

Above: Cover of Santa-Fe by The Nonplussed recorded during their 2013 Kitchen Sessions in Cambridge, MA.

Lyrics

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe,
My woman needs it ev’ryday,
She promised this a-lad she’d stay,
She’s rollin’ up a lotta bread
To toss away.
She’s in Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe
Now she’s opened up an old maid’s home,
She’s proud, but she needs to roam,
She’s gonna write herself a roadside poem,
About Santa-Fe.

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
Since I’m never gonna cease to roam,
I’m never, ever far from home,
But I’ll build a geodesic dome
And sail away.
Don’t feel bad.
No, no, no, no, don’t feel bad
It’s the best food I’ve ever had.
Makes me feel so glad
That she’s cooking in a home-made pad
She never caught a cold so bad
When I’m away.

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My shrimp boat’s in the bay
I won’t have my nature this way,
And I’m leanin’ on the wheel each day
To drift away
From Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My sister looks good at home,
She’s lickin’ on an ice cream cone,
She’s packin’ her big white comb,
What does it weigh?