Arlo Guthrie
Lyric guide

Gates Of Eden

Read Gates Of Eden lyrics by Arlo Guthrie on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Arlo Guthrie visibility1 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Arlo Guthrie Canonical path: /guthrie-arlo/gates-of-eden Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Gates Of Eden

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

by Bob Dylan

Of war and peace the truth just twists

Its curfew gull it glides

Upon four-legged forest clouds

The cowboy angel rides

With his candle lit into the sun

Though it's glow is waxed in black

All except beneath the trees of Eden

The lamp post stands with folded arms

It's iron claws attached

To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail

Through its shadow's metal badge

All in all can only fall

With a crashing but meaningless blow

No sound ever comes from The Gates of Eden

The savage soldier sticks his head

In the sand and then complains

Unto the shoeless hunter who's gone deaf

But still remains

Upon the beach where hound dogs bay

At ships with tattooed sails

Heading for The Gates of Eden

The time rusted compass blade

Aladdin and his lamp

Sits with Utopian hermit monks

Side saddle on the golden calf

And on their promises of paradise

You will not hear a hush

All except inside The Gates of Eden

Relationships of ownership

They whisper in the wings

To those condemned to act accordingly

And wait for succeeding kings

And I try to harmonize with songs

The lonesome sparrow sings

There are no kings inside The Gates of Eden

The kingdoms of experience

In the precious winds they rot

While paupers change possessions

Each one wishing for what the other has got

And the princess and the prince discuss

What's real and what's not

It doesn't matter inside The Gates of Eden

The foreign sun it squints upon

A bed that is never mine

As friends and others, strangers

From their fates try to resign

Leaving men holy and totally free

To do anything they wish to do but die

And there are no trials inside The Gates of Eden

At dawn my lover comes to me

And tells me of her dreams

With no attempts to shovel the glimpse

Into the ditch of what each one means

At times I think there are no words

But these to tell me what's true

There are no truths outside The Gates of Eden

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Gates Of Eden"?

Arlo Guthrie performs "Gates Of Eden", and this lyric page sits inside the Arlo Guthrie catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Gates Of Eden"?

Yes. The related section below points to Mr Bojangles and 1913 Massacre with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Arlo Guthrie?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Arlo Guthrie's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Gates Of Eden yet.