In his autobiography Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan wrote about the song’s recording,
“Although Lanois liked the song, he liked the bridge better, wanted the whole song to be like that. I knew what he meant, but it just couldn’t be done. Though I thought about it for a second, thinking that I could probably start with the bridge as the main part and use the main part as the bridge…the idea didn’t amount to much and thinking about the song this way wasn’t healthy. I felt like it was fine the way it was — didn’t want to lose myself in thinking too much about changing it.
Bob Dylan – Series Of Dreams
Bob Dylan “Series of Dreams” LIVE February 12, 1994, Tokyo
BOB DYLAN – Series Of Dreams (1989) “OH MERCY” sessions outtake
Bob Dylan – Series Of Dreams (Live Debut, Vienna 1993)
BONUS
BOB DYLAN “SERIES OF DREAMS” Performed in Spanish by: J.M.BAULE
LYRICS
I was thinking of a series of dreams
Where nothing comes up to the top
Everything stays down where it’s wounded
And comes to a permanent stop
Wasn’t thinking of anything specific
Like in a dream, when someone wakes up and screams
Nothing too very scientific
Just thinking of a series of dreams
Thinking of a series of dreams
Where the time and the tempo fly
And there’s no exit in any direction
’Cept the one that you can’t see with your eyes
Wasn’t making any great connection
Wasn’t falling for any intricate scheme
Nothing that would pass inspection
Just thinking of a series of dreams
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
Into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you’re holding
Unless they’re from another world
In one, numbers were burning
In another, I witnessed a crime
In one, I was running, and in another
All I seemed to be doing was climb
Wasn’t looking for any special assistance
Not going to any great extremes
I’d already gone the distance
Just thinking of a series of dreams
REVIEW
Either it is no good, or it is very good, but not quite complete, not quite perfect. The latter case is the one that can make omissions hard to understand. How can he omit (for example) Blind Willie McTell? The answer is that he knows what it might have been if only that final key could have been entered into the lock – that final door opened. He knows it is a great, but flawed song, and can’t get the flaws out of it. Without that final twist to resolve the problem the song is more frustrating than any of the more ordinary songs – and so gets cut.