Co-written with Jacques Levy about the New York gangster Joey Gallo, killed in 1972.
The words
A sympathetic ballad about a mobster's life and violent death.
A long, sympathetic ballad about the New York gangster Joey Gallo. It traces his rise in the underworld, his years in prison and his return to the streets, presenting him as a man who wanted peace and was hunted by rivals. It ends with his violent death in a restaurant, and the refrain asks why he had to die that way. The tone is mournful, treating him almost as a folk hero. Dylan co-wrote it with Jacques Levy.
Words by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy
Lyrics on bobdylan.com ↗Listen and watch
The words
A sympathetic ballad about a mobster's life and violent death.
A long, sympathetic ballad about the New York gangster Joey Gallo. It traces his rise in the underworld, his years in prison and his return to the streets, presenting him as a man who wanted peace and was hunted by rivals. It ends with his violent death in a restaurant, and the refrain asks why he had to die that way. The tone is mournful, treating him almost as a folk hero. Dylan co-wrote it with Jacques Levy.
Words by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy
Lyrics on bobdylan.com ↗Connections
On the map
In threads
The same year · 1976
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