7/7/2019 Standing In The Doorway

Standing In The Doorway

Words and music by Bob Dylan 
Released on Time Out Of Mind (1997) 
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

(Here's a version with textual commentaries)

Album Version
Capo 4th fret (just for the sake of convenience...). This seems like a song in the vein of Simple
twist of fate in open tuning, more or less the same beginning.

C major E major
Chords (capo 4th) open tuning

C 032010 054000 (or 050000 or 000000)

C/b x22020 044000
Am 002210 020020
C/g 332010 000000 (or 004000)
F 133211 555555 (or 020120)
Bb/f 113331 575655 (or 575675)
G 320003 777777
D x00232 222222
C 000000

|: C C/b Am C/g :|

C /b Am C/g
I'm walkin' through the summer nights
C /b Am C/g
the jukebox playing low
C /b Am C/g
yesterday everything was goin' too fast
C /b Am C/g
Today it's movin' too slow

F Bb/f F Bb/f
I got no place left to turn
F Bb/f F F G
I got nothin' left to burn

C /b Am C/g
Don't know if I saw you if I would kiss you or kill you
C /b Am C/g
It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
F C G D
You left me standing in the doorway cryin'
F C
I got nothin' to go back to now.

The light in this place is so bad

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7/7/2019 Standing In The Doorway
Makin' me sick in the head
All the laughter is just makin' me sad
The stars have turned cherry red
I'm strummin' on my gay guitar
Smokin' a cheap cigar
The ghost of our old love has not gone away
Don't look it like it will anytime soon
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Under the midnight moon.

Maybe they'll get me and maybe they won't

But not tonight and it won't be here
There are things I could say, but I don't
I know the mercy of God must be near
I been ridin a midnight train
Got ice water in my veins
I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Sufferin' like a fool.

When the last rays of daylight go down

Buddy you'll roll no more
I can hear the church bells ringin' in the yard
I wonder who they're ringin' for
I know I can't win
But my heart just won't give in
Last night I danced with a stranger
But she just reminded me you were the one
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
In the dark land of the sun.

I eat when I'm hungry drink when I'm dry

And live my life on the square
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care
It always means so much
Even the softest touch
I see nothing to be gained by any explanation
There's no words that need to be said
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Blues wrapped around my head.

Live Version 2003

New arrangement during the 2003 southern US tour. The basic structure of the song is the
same as the album version, but a new riff has snuck into the first part, with the chords in the
descent coming twice as fast and with an extra turn at the end. In the version that has been
available to me (Austin, 20 April 2003) it sounds as if the two different guitars are in two
different capo positions: the main rhythm guitar at the 3rd fret and the other at the 1st fret. I
have given suggestions for the main riff in those two positions. In the 3rd position there are
two suggestions, one which is more or less what is played by the band, the other a version
which is more suitable for a single guitar. In the 1st­fret version I have included the chords to
the whole verse.

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7/7/2019 Standing In The Doorway

The Am (Bm with capo 1st fret) could also be played F (G)

Capo 3rd fret (sounding key Eb major)

C G/b Am C/g
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|/5---5-5-5---|-3---3-3-3---|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|
|/5---5-5-5---|-4---4-4-4---|-2---2-2-2---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

C/e F Gsus4 G
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|-1---1-1-1---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-0---0-0-0---|-2---2-2-2---|-0---0-0-0---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-2---2-2-2---|-3---3-3-3---|-0---0-0-0---|-0---0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

Or, if you want the descent in the bass (which is probably better on a single guitar):

C G/b Am C/g
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|
|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----2-2-2---|-----0-0-0---|-----2-2-2---|-----2-2-2---|
|-3-----------|-2-----------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|

C/e F Gsus4 G
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-----1-1-1---|-----1-1-1---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----0-0-0---|-----2-2-2---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-----2-2-2---|-----3-3-3---|-----0-0-0---|-----0-0-0---|
|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|-2-----------|
|-0-----------|-1-----------|-3-----------|-------------|

Capo 1st fret:

D A/c# Bm D/a
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-7-----------|-5-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|
|-7-----------|-6-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

D/f# G Asus4 A
: . . : . . : . . : . .
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-3-----------|-3-----------|-3-----------|-2-----------|
https://dylanchords.info/38_toom/doorway_chords.htm 3/4
7/7/2019 Standing In The Doorway

|-2-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|-2-----------|
|-4-----------|-5-----------|-2-----------|-2-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G Asus4 A

I'm walkin' through the summer nights
D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G Asus4 A
jukebox playing low
D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G Asus4 A
yesterday everything was movin' too fast
D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G A D
Today it's moving, moving too slow

G C G C
I got no place left to turn
G C G G A
I got nothin' left to burn

D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G Asus4 A

I don't know if I saw you if I would kiss you or kill you
D A/c# Bm D/a D/f# G A D
It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
G D A E
You left me standing, standing in the doorway cryin'
G D/f# Em7 D
Ah, well, I got nothin' to go back to now.

https://dylanchords.info/38_toom/doorway_chords.htm 4/4