Temporary Like Achilles

Unrequited Longing: Bob Dylan's Struggle for Love in 'Temporary Like Achilles'
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Lyrics

Standing on your window, honey

Observing from outside your window

Yes, I've been here before

Expressing familiarity with the situation

Feeling so harmless, I'm looking at your second door

Feeling non-threatening, examining another entrance

How come you don't send me no regards?

Questioning the lack of greetings or acknowledgment

You know I want your lovin'

Expressing desire for affection

Honey, why are you so hard?

Questioning the difficulty or resistance received


Kneeling 'neath your ceiling

Kneeling beneath the ceiling, indicating a submissive position

Yes, I guess I'll be here for a while

Expecting to remain in this situation for a while

I'm tryin' to read your portrait

Trying to understand the person through observation

But i'm helpless, like a rich man's child

Feeling helpless, akin to a wealthy person's child

How come you send someone out to have me barred?

Questioning the deployment of measures to keep the speaker away

You know I want your lovin'

Reiterating the desire for love and affection

Honey, why are you so hard?

Expressing frustration with the perceived difficulty of the person


Like a poor fool in his prime

Comparing oneself to a naive person in their prime

Yes, I know you can hear me walk

Acknowledging the awareness of being heard

But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime

Pondering if the person's heart is unyielding or flexible

Or is it just solid rock?

Considering the possibility of the heart being solid rock


Well, I lean into your hallway

Leaning into the person's hallway, seeking closeness

Lean against your velvet door

Resting against a luxurious door, possibly metaphorical

I watch upon your scorpion

Observing a scorpion, a potentially dangerous element

Who crawls across your circus floor

Referring to something mysterious or unsettling in the person's life

Just what do you think you have to guard?

Questioning what the person believes needs protection

You know I want your lovin'

Reiterating the desire for love, despite challenges

Honey, but you're so hard

Expressing frustration with the person's perceived hardness


Achilles is in your alleyway

Referring to Achilles, a mythical character, in the person's vicinity

He don't want me here, he does brag

Indicating that Achilles doesn't want the speaker around

He's pointing to the sky

Describing Achilles pointing to the sky, possibly suggesting superiority

And he's hungry, like a man in drag

Comparing Achilles' hunger to that of a man in drag

How come you get someone like him to be your guard?

Questioning the choice of someone like Achilles as a guardian

You know I want your lovin'

Reaffirming the desire for love despite the challenges

Honey, but you're so hard

Expressing frustration with the person's perceived hardness

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