What Good Am I ?

Nicholas Simmons, 20, of Greece, N.Y., warms himself on a steam grate by the Federal Trade Commission, just blocks from the Capitol, during frigid temperatures in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. Read his story in The Democratic Chronicle

What good am I if I’m like all the rest
If I just turn away, when I see how you’re dressed
If I shut myself off so I can’t hear you cry
What good am I?

What good am I if I know and don’t do
If I see and don’t say, if I look right through you
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin’ sky
What good am I?

What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don’t try
What good am I?

What good am I then to others and me
If I’ve had every chance and yet still fail to see
If my hands are tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been?

What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die
What good am I?

Music and lyrics by Bob Dylan

from the album:

Oh Mercy

First Played

Oct 10, 1989 in New York City at the Beacon Theatre

Last Played

Nov 28, 2013 in London, England at Royal Albert Hall

Played in concert 216 times throughout Dylan's career.