When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky

Bob Dylan · Original Album Classics [2010]

Look out across the fields, see me returning,

Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile.

From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning,

You've had time to think about it for a while.



Well, I've walked two hundred miles, now look me over,

It's the end of the chase and the moon is high.

It won't matter who loves who,

You'll love me or I'll love you

When the night comes falling from the sky.



I can see through your walls and I know you're hurting,

Sorrow covers you up like a cape.

Only yesterday I know that you've been flirting

With disaster that you managed to escape.



I can't provide for you no easy answers,

Who are you that I should have to lie?

You'll know all about it, love,

It'll fit you like a glove

When the night comes falling from the sky.



I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river,

You must have been protecting someone last time I called.

I've never asked you for nothing you couldn't deliver,

I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.



I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness,

For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die.

Stick around, baby, we're not through,

Don't look for me, I'll see you

When the night comes falling from the sky.



In your teardrops, I can see my own reflection,

It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line.

I don't want to be a fool starving for affection,

I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.



For all eternity I think I will remember

That icy wind that's howling in your eye.

You will seek me and you'll find me In the wasteland of your mind

When the night comes falling from the sky.



Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter

But you were gambling for support.

This time tomorrow I'll know you better

When my memory is not so short.



This time I'm asking for freedom,

Freedom from a world which you deny.

And you'll give it to me now,

I'll take it anyhow

When the night comes falling from the sky.

When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky

Bob Dylan's "When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky" stands as a haunting centerpiece on his 2010 compilation, Original Album Classics. Recorded during the late 1960s, the track exemplifies the folk-rock sound that defined his career, blending poetic storytelling with acoustic instrumentation. The song explores themes of cosmic inevitability and human vulnerability, characteristic of Dylan's mid-period work. Its enduring appeal lies in its atmospheric quality and the way it captures a specific moment in musical history, influencing countless artists who followed. As part of his broader discography, this recording remains a testament to his ability to weave complex imagery into accessible melodies that resonate across generations.