[Intro] We'll do a song then about revolution A song of what's been true of all revolutions From the beginning, the French, the American This is a fictional song, a cinematic song You've got to picture this mansion On the top of a hill, housing the last of the idle rich The last of the bourgeois, the last of the folk singers As they are being encircled tighter and tighter by the Ringing of Revolution All the people on the inside spiritually resemble Charles Laughton And all the people on the outside physically resemble Lee Marvin As a matter of fact, this song is so cinematic That it's been made into a movie directed by Otto Preminger It stars Senator Carl Hayden as Ho Chi Minh Frank Sinatra plays Fidel Castro Ronald Reagan plays George Murphy John Wayne plays Lyndon Johnson And Lyndon Johnson plays God I play Bobby Dylan, a young Bobby Dylan [Verse 1] In a building of gold, with riches untold Lived the families on which the country was founded And the merchants of style, with their vain velvet smiles Were there, for they also were hounded And the soft middle class crowded into the last For the building was fully surrounded And the noise outside was the ringing of revolution [Verse 2] Sadly they stared and sank in their chairs And searched for a comforting notion And the rich silver walls looked ready to fall As they shook in doubtful devotion The ice cubes would clink as they freshened their drinks Wet their minds in bitter emotion And they talked about the ringing of revolution [Verse 3] We were hardly aware of the hardships they beared For our time was taken with treasure Oh, life was a game, and work was a shame And pain was prevented by pleasure The world, cold and grey, was so far away In the distance only money could measure But their thoughts were broken by the ringing of revolution [Verse 4] And the clouds filled the room in darkening doom As the crooked smoke rings were rising How long will it take, how can we escape Someone asks, but no one's advising And the quivering floor responds to the roar In a shake no longer surprising As closer and closer comes the ringing of revolution [Verse 5] So softly they moan, please leave us alone As back and forth they are pacing And they cover their ears and try not to hear With pillows of silk they're embracing The crackling crowd is laughing out loud Peeking in at the target they're chasing Now trembling inside the ringing of revolution [Verse 6] With compromise sway we gave in half way When we saw that rebellion was growing Now everything's lost as they kneel by the cross Where the blood of Christ is still flowing Too late for their sorrow they've reached their tomorrow And reaped the seed they were sowing Now harvested by the ringing of revolution [Verse 7] In tattered tuxedos they faced the new heroes And crawled about in confusion And they sheepishly grinned for their memories were dim Of the decades of dark execution Hollow hands raised, they stood there amazed In the shattering of their illusions As the windows were smashed by the ringing of revolution [Verse 8] Down on our knees we're begging you please We're sorry for the way you were driven There's no need to taunt, just take what you want And we'll make amends, if we're living But away from the grounds the flames told the town That only the dead are forgiven As they vanished inside the ringing of revolution