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Ballad of a Thin Man Lyrics by Stephen Malkmus

I’m Not There: Original Soundtrack

2007

You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
You say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you will say
When you get home
But there's something happening here
And you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
You raise up your head
You ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It is his"
And you say, "What's mine?"
And somebody else says, "Where what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God
Am I here all alone?"
Yes, 'cause something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
So you hand in your ticket
And you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you speak
And says, "Well, how does it feel my friend
To be such a freak?"
You say, "Impossible"
As he hands you a bone
And you're positive something's happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
You have so many contacts
Out there among the lumberjacks
To get you the facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway, they already expect
You to just give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations
Welllllll!
You've been with the professors
And they all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well read
Yeah, it's well known
Because something is still happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He crosses himself
And then he clicks his high heels
Without further notice
He tells you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your mouth back
Thanks for the loan"
And you know something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "Good God, what's happenin'?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or go home"
Yes, and now you're positive something's happening here
And you wish you knew what it was
Don't you, Mister Jones?
Well, you walk into the room
Like a camel and then you frown
To put your eyes in your pocket
Nose in the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin' around
You should be made
To wear some earphones
Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
Credits
Stephen Malkmus

Stephen Malkmus

About “Ballad of a Thin Man” by Stephen Malkmus

Read the complete lyrics to "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Stephen Malkmus from the album "I’m Not There: Original Soundtrack" in 2007. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock.

"Ballad of a Thin Man" is performed by Stephen Malkmus. from the album "I’m Not There: Original Soundtrack" in 2007 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Ballad of a Thin Man", explore more songs by Stephen Malkmus using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Ballad of a Thin Man" is credited to Stephen Malkmus. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Ballad of a Thin Man" appears on "I’m Not There: Original Soundtrack" in 2007.

Visit the Stephen Malkmus artist page at /artist/stephen-malkmus for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.