Pop Song 423 of 500 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' Bob Dylan 1973

Pop Song 423 of 500 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' Bob Dylan 1973

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. The song became one of Dylan's most popular and most covered post-1960s compositions, spawning covers from Eric Clapton, Guns N' Roses, Randy Crawford, and more.

Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity", the song features two short verses, the lyrics of which comment directly on the scene in the film for which it was written: the death of a frontier lawman (Slim Pickens) who refers to his wife (Katy Jurado) as "Mama

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
Feel I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door