I learned about this parody from Wikipedia, so I had to look it up on Spotify.


CLOTHES LINE SAGA
Words, Bob Dylan; music, Bobbie Gentry, ODE TO BILLIE JOE.
As sung by Bob Dylan with The Band on "The Basement Tapes" (1975)

After a while we took in the clothes; nobody said very much—
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs o' pants which nobody really wanted to touch.
Mama come in an' picked up a book, an' Papa asked her what it was.
Someone else asked, "What do you care?" Papa said, "Well, just because."
Then we started to take back the clothes, an' hang 'em on the line.
It was January the thirtieth, and everybody was feelin' fine.

'Bout next day, ever'body got up, seein' if the clothes were dry.
The dogs were barkin'; a neighbor passed; mama, of course, she said, "Hi!"
"Have you heard the news?" he said with a grin. "The vice president's gone mad."
"Where?" "Downtown." "When?" "Last night." "Hmm! Gee, that's too bad."
"Well, there's nothin' we can do about it," said the neighbor. "It's just somethin' we're gonna have to forget."
"Yes, I guess so," said Ma, then she asked me if the clothes were still wet.

I reached up, touched my shirt, and the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"
I said, "Some of 'em, not all of 'em." He said, "Y'always help out around here with the chores?"
I said, "Sometimes, not all the time," then my neighbor he blew his nose,
Just as Papa yelled outside, "Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes."
Woo-hoo! I just do what I'm told, so I did it, of course.
I went back in the house, an' Mama met me and then I shut all the doors.


[Also recorded by—
Suzzy & Maggie Roche on the tribute album "A Nod to Bob" (2001)
Cowboy Junkies on "Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band, Vol. 1" (2010)
Invisible Republic on "A Basement Tapes Revival" (2011)]