I heard recently that Bob was writing that one, intending it to be a many-verse story song, but he lost interest part way through, and just decided to record it as it was. It does have many parallels with "Pretty Boy Floyd". I can't imagine for a minute that it's about Lyndon Johnson, but others have suggested it's about Bob himself, and that the "lady by his side" was Joan Baez, when they were both supporting civil rights workers down in Chaney Country. That sounds much more likely than LBJ to me. Dylan loves casting himself as the noble outlaw on the run from the powers that be, and like John Wesley Harding, Bob was very seldom known to make a foolish move, given the fact that he rocketed to success in an unprecedented fashion for a folk musician.

- LH