Guns N' Roses covered this on their 1991 album, Use Your Illusion II. They played it in 1992 at a tribute concert for Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, who had died of AIDS. 72,000 people attended the concert, which was held in London's Wembley Stadium. In case you're wondering, towards the end of the end of this version, the man on the telephone says, "You just better start sniffin your own rank subjugation Jack, 'cause it's just you and your tattered libido, the bank and the mortician, forever man and it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive."
This song is written from the perspective of a dying sheriff: Mama, take this badge off of me I can't use it anymore It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door Dylan wrote it for the 1973 Western film, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. It plays while Sheriff Colin Baker is dying from his gunshot wounds. Dylan cameos in the movie as the character, Alias.
Lyrics
Ooh, ooh
Hey
Mama, take this badge from me
I can't use it anymore
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh-oh yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ayy hey yeah
Ooh-oh yeah, oh yeah, aw
Mama, put my guns in the ground (Ooh)
I can't shoot them anymore (Ooh)
That cold black cloud is comin' down (Ooh)
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door (Ooh)
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ayy hey yeah
Ooh
You just better start sniffing your own rank subjugation, Jack
Because it's just you against your tattered libido
The bank and the mortician, forever, man
And it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh, no, no, no, whoa
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, no, no, no, whoa, no
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, ooh yeah
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door
Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, yeah, oh
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