Dr. Filth

When I think of characters I think of the many folks other than the narrator who populate his songs - Turtle with his cheeks all gorged; the Wicked Messenger, the man standing next to Bob whose head was exploding, Tiny Montgomery, Dr. Filth, Genghis Khan, etc.

Top Five Bob Dylan Song Characters Who Would Make For Great Comic Books | Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources 2008

When the same song refers to Dr. Filth, there he is performing surgery....

Archive 2006-10-01 Ann Althouse 2006

And the only sound that's left After the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up On Desolation Row Now the moon is almost hidden The stars are beginning to hide The fortunetelling lady Has even taken all her things inside All except for Cain and Abel And the hunchback of Notre Dame Everybody is making love Or else expecting rain And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing He's getting ready for the show He's going to the carnival tonight On Desolation Row Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window For her I feel so afraid On her twenty-second birthday She already is an old maid To her, death is quite romantic She wears an iron vest Her profession's her religion Her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow She spends her time peeking Into Desolation Row Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago With his friend, a jealous monk He looked so immaculately frightful As he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffing drainpipes And reciting the alphabet Now you would not think to look at him But he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin On Desolation Row Dr. Filth, he keeps his world Inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients They're trying to blow it up Now his nurse, some local loser She's in charge of the cyanide hole And she also keeps the cards that read

DESOLATION ROW Dylan, Bob, 1941- 1965