OPHELIA (The Band)

Boards on the window, mail by the door
What would anybody leave so quickly for?
Ophelia – Where have you gone?

The old neighborhood just ain’t the same
Nobody knows just what became of
Ophelia – tell me, what went wrong?

Was it somethin’ that somebody said?
Mama, I know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I’d die for you

Ashes of laughter, the coast is clear
Why do the best things always disappear
Like Ophelia – please darken my door

Was it somethin’ that somebody said?
Honey, you know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I’d die for you

They got your number, scared and runnin’
But I’m still waitin’ for the second comin’
Of Ophelia – come back home

The lyrics tell of the singer’s efforts  to find  Ophelia, a friend or his lover, who has left town in a hurry.  Maybe Ophelia is a beautiful, black, mysterious woman  in a Southern town who was forced to flee  because her relationship with the white singer was illegal, owing to Southern attitudes at the time towards interracial relationships

The song was written by  Robbie Robertson and was first released by  The Band in 1975 . A live version was included in the film   The Last Waltz

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