Words and music Bob Dylan
Released on Slow Train Coming (1979)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Chords (these are the chords he used in Toronto, Apr 20 1980):

Em    779987
B     799877
A     577655

Em
Man gave names to all the animals
         B                 Em
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Em
Man gave names to all the animals
         B                   Em
In the beginning, long time ago.

Em                             B
He saw an animal that liked to growl,
B                              Em
Big furry paws and he liked to howl,
Em                             A
Great big furry back and furry hair.
B                         Em
"Ah, think I'll call it a bear."

He saw an animal up on a hill
Chewing*) up so much grass until she was filled.
He saw milk comin' out but he didn't know how.
"Ah, think I'll call it a cow."

He saw an animal that liked to snort,
Horns on his head and they weren't too short.
It looked like there wasn't nothin' that he couldn't pull.
"Ah, think I'll call it a bull."

He saw an animal leavin' a muddy trail,
Real dirty face and a curly tail.
He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big.
"Ah, think I'll call it a pig."**)

Next animal that he did meet
Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet,
Eating grass on a mountainside so steep.
"Ah, think I'll call it a sheep."

He saw an animal as smooth as glass
Slithering his way through the grass.
Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake . . .

*) I do prefer the occasional variation: “smoking up . . .”

**) Even here I prefer the variant “think I’ll call it a horse” (Fow Warfield, Nov 1980). One evening this was a cow too.