Written by Bob Dylan, the song was released in 1971 by The Band on their album “Cahoots.”
Dylan himself recorded a version of the song, which was released in 2013 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971).
Dylan and The Band performed the song live during a New Year’s concer...
Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble
Ancient footprints are everywhere
You could almost think that you're seeing double
On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs
Gotta hurry on back to my hotel room
Where I got me a date with a pretty little girl from Greece
She promised she'd be there with me
When I paint my masterpiece
Oh, the hours we'd spend inside the Colosseum
Dodging lions, and a-wasting time
Oh those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em
Yes it sure has been a long, hard climb
Train wheels a-running thru the back of my memory
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese
Someday everything is gonna sound like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece
Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola
Oh to be back in the land of Coca-Cola
Well, I left Rome and landed in Brussels
On a plane ride so bumpy that I almost cried
Clergy men in uniform, and young girls pulling muscles
Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside
Newspaper men eating candy
Had to be held down by big police
But someday everything's gonna be different
When I paint that masterpiece
When I Paint My Masterpiece was written by Bob Dylan.
When I Paint My Masterpiece was produced by The Band.
The Band released When I Paint My Masterpiece on Wed Sep 15 1971.