Verse on the Tracks

You know that line in Dylan's "Tangled up in Blue" about the Italian poet from the thirteenth century? Apparently a few other people have wondered who that poet might be, and it seems Bob wasn't too sure either. There's been some intense online debating about it. One guy tried listening to every live version of the song, and somewhere in December 1978 things start getting weird:

ORIGINAL ALBUM RECORDING:

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You look like the silent type."
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century.
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.

--

Source: 15 November 1978, Forum, Inglewood, California, USA.

Then she opened up a book of poems
And she started quotin' it to me
It was either written by Charles Baudelaire
Or some poem from the 13 century

--

Source: 23 November 1978, Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.

It was either written by Charles Baudelaire
Or some Italian poem from the 13th century

--

Source: 2 December 1978, Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeremiah, (??),
Chapters 1 & 33

--

Source: 9 December 1978, Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.

Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeremiah, chapters 32,
Verses (21 & 33)

--

Source: 10 December 1978, Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina,
USA.

"You know, you look like you could be the silent type"
And she opened up the Bible
And she started quoting it to me
Jeremiah, chapter 17,
From verses 21 and 33

--

Source: 12 December 1978, The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeramiah, chapters 37 (& 38,)
Verses 29 & 33

--

Source: 13 December 1978, The Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

She lit a burner on the stove
She was wearing a housecoat made out of stars and stripes
"Thought you'd forgot how to-know how to say," she said
"You look like the silent type."
Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeramiah, chapters 10 & 20,
Verses 21 & 33

--

Source: 15 December 1978, Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida, USA.

She was dressed in a dress had stars and stripes
"Thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You know, you look like you could be the silent type."
Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeremiah, chapters 36,
Verses 21 & 33

--

Source: 16 December 1978, Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida
[=Miami?], USA.
This was the last performance before the "Gospel era".

She was wearing a housecoat made of stars and stripes
"Thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You know, you look like you could be the silent type."
Then she opened up the Bible
And she started quotin' it to me
Jeremiah, chapter 31,
Verses 9 to 33

--

All the following performances omit this verse altogether!

Source: 4 June 1984, Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
This was the first post-Gospel performance.
Source: 9 June 1984, Ullevi Stadion, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Source: 11 June 1984, Stadion Bierberer Berg, Offenbach, West Germany (as
it then was).
Source: 13 June 1984, Waldbuhne, West-Berlin, West Germany (as it then
was).
Source: 19 June 1984, Roma Palaeur, Rome, Italy.
Source: "Real Live", 29 November 1984 (performed 7 July 1984, Wembley
Stadium, London, England).
Source: 8 July 1984, Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland.

Bob weighed in during a 1978 interview:
Dylan:       I like that song. Yeah that poet from the 13th century....
Interviewer: Who was that ?
Dylan:       Plutarch. Is that his name ?
Interviewer: Yeah.