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Grateful Dead - Casey Jones

Grateful Dead - Casey Jones Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Workingman's Dead
Released: 1970

Casey Jones Lyrics

Drivin' that train, high on cocaine
Casey Jones you better, watch your speed
Trouble ahead, trouble behind
And you know that notion just crossed my mind

This old engine, makes it on time
Leaves Central Station at a quarter to nine
Hits River Junction at seventeen to
At a quarter to ten you know it's travelin' again

Drivin' that train, high on cocaine
Casey Jones you better, watch your speed
Trouble ahead, trouble behind
And you know that notion just crossed my mind

Trouble ahead, The Lady in Red
Take my advice you'd be better off dead
Switchman sleepin', train hundred and two
is on the wrong track and headed for you

Drivin' that train, high on cocaine
Casey Jones you better, watch your speed
Trouble ahead, trouble behind
And you know that notion just crossed my mind

Trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don't see
Come 'round the bend, you know it's the end
The fireman screams and the engine just gleams

Writer/s: JEROME J. GARCIA, ROBERT C. HUNTER
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Casey Jones

"Casey Jones" is (very) loosely based on the real life happenings of the heroic engineer Casey Jones, who was the subject of the famous 1902 song "The Ballad Of Casey Jones." It was doubtful that Jones was high on cocaine when he took over the train, and although his life was ended when he was hit by a train traveling the wrong way, he sacrificed his life so those on board could be saved.

In the book Garcia: A Signpost to New Space, Jerry Garcia was asked if this song grates on him when he hears it. The Dead frontman replied: "Sometimes, but that's what it's supposed to do. It's got a split-second little delay, which sounds very mechanical, like a typewriter almost, on the vocal, which is like a little bit jangly, and the whole thing is, I always thought it's a pretty good musical picture of what cocaine is like. A little bit evil. And hard-edged. And also that sing-songy thing, because that's what it is, a sing-songy thing, a little melody that gets in your head."

Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter came up with the line "Drivin' that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones you'd better watch your speed," which he wrote down and put in his pocket. He didn't think of it as part of a song until he looked at it later and decided to complete the lyrics.

When they put the song together, Hunter looked for ways to omit the word "cocaine," which at the time was a controversial word for song lyrics (they had taken some heat for using "Goddamn" in "Uncle John's Band"). Hunter tried some other phrases - "whipping that chain," "lugging propane" - but couldn't find an acceptable substitute, so Casey Jones ended up high on cocaine as originally written.

Grateful Dead - Box Of Rain

Grateful Dead - Box Of Rain Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: American Beauty
Released: 1970

Box Of Rain Lyrics

Look out of any window
Any morning, any evening, any day
Maybe the sun is shining
Birds are winging or
Rain is falling from a heavy sky,
What do you want me to do,
To do for you to see you through?
For this is all a dream we dreamed
One afternoon long ago
Walk out of any doorway
Feel your way, feel your way
Like the day before
Maybe you'll find direction
Around some corner
Where it's been waiting to meet you,
What do you want me to do,
To watch for you while you're sleeping?
Well please don't be surprised
When you find me dreaming too

Look into any eyes
You find by you, you can see
Clear through to another day
Maybe been seen before
Through other eyes on other days
While going home,
What do you want me to do,
To do for you to see you through?
It's all a dream we dreamed
One afternoon long ago

Walk into splintered sunlight
Inch your way through dead dreams
To another land
Maybe you're tired and broken
Your tongue is twisted
With words half spoken
And thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do
To do for you to see you through
A Box Of Rain will ease the pain
And love will see you through

Just a box of rain,
Wind and water,
Believe it if you need it,
If you don't just pass it on
Sun and shower,
Wind and rain,
In and out the window
Like a moth before a flame

And it's just a box of rain
I don't know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it's just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long long time to be gone
And a short time to be there

Writer/s: LESH, PHILIP / HUNTER, ROBERT C.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Box Of Rain

This song was written for Phil Lesh's father who was dying. Lesh wanted a song to sing to his father before he died. He wrote the music and recorded it and gave the tape to Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Hunter listened to the music and wrote the lyrics after listening to the tape only a few times. Lesh would practice singing the song in the car on the way to the hospital. He was able to sing the song to his father before he died.

This song was often sung in response to Deadheads chanting "We Want Phil!" It was also the last song the Grateful Dead ever played. On July 9, 1995, they played it as a second encore after "Black Muddy River" during their last show, which took place at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Robert Hunter says in his lyrics anthology , which is named after this song, that "If if a lyric wrote itself, this did-as fast as the pen would pull."

Grateful Dead - New Speedway Boogie

Grateful Dead - New Speedway Boogie Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Workingman's Dead
Released: 1970

New Speedway Boogie Lyrics

Please don't dominate the rap, Jack,
If you've got nothing new to say.
If you please, don't back up the track
This train's got to run today.

I spent a little time on the mountain,
I spent a little time on the hill,
I heard some say "Better run away",
Others say "Better stand still".

Now I don't know, but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold,
Other hand I have heard it said,
It's just as hard with the weight of lead.

Who can deny, who can deny,
It's not just a change in style?
One step done and another begun
And I wonder how many miles.

I spent a little time on the mountain,
I spent a little time on the hill,
I heard some say "Better run away",
Others say "Better stand still".

Now I don't know, but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold,
Other hand I have heard it said,
It's just as hard with the weight of lead.

Things went down we don't understand,
But I think in time we will.
Now, I don't know, but I was told
In the heat of the sun a man died of cold.

Keep on coming or stand and wait,
With the sun so dark and the hour so late.
You can overlook the lack, Jack,
Of any other highway to ride.

It's got no signs or dividing lines
And very few rules to guide.
I spent a little time on the mountain,
I spent a little time on the hill,
I heard some say "Better run away",
Others say "Better stand still".

Now I don't know, but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold,
Other hand I have heard it said,
It's just as hard with the weight of lead.
I saw things getting out of hand,
I guess they always will.

Now I don't know, but I been told
If the horse don't pull you got to carry the load.
I don't know whose back's that strong,
Maybe find out before too long.

One way or another, one way or another,
One way or another, this darkness got to give.
One way or another, one way or another,
One way or another, this darkness got to give.
One way or another, one way or another,
One way or another, this darkness got to give.

Writer/s: GARCIA, JEROME J. / HUNTER, ROBERT C.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

New Speedway Boogie

This was written about the disaster at the Altamont Speedway concert in 1969 when the Rolling Stones hired the Hells Angels to work security. The lyric: "In the heat of the sun, a man died of cold" refers to Meridith Hunter, an audience member who was killed by the Hell's Angels. Garcia referred to the concert as "...a nice day in HELL." (thanks, Chris - San Francisco, CA)

According to Blair Jackson in Goin' Down The Road: A Grateful Dead Traveling Companion , Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote this as a response to an indictment of the Altamont affair by Rock critic Ralph Gleason. Hence the lead-in lyrics, "Please don't dominate the rap Jack, if you've got nothing new to say." (thanks, Rich - Gurnee, IL)

Grateful Dead - Truckin'

Grateful Dead - Truckin' Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: American Beauty
Released: 1970

Truckin' Lyrics

Truckin' got my chips cashed in
Keep truckin', like the do-dah man
Together, more or less in line, just keep truckin' on

Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street
Chicago, New York, Detroit and it's all on the same street
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings

Dallas, got a soft machine Houston, too close to New Orleans
New York's got the ways and means and just won't let you be

Most of the cats that you meet on the streets speak of true love
Most of the time they're sittin' and cryin' at home
One of these days they know they better get goin'
Out of the door and down on the streets all alone

Truckin', like the do-dah man. Once told me you've got to play your hand
Sometimes your cards ain't worth a dime, if you don't lay'em down

Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been

What in the world ever became of sweet Jane?
She lost her sparkle, you know she isn't the same
Livin' on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine,
All a friend can say is ain't it a shame?

Truckin', up to Buffalo. Been thinkin', you got to mellow slow
Takes time, you pick a place to go, and just keep truckin' on

Sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window
Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again
I'd like to get some sleep before I travel
But if you got a warrant, I guess you're gonna come in

Busted, down on Bourbon Street, set up, like a bowlin' pin
Knocked down, it get's to wearin' thin. They just won't let you be

You're sick of hangin' around and you'd like to travel
Get tired of travelin' and you want to settle down
I guess they can't revoke your soul for tryin'
Get out of the door and light out and look all around

Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been

Truckin', I'm a goin' home. Whoa whoa baby, back where I belong
Back home, sit down and patch my bones, and get back truckin' on

Writer/s: GARCIA, JEROME J. / WEIR, ROBERT HALL / LESH, PHILIP / HUNTER, ROBERT C.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Truckin'

The '60s was a time for traveling and discovering your place in the world. Sometimes what you found was an empty existence that just keeps repeating itself day to day. Having to deal with everyday life when you were always waiting for some kind of revelation to expand your consciousness was often depressing. The Grateful Dead sang of acceptance of banality and the drive to continue their search for epiphany.

One verse in particular: "What in the world ever became of sweet Jane, she lost her sparkle. Well you know she isn't the same. Living on reds, vitamin C and cocaine? All a friend can say is ain't it a shame." seems to refer to the endless desperation that overtakes some people. They turn to drugs to provide meaning in their lives. This of course fails and spirals their lives into deeper depression. Drugs are for enhancing a good time spent with good friends. They cannot provide answers to the meaning of life. The previous verse speaks to commonplace usage and the consequences of accepting illegal activities as a normal part of your life. You often get "busted" by the police. (thanks, James - Rochester, NY)

Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir are the credited writers on this track along with their lyricist Robert Hunter.

The line, "Busted, down on Bourbon Street" refers to an incident on January 31, 1970 when members of the band were arrested in a drug bust that netted 19 people in New Orleans. The group was in town to play two shows at a club called the Warehouse, and the raid happened the morning after their first show at the French Quarter hotel where they were staying. Lesh, Weir and drummer Bill Kreutzmann were all arrested along with crew members and fans of the band who had joined them at the hotel.

The story made the front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune the next day, and drew national attention, with Rolling Stone running an article on the incident. Owsley Stanley, a Dead associate known for his pioneering work with LSD, was also arrested and labeled the "King of Acid" in the Times-Picayune piece. According to the Rolling Stone article, the band paid for bail and legal fees for all 19 arrested.

Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey

Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: In The Dark
Released: 1987

Touch Of Grey Lyrics

Must be getting early clocks are running late
Faint light of the morning sky looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle curse the glare
Draw the curtains I don't care 'cause it's alright

I will get by I will get by
I will get by I will survive

I see you've got your fist out say your piece and get out
Yes I get the gist of it but it's alright
Sorry that you feel that way the only there is to say
Every silver lining's got a Touch Of Grey

I will get by I will get by I will get by I will survive

It's a lesson to me the eagles and the beggars and the seas
The ABC's we all must face try to keep a little grace

It's a lesson to me the deltas and the east and the freeze
The ABC's we all think of and try to win a little love

I know the rent is in arrears the dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears but it's alright
Cow's giving kerosene, kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene but it's alright

I will get by I will get by I will get by I will survive

The shoe is on the hand that fits, there's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and spit 'cause it's alright
Oh well a touch of grey kinda suits you anyway
And that was all I had to say and it's alright

I will get by I will get by I will get by I will survive

We will get by we will get by we will get by we will survive
We will get by we will get by we will get by we will survive

Writer/s: GARCIA, JEROME J. / HUNTER, ROBERT C.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Touch Of Grey

Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics, as he did with many Dead songs, although Garcia wrote the line, "Light a candle, curse the glare." This is according to the book Box Of Rain, which was written by Hunter and is a collection of his published songs. In the book, it is "A Touch of Grey" and has an asterisk next to the line Jerry wrote. There is no definite reasoning for the song - many feel it's about aging, but many also feel it's about all the drugs they've done. (thanks, Eric - Houston, TX)

The Mighty Diamonds covered this in 1996 on Fire On The Mountain, an album of Reggae versions of Grateful Dead songs.

According to David Dodd in The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, the line "Light a Candle, curse the glare" is a play on Adlai Stevenson's 1962 reference to Eleanor Roosevelt's death. He said, "She would rather light a candle than curse the darkness." The line, "The Ables and the Bakers and the Cs" refers to the first two words in an older version of the military communication alphabet, "Able" and "Baker." The modern version starts with "Alpha" and "Bravo." (thanks, Amy - Chicago, IL, for above 2)

The song is about the band aging gracefully. The phrase "Touch Of Grey" is a reference to getting older. For most people, their hair starts getting grey as they age.

This was The Grateful Dead's first and only hit song. They had a huge following and were never concerned with chart hits. They didn't have to be because their albums sold well and their tours sold very well.

They made a video for this, which was the first one they made for MTV. They shot it during a concert at Laguna Seca Raceway in California, which let them use a real audience. The video shows the band playing the song as skeleton puppets. At the end, they transform into the real band members.

At their famous live shows, the band refused to capitalize on the commercial success of this song. Even though it was a hit, band members wouldn't play it at many of their concerts. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington - USA)