Dear Prudence

Lyrics: Lennon, McCartney
Music: Lennon, McCartney

This was played twice by the Grateful Dead as a jam without lyrics. Once, fleetingly, on 13 March 1982 between The Other One and Black Peter, and once more substantively on 30 December 1991 between Saint Of Circumstance and Drums. (Thanks to Andy McGaan for help with this.) Jerry Garcia played it with Merle Saunders in 1979 in the band Reconstruction, and subsequently with the Jerry Garcia Band. Bob Weir introduced it with Ratdog in 2000.

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sky is blue, the birds will sing (note 1)
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play

Dear Prudence, open up your eyes
Dear Prudence, greet the sunny skies (note 2)
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful, and so are you (note 3)
Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes

Chorus
Look around, round, round
Look around, round, round
Look around, round, round
Look around, round, round

Dear Prudence, let me see you smile
Dear Prudence, like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile

[chorus]

Dear Prudence, let me see you smile
Dear Prudence, like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile

[chorus]
Notes
(1) the Beatles version has "The sun is up, the sky is blue; it's beautiful, and so are you" here, which Jerry sings in the second verse (at least on the Jerry Garcia Band CD)
(2) the Beatles version is "... see the sunny skies"
(3) the Beatles version has "The wind is low, the birds will sing; that you are part of everything" here, which is roughly what Jerry sings in the first verse, except for the italicised words

Jerry Garcia Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
      1979 Best Of Jerry Garcia Reconstruction
     29 Feb 1980 Way After Midnight Jerry Garcia Band
      1 Mar 1980 Garcia Live Volume 1 Jerry Garcia Band
     26 Jun 1981 Garcia Live Volume 1.5 Jerry Garcia Band
     studio 1982 Run For The Roses Jerry Garcia Band (note 4)
     18 Jun 1982 Garcia Live Volume 20 Jerry Garcia Band
     31 Oct 1987 Pure Jerry 2: Lunt-Fontanne Jerry Garcia Band
     16 Sep 1989 Garcia Live Volume 13 Jerry Garcia Band
      6 Sep 1989 Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound Jerry Garcia Band
      8 Aug 1990 Jerry Garcia Band Jerry Garcia Band
      1 Sep 1990 Live At Shoreline (DVD) Jerry Garcia Band
     11 Nov 1993 Garcia Live Volume 11 Jerry Garcia Band

Notes
(4) bonus track on the reissued album included in the box set All Good Things


Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For online chords and TAB see www.rukind.com
For sheet music, see:
          Jerry Garcia Songbook (vocal line and chords)

 


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