Lyrics: John Perry Barlow
Music: Brent Mydland, John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow had this to say in his book "Mother American Night":
"The song I wrote with Brent that I liked best is the lullaby "I Will Take You Home." I wrote the whole thing - melody, words, the works - as I was going up the driveway of his house. Then I sat next to him at the piano as he played it for the first time. It was about his daughters and mine and a promise I needed to make for both of us. That whatever happened, we would be there to take them home. Only Brent didn't live to do that."The song is credited to "Barlow/Mydland" and I had assumed that Barlow wrote the words and Mydland the music. But Barlow's account suggests he had a role in the music as well.
Little girl lost in a forest of dreams
It's a dark old wood, and it's damp with dew
Hoot owl hoots, for a moment it seems
Something big and cold got a hold of you
Just when everything gets scary
Daddy's coming round for his darling again
Hold my hand with your little fingers
Daddy's loving arms gonna gather you in
Ain't no way the Bogeyman can get you
You can close your eyes, the world is gonna let you
Your daddy's here and never will forget you
I will take you home
I will take you home
Gonna carry you back home in my arms
I will take you home
Long is the road we must travel on down
Short are the legs that will struggle behind
I wish I knew for sure just where we're bound
What we will be doing, and what we're gonna find
Wherever we go, there will be birds to cheer you
Flowers to color in the fields around
Wherever we go, I'll be right here near you
You can't get lost when you're always found
Ain't no fog that's thick enough to hide you
Your daddy's gonna be right here beside you
If your fears should start to get inside you
I will take you home
I will take you home
Gonna carry you back home in my arms
I will take you home
| Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
| Date | Album | ||||
| 3 Jul 1988 | 30 Trips Around The Sun | ||||
| studio 1989 | Built To Last | ||||
| 4 Jul 1989 | Truckin' Up To Buffalo (DVD & CD soundtrack) | ||||
| 13 Jul 1989 | RFK Stadium 1989 Box | ||||
| 16 Oct 1989 | Nightfall Of Diamonds | ||||
| 15 Mar 1990 | Terrapin Station (Limited Edition) | ||||
| 25 Mar 1990 | Dozin' At The Knick (note 1) | ||||
| 3 Apr 1990 | Spring 1990 (The Other One) | ||||
| Other Recordings | |||||
| Date | Album | Recorded By | |||
| 1995 | The Crack O'Noon Club | Jim Hunter | |||
| 2006 | Barlow Shanghai - Live in Chicago | Mr Blotto | |||
| 2012 | Single | Aaron Gibson | |||