Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia
Way down upon Sycamore SloughNotes
A white man sings the blues
selling roses of paper maché (note 1)
with flecks of starlight dew
I swiped a bunch and threw it your way
where hazy moonlight glowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Way down upon Shadowfall Ward
End of the avenue
Run, hide, seek in your own backyard
Mama's backyard won't do
All night long I sang Love's Sweet Song
down where the water flowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Moonlight wails as hound dogs bay
but never quite catch the tune
Stars fall down in buckets like rain
till there ain't no standing room
Bright blue boxcars train by train
clatter where dreams unfold
Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Way down upon Seminole Square
belly of the river tide
call for me and I will be there
for the price of a taxi ride
Night double-clutches into today
like a truck downshifting its load
Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Thread the needle
right through the eye
The thread that runs so true
All the others I let pass by
I only wanted you
Never cared for careless love
but how your bright eyes glowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | ||||
rehearsal 18 Feb 1993 | So Many Roads (1965-1995) | ||||
25 Mar 1993 | Ready Or Not | ||||
29 Mar 1993 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2016) | ||||
23 Jun 1993 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2017) | ||||
26 Jun 1993 | (official YouTube video only) | ||||
31 Jul 1994 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2015) | ||||
(Plus live recordings by The Dead, Furthur, Dead & Company, Ratdog, Phil Lesh & Friends etc not listed here. See Grateful Dead Family Discography for a full list.) | |||||
Other Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | Recorded By | |||
2000 | Crazy Fingers | The Grass Is Dead | |||
2000 | Might As Well | The Persuasions (note 2) | |||
15 Sep 2002 | Live At The Powerhouse | David Gans (DVD only) | |||
2005 | Jerry Jams, Jerry Cares | David Gans | |||
2005 | Live At The Chicory House | Lex and Joe | |||
2011 | Songs For A New Day: Almost Acoustic | Phil McGee | |||
2015 | It's A Hand-Me-Down | David Gans | |||
2018 | Cut The Dead Some Slack | Stephen Inglis | |||
2018 | On The Road | John Kadlecik |