Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir
My brother Esau killed a hunterNotes
Back in nineteen sixty nine (note 10)
And before the killing was done
His inheritance was mine
But his birthright was a wand to wave (note 1)
Before a weary band
Esau gave me sleeplessness
And a piece of moral land
My father favoured Esau (note 2) (note 3)
Who was eager to obey
All the bloody wild commandments (note 11)
The old man shot his way
But all this favour ended when
My brother failed at war
He staggered home
And found me in the door (note 4)
Esau skates on mirrors any more (note 5)
Meets his pale reflection at the door
Yet sometimes at night I dream (note 6)
He's still that hairy man
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Esau holds a blessing
Brother Esau holds a curse (note 7)
I would say that the blame is mine
But I suspect it's something worse (note 8)
The more my brother looks like me
The less I understand (note 9)
The silent war
That blooded both our hands
Sometimes at night (note 12)
I think I understand
Way late at night
Oh, I feel I understand
It's brother to brother
And it's man to man
And it's face to face
And it's hand to hand
The shadow dance
The silent war within
The shadow dance
Never ends, never ends, never ends
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Yet again, yet again
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Esau tried to build a world(4) the sheet music has "... at the door" but Barlow's lyrics have "...in the door." Weir sang both versions
A marvelous disguise
Where every street is easy
And there's nothing to deny
And although he gave me all his cards
I could not play his hand
I made a choice
That soon became a stand
Esau, he's on rollerskates today(6) the sheet music wrongly has "But sometimes at night ..."
Selling real estate to someone in LA
or (from 14 July 1985: thanks to Todd Prusin)
Esau he's on rollerskates today
He gets around the darkside of town, way down around LA
or (from 10 Apr 1984):
Esau he's in real estate today
And he gets around, nightime down, down around L.A.
Weir revived the song playing with members of The National in the Bridge Sessions at TRI Studios in March 2012. Thanks to David Gans for the info. Weir commented:
"It was the National's idea. I had to finally address the [lyrics of] the bridge, which was why I stopped doing it back when."
The new bridge is:
Esau won't miss his birthright anyway
Ain't like it's worth all that much today
Sometimes at nightAnother variant for the start of this ad lib (thanks to Ben Anderson):
I think I understand
[Well late] at night
Oh feel that I understand
It's never ending, never yet began
Never begin
Fighting a war neither one could ever win
Never win
Brother to brother
And the man is
Hand to hand
Never win, never win
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Wandering
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Wandering
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
The older I get, the closer I get
The more I think I understand
Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | ||||
10 Apr 1983 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2017) | ||||
26 Apr 1983 | Dave's Picks Volume 39 | ||||
4 Sep 1983 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2022) | ||||
12 Oct 1983 | In And Out Of The Garden | ||||
21 Oct 1983 | 30 Trips Around The Sun (note b) | ||||
14 Apr 1984 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2010) (note c) | ||||
20 Apr 1984 | Dave's Picks Volume 35 | ||||
23 Jun 1984 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2023) | ||||
28 Oct 1984 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2024) | ||||
27 Apr 1985 | Dave's Picks Vol 49 | ||||
24 Jun 1985 | 30 Trips Around The Sun (note e) | ||||
31 Mar 1986 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2014) | ||||
studio 1987 | In The Dark (note a) | ||||
26 Mar 1987 | Dave's Picks Volume 36 | ||||
24 Jul 1987 | View From The Vault IV (DVD & CD soundtrack) | ||||
16 Sep 1987 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2021) (note d) | ||||
3 Oct 1987 | View From The Vault III (DVD & CD soundtrack) | ||||
Bob Weir Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | Recorded By | |||
Jun 2021 | Live In Colorado | Bob Weir & Wolf Bros | |||
Covers By Other Artists | |||||
Date | Album | Recorded By | |||
Jun 2021 | Everywhere: The Dead Sessions | Lureto |