Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues

Lyrics: Bobby Petersen
Music: Phil Lesh/Brent Mydland

This was played once, on 27 March 1986. The lyrics are pretty hard to decipher from the recordings of that show, but thanks to Nicholas Meriwether who has now [2015] published the copyright registration typescript from the Dead Archive in his blog Documenting The Dead, we can see what the lyrics really are (and thanks to Nicholas for supplying page 2 as well).

Halfway past gloomy Monday
Further side of loon
Rollin' down Wild Hair Boulevard
With the rising of the poon
Hot damn, Midwinter's Day (note 1)
Don't you all look fine
Promenading down along the carwash
Passin' snipes and sniffin' wine

We got poets, shuckers, Godzilla's grandmutha
Sweet little frozen-nose Sue
We got Speed Razor and his Arcade Androids
Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues (note 2)

Singing, Mama may I tighten your cap?
Honey let me loosen your load
Here, hold on to this hand grenade
While I ...

What's his face from the shit club (note 3)
Comin' on to Silly's squeeze Joe
Silly sez, I'll say it once
For you it's cold steel, and slow

So the sand dune bar errupted
Splintered chairs and flyin' glass
Silly smack dab in the storm eye
Spoutin' verse and kickin' ass

Back then what seemed to happen nightly
Now would make the front page news (note 4)
Still Speed Razor and the band kept playin'
Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues (note 5)

I headed for the window (note 6)
But I never did get clear
Deputy Hawg and his hickory stick
Was the last thing I saw that year
Drag me down to Kangaroo Cave
Read the charges if you please
Laid thirty days upon my tail
For interfering with entropy

Singing, momma may I tighten your cap?
Your Honor, let me loosen your load
Here, hold on to this grenade for me
While I ...

Yes, the full moon irradiates Wild Hair Boulevard now
Where gunships prowl so bold
Which is when we remember ol' Silly, and how he (note 7)
Did it all over
Did it all over
Did it all over the road

We got poets, shuckers and Godzilla's grandmutha
Sweet little frozen-nose Sue
We got Speed Razor and his Arcade Androids
Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues

Boy, have you paid your reality tax? (note 8)
Gimmie 'nother hit of that Mendocino skunk
Girl, y'paid up your institutional dues?
Gimmie 'nother jug of that good German brew
You, you're gonna road test that Oregon boot
Gimmie 'nother glass of that sweet brown death

What the hell do you mean?
And you're asking me?

Notes
(1) the Dead sang "Hot damn, it's Mother's Day"
(2) this line isn't in the typescript here but was sung by the Dead
(3) it sounds as if the Dead sang "I remember some [chicks/ass?] from the shit club"
(4) the Dead sang "Now would make the six o'clock news"
(5) this line wasn't sung here by the Dead
(6) the Dead sang "As I recall I went for the window"
(7) the Dead sang "Reminds me of ol' Silly"
(8) the text from here on is in the typescript copyright registration, but was not sung by the Dead.

To illustrate the difficulties in deciphering the lyrics before the definitive version above was made available, here are five versions of the first two lines, copied from various online sites;

Halfway past cool, clear Monday to the side of the room
Rolling down Wild Hair Boulevard with the rising of the poon

Halfway past cool on Monday for the sight of her
Rode in town while he built afar [a fire?] with the riders and then the poor

Halfway past two on Monday through the silence looms
Rode into town while here to the far with the riders and then the poor

Halfway past cool, clear Monday to the side of the room
Rolling down Wild Hair Boulevard with the rising of the moon

Halfway past cool on Monday through the silent loom
Rolling down Wild Hair Boulevard with the riders and of the plume

Further Information
For an online discussion of the lyrics to this song see the deadsongs.vue conference on The Well.
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For information on references in the lyrics see David Dodd's Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics