Run For The Roses

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia

Played regularly by the Jerry Garcia Band from 1982 onwards. These are the lyrics in Hunter's book "Box Of Rain":

Reach for the sun, catch hold of the moon
They're both too heavy but what can you do?
Reach for the stars, smack into the sky
You don't want to live but you're chicken to die
Chicken to die

Chorus
Run, run, run for the roses
Sooner it opens, the quicker it closes
Man, oh, man, oh friend of mine
All good things in all good time
All good things in all good time (note 1)

Reach for the rose, get caught on the briar
You're warming to love, next thing there's a fire
The trouble with love is its other face
You just want the cup, you don't want the race
No, you don't want the race

[chorus]

Run for the money, caught short on the rent
Big ideas but the money's all spent
If you got the do-re, I got the mi (note 2)
And I got a notion we're all at sea (note 3)
Yeah, we're all at sea

[chorus] (note 4)
Notes
(1) Hunter almost always left out the repeat of this line in his performances.
(3) In early performances, Hunter sometimes sang this as "I got the do-re, you got the mi".
(3) In some early performances, Hunter sang this as "I got a notion we're gonna see" - or possibly "we're going to sea"
(4) In repeats of the chorus, Hunter sometimes sang "Rain don't fall, bells don't chime" in place of "Man, oh, man, oh friend of mine".

Jerry Garcia's version re-arranges the lyrics. In at least one 1982 solo performance Robert Hunter himself changed the second and third verses around as in Garcia's version, so it may be that that's how he originally gave the lyrics to Garcia.
Chorus
Run, run, run for the roses
Quicker it opens, the sooner it closes
Man, oh, man, oh friend of mine
All good things in all good time

Reach for the sun, catch hold of the moon
They're both too heavy but what can you do?
Reach for the stars, smack into the sky
You don't want to live but you're chicken to die
You're chicken to die

[chorus]

Run for the money, caught short on the rent
Big ideas but the cash is all spent
The trouble with love is its other face
You just want the cup, but you don't want the race
No, you don't want the race

[chorus]

Reach for the rose, get caught on the briar
You're warming to love, next thing there's a fire
If you got the do-re, I got the mi
And I got the notion we're all at sea
Yes, we're all at sea

[chorus]
[chorus]
[chorus]
All good things in all good time
Jerry Garcia Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
     studio 1982 Run For The Roses Jerry Garcia Band (note a)
     18 Jun 1982 Garcia Live Volume 20 Jerry Garcia Band
     27 Jan 1986 GarciaLive Volume 14 Jerry Garcia/John Kahn
     28 Feb 1986 Pure Jerry: Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium Jerry Garcia/John Kahn
     29 Aug 1987 Electric On The Eel Jerry Garcia Band
     28 Oct 1987 On Broadway: Act One Jerry Garcia Band
     31 Oct 1987 Pure Jerry: Lunt-Fontanne Jerry Garcia Band
     10 Jun 1989 Electric On The Eel Jerry Garcia Band
      1 Sep 1989 Pure Jerry: Merriweather Post Pavilion Jerry Garcia Band
      5 Sep 1989 Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound Jerry Garcia Band
     20 May 1990 Garcia Live Volume 10 Jerry Garcia Band
      5 Aug 1990 Garcia Live Volume 2 Jerry Garcia Band
      1 Sep 1990 Live At Shoreline (DVD) Jerry Garcia Band
      9 Nov 1991 Pure Jerry Seven: Hampton Coliseum Jerry Garcia Band
Other Recordings
     2004 20 Degrees Of Solitude The Grass Is Dead
     2012 Run For The Roses Greg Anton et al (Rex Foundation)
Notes
(a) also on the compilation The Best Of Jerry Garcia


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)
          Garcia/Hunter Songbook (vocal line and chords/TAB)

 


Home | Find words/phrases| Find Song lyrics| Dead originals| Dead covers|