Tastebud

Lyrics: Ron McKernan
Music: Ron McKernan

The Dead played two versions of this song, one in 1966 and one in 1967. In 1966 they tried it out in the studio and played it several times live

1966 studio version

These are the lyrics for the 1966 version--see below for the 1967 version.

Well it was early in the morning
When my blues come falling down
I want to tell you, it was early in the morning now
When my blues come falling down
Well you know, you know, it felt so, so bad
When my baby, yeah, she's been around

Whoa it was but a while after midnight
When the rooster crowed for day
Whoa it was but a while after midnight
When that rooster began to crow for day
Well I been mistreating my baby
That's about a crime that I need to pay

Come back baby
Whoa, please don't go
I said come back baby
Come on darling, please don't go
Well you know the way I love you rider
More than you ever know

Yes Lord, please stop her
I won't get drunk no more
Whoa Lord, please stop her now
I want to tell you that I won't get drunk no more
Well you know she put me out in the morning
She drive this poor boy from her door

1966 live version

There is a live version from 3 July 1966 in the box set "30 Trips Around The Sun:

Well it was early in the morning
When the blues come falling down
It was early in the morning right now people
When the blues come, come falling down
Well you know, you know, I felt so lonesomw right now
My baby, my sweet baby, was not around

About a while after midnight
When the rooster begin to crow for day
About a while after midnight baby
When the rooster begin to crow for day
You know I laid my head down on the pillow and I find that morning
My baby, my baby, my baby didn't lay that way

Well I looked out my window
She turned her back, and raised her hand
I looked out my window and I saw my baby leaving
She just looked back, and raised a hand
Well you know, I could hear her tell her mother one more time before she go
Whoa, she left wonder one good man

I said, Lord, please stop her
I want to tell you I won't get drunk no more
I said, Lord, please stop my baby now
I want to tell you that I won't get drunk no more
Well you know every time, every time, every time I stay up for
My baby, pick me up, walk the floor

Come back baby
Baby, please don't go
Whoa, come back now baby
Why don't you, no, please don't go
Well you know the way I love you baby
More than you ever know

My baby's gone
Going right back home to Timbuctoo
Whoa, my sweet little angel's gone
Going back to Timbuctoo
Well she's gonna find another man
She's gonna find another fool like you

See also below for the transcripton of another live 1966 version

1967 version

This is the 1967 version, seemingly only played in the studio:

Woke up way after midnight, people
Just a little while, a little while before day
I could find no satisfaction
Turned on my pillow to where my baby lay
I remembered I was in a strange old town then
My sweet little angel she's so far away

Now I ain't got no friends here
Ain't got no, no good place to go
All my friends are back home
And I can't, I can't go there no more
You know I done just a little bit wrong
And I can't go back no more

Take me back baby
I can't help it if I need you so
Well I've been a bad man darling
But I won't, I won't get drunk no more
But if you did not did like you do
Baby I wouldn't have had to go

I'm coming back baby, baby I'm coming home
I'm coming back baby, baby I'm coming home
The way I love you darling
You've got to, got to know

Grateful Dead Recordings
	Date	Album
	studio Jun 1966	Birth Of The Dead (note 1)
	studio Jun 1966	Birth Of The Dead (instrumental) (note 1)
	3 Jul 1966	30 Trips Around The Sun
	studio 1967	The Grateful Dead (note 2)

Notes
(1) originally released as part of the Rhino box set The Golden Road (1965-1973)
(2) bonus track on remastered album, first released as part of the box set The Golden Road (1965-1973)

Thanks to Gabriel Brodetsky for the following transcription from 19 May 1966 at the Avalon Ballroom (sometimes wrongly listed as Come Back Baby or as "Where My Baby"):

Well it was early in the morning
When my blues come falling down
It was early in the morning right now
When my blues begin to come falling down
Well you know, I was looking for my baby
She was nowhere, nowhere to be found

About a while after midnight
When the rooster begin to crow for day
About a while after midnight baby
When the rooster begin to crow for day, crow for day
You know I found a space in my bed now
Where my sweet little baby used to lay, used to lay

Well I looked out my window
And my little girl looked back, and raised a hand
I looked out my window, people
My little girl looked back, and raised a hand
Well you know, I could hear her tell her mother
One more time again before she goes
Whoa, she don't let me know good man, let me know good man

I said, Lord, please stop her
I won't get drunk no more
I said please, please, Lord, now why don't you stop my baby
I won't, I won't get, I won't get drunk, drunk no more

Well you know I, I'm sitting down
And wondering why to my own self
I'm wondering why did my baby have to go
Now tell me why, why did she have to go
Come on now

Come back baby
Baby, please don't go
Whoa, come back baby
Come on now, please don't go
Well you know I love you so bad one time in the morning
I want to know does my baby still love me
Love me like you used to Lord

I said my baby's gone
Gone right back one more time down to Timbuctoo
Whoa, my sweet little angel's gone
I know she went running right back down to Timbuctoo
Well she's gonna find another man
She's gonna find another fool like you

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