U.S. Blues

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia

Red and white, blue suede shoes
I'm Uncle Sam, how do you do
Gimme five, still alive
Ain't no luck, I learned to duck

Check my pulse, it don't change
Stay seventy two, come shine or rain
Wave the flag, pop the bag
Rock the boat, skin the goat

Chorus
Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Summertime done come and gone, my oh my (note 1)

I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Been hiding out, in a rock and roll band
Shake the hand that shook the hand
Of P. T. Barnum and Charlie Chan (note 2)

Shine your shoes, light your fuse
Can you use them old U.S. Blues
I'll drink your health, share your wealth
Run your life, steal your wife

[chorus]

Back to back, chicken shack
Son of a gun, better change your act
We're all confused, what's to lose
You can call this song the United States Blues (note 3)

[chorus]
Notes
(1) on 8 June 1992 they sang "Summer time done coming on my oh my" (thanks to David Gans for pointing this out)
(2) on a few occasions in 1979-1980 Jerry sang "Of P. T. Barnum and the Shah of Iran" (eg Cleveland 29 Nov 1979, Oakland 13 Jan 1980).
(3) for an ironic take on this, see One More Saturday Night
(4) alternative lyrics were tried out as the song was being developed - see Wave That Flag

Grateful Dead Recordings
     Date Album
     studio 1974 Mars Hotel (note a) (note b)
     22 Feb 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 42 (bonus disc)
     24 Feb 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 13
     23 Mar 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 24
     12 May 1974 From The Mars Hotel (50th anniversary bonus disc)
     14 May 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 9
     17 May 1974 Pacific Northwest '73-'74
     19 May 1974 Pacific Northwest '73-'74
     21 May 1974 Pacific Northwest '73-'74
     16 Jun 1974 Road Trips Number 2, Volume 3
     23 Jun 1974 So Many Roads (1965-1995) (note c)
     28 Jun 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 12
     19 Jul 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 17
     25 Jul 1974 30 Days Of The Dead (2015)
     27 Jul 1974 30 Days Of The Dead (2016)
     31 Jul 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 2
      4 Aug 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 31
     10 Sep 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 7
     18 Sep 1974 30 Trips Around The Sun
     18 Oct 1974 Grateful Dead Movie (video, DVD & CD soundtrack)
     19 Oct 1974 Steal Your Face
     13 Aug 1975 One From The Vault
     10 Jun 1976 June 1976 Box Set
     12 Jun 1976 Road Trips Volume 4, Number 5
     14 Jun 1976 June 1976 Box Set
     18 Jun 1976 Download Series Vol 4
     29 Jun 1976 30 Days of the Dead (2023)
     16 Jul 1976 Dave's Picks Volume 18
     17 Jul 1976 Dave's Picks Volume 18
     24 Sep 1976 Dave's Picks Vol 4
      9 Oct 1976 Dick's Picks Vol 33
     26 Feb 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 29
     25 Apr 1977 30 Trips Around The Sun
      7 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box
     13 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     28 May 1977 To Terrapin: Hartford '77
      7 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
      9 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
     22 Jan 1978 Dave's Picks Volume 23
      6 Apr 1978 Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
     10 Apr 1978 Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
     12 Apr 1978 Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
     16 Apr 1978 Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
      7 May 1978 30 Days Of The Dead (2019)
     14 May 1978 30 Trips Around The Sun
      7 Jul 1978 July 1978: The Complete Recordings
     21 Oct 1978 Road Trips Volume 1, Number 4 ("From Egypt With Love")
      6 Nov 1979 Road Trips Full Show: Spectrum 11/6/79
      4 Dec 1979 Dave's Picks Vol 47
      4 Sep 1980 Download Series Vol 7
     28 Nov 1980 30 Trips Around The Sun
     9 Mar 1981 In And Out Of The Garden
      9 Dec 1981 Dave's Picks Volume 20
      7 Aug 1982 Dick's Picks Vol 32
     21 Sep 1982 In And Out Of The Garden
     26 Apr 1983 Dave's Picks Volume 39
     11 Sep 1983 Dave's Picks Vol 52
     14 Oct 1983 Dick's Picks Vol 6
     28 Apr 1985 Dave's Picks Vol 49
     24 Jun 1985 30 Trips Around The Sun
     27 Mar 1988 Download Series Vol 5
      4 Jul 1989 Truckin' Up To Buffalo (DVD & CD soundtrack)
     13 Jul 1989 RFK Stadium 1989 Box
     18 Mar 1990 Spring 1990 (The Other One)
     19 Jul 1990 Dave's Picks Volume 41
     20 Mar 1992 30 Trips Around The Sun
      4 Jul 2015 Fare Thee Well (CD and DVD)
 
(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
     1991 Deadicated Harshed Mellows
     1996 Long Live The Dead Billy and Terry Smith
     1999 Swingin' To The Grateful Dead Steve Marsh et al
     2000 Dead Grass Vassar Clements
     2000 Dirty Ditties and Cover Tunes Snipe Hunt
     2002 Buckdancer's Choice Wake The Dead
     2004 Werewolves Of Atlanta: Halloween 2004 Dark Star Orchestra
     2007 Live 2007 Mike Kornrich Band
     17 Aug 2007 Live Butter: Petaluma, CA Hot Buttered Rum
     2010 Let The Music Live Skeleton Key Band
     2013 Move Me Brightly Bob Weir et al (DVD)
     2013 Yoga Tribute To Grateful Dead Vol 2 Yoga Pop Ups
      4 Jul 2013 On The Road: Austin, TX String Cheese Incident
     2020 Intermediary Stage Frankenstein 3000
Notes
(a) also on the compilation The Very Best Of The Grateful Dead and released as the Grateful Dead 7" single volume 10.
(b) also plays on the soundtrack of the Grateful Dead Movie
(c) also released on Dave's Picks Volume 34


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
For David Dodd's discussion of this song on dead.net see Greatest Stories Ever Told
For online chords and TAB see www.rukind.com
For sheet music, see:
          Grateful Dead Anthology Volume 1 (piano arrangement)
          Grateful Dead Songbook Volume 2 (piano arrangement)
          Very Best Of The Grateful Dead (guitar TAB)
          Garcia/Hunter Songbook (vocal line and chords/TAB)

 


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