Uncle John's Band

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia

Well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more
'Cause when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door
Think this through with me, let me know your mind
Wo-oh, what I want to know is, are you kind?

It's a buck dancer's choice my friend, better take my advice
You know all the rules by now, and the fire from the ice
Will you come with me, won't you come with me?
Wo-oh, what I want to know, will you come with me?

God damn, well I declare, have you seen the like?
Their walls are built of cannon balls
Their motto is "don't" tread on me"

Come hear Uncle John's Band, playing to the tide
Come with me or go alone
He's come to take his children home (note 1)

It's the same story the crow told me, it's the only one he knows
Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go
Ain't no time to hate, barely time to wait
Wo-oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?

I live in a silver mine and I call it beggar's tomb
I got me a violin and I beg you call the tune
Anybody's choice, I can hear your voice
Wo-oh, what I want to know, how does the song go?

Come hear Uncle John's Band, by the river side
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide

Come hear Uncle John's Band, playing to the tide
Come with me or go alone
He's come to take his children home

Wo-oh what I want to know, how does the song go?

Come hear Uncle John's Band, by the river side
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide
Notes
(1) Jesse Jarnow has found this quote from a 1957 article abour a lost Buddy Bolden wax cylider from late 19th century New Orleans:
"Bolden would be out at Johnson Park to attract the crowd would point his cornet in the direction of Lincoln Park. That, as [bassist] Willy Cornish explain was 'Callin' Our Chillun Home'--home where the rags were played in brighter tempos, as stomps or joys, where the blues dragged and wailed, and where there was 'jazz in brass' even before they called it that."
(2) According to The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, the manuscript of the handwritten lyrics up for auction in 2002 included these additional lyrics:
Why wait in the dark for dawn when the sun's still going down
Maybe I'll dust off your chair if you say you're comin' round
Keep your place in line, all things come in time
Whoa-oh,all I need to know, do these coals glow?

Would you carry me uphill back the way I carried you?
Take me further, if you can, (you know) I'd do the same for you
Think this through with me, let me know your mind
Whoa-oh all I want to know is, will you be kind?

Well now, I can hear the flutter of their wings
Standin' still or run like hell, can you hear the sirens sing?
Grateful Dead Recordings
     Date Album
      8 Nov 1969 Dick's Picks Vol 16 (jam only)
     12 Dec 1969 Dave's Picks Volume 10
     26 Dec 1969 Dave's Picks Volume 43
     studio 1970 Workingman's Dead (note 1)
      2 Jan 1970 Dave's Picks Volume 30
      3 Jan 1970 Dave's Picks 2019 Bonus Disc
      2 Feb 1970 Dave's Picks Volume 6
     11 Feb 1970 30 Days Of The Dead (2010) (note 7)
      1 Mar 1970 30 Days Of The Dead (2014)
      1 May 1970 30 Days Of The Dead (2012)
      2 May 1970 Dick's Picks Vol 8
     15 May 1970 Road Trips Vol 3 No 3 (late show)
     23 Dec 1970 Workingman's Dead (note 2)
     18 Feb 1971 American Beauty (50th Anniversary Edition)
     21 Feb 1971 Workingman's Dead (50th Anniversary Edition)
     18 Mar 1971 30 Trips Around The Sun
     13 Apr 1971 Dave's Picks Volume 51 (note 12)
     27 Apr 1971 Ladies And Gentlemen ... The Grateful Dead
     30 May 1971 Winterland 1971
     31 Jul 1971 Road Trips Number 1, Volume 3
     24 Aug 1971 Dick's Picks Vol 35
      6 Dec 1971 Dave's Picks Volume 22
     22 Mar 1972 Rockin' The Rhein (bonus disc)
     29 Apr 1972 Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
      4 May 1972 Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
     11 May 1972 Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
     23 May 1972 Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72 (note 6)
     25 May 1972 Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
     22 Jul 1972 Download Series Vol 10
     17 Sep 1972 Dick's Picks Vol 23
     27 Sep 1972 Dick's Picks Vol 11
     17 Oct 1972 Listen To The River: St Louis '71 '72 73
     17 Nov 1972 Dave's Picks Volume 11
     1 Nov 1973 Wake Of The Flood (50th Anniversary Edition bonus disc)
     10 Nov 1973 Winterland 1973 - The Complete Recordings
     11 Nov 1973 Winterland 1973 - The Complete Recordings
     17 Nov 1973 Dave's Picks Volume 5
     21 Nov 1973 Road Trips Volume 4, Number 3
     22 Feb 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 42 (bonus disc)
     23 Mar 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 24
     23 Jun 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 34
     25 Jul 1974 30 Days Of The Dead (2015)
     31 Jul 1974 Dave's Picks Volume 2
      6 Aug 1974 Dick's Picks Vol 31
     18 Sep 1974 30 Trips Around The Sun (note 8)
     19 Oct 1974 Grateful Dead Movie (DVD and CD)
     31 Dec 1976 Live At The Cow Palace
     18 Mar 1977 30 Days Of The Dead (2023) (note 13)
      3 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 50
      9 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box
     11 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     15 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     19 May 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 29
     26 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 41 (note 11)
      7 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
     29 Sep 1977 30 Days Of The Dead (2015)
     26 Dec 1979 Dick's Picks Vol 5
     28 Dec 1979 Road Trips Vol 3, No 1
     15 May 1980 Go To Nassau
     31 Oct 1980 Dead Ahead (video/DVD only) (note 3)
     30 Nov 1980 Dave's Picks Volume 8
     9 Mar 1981 In And Out Of The Garden
     16 May 1981 30 Trips Around The Sun
     12 Apr 1982 30 Days Of The Dead (2016)
     31 Jul 1982 30 Trips Around The Sun
     21 Oct 1983 30 Trips Around The Sun
     12 Oct 1984 30 Trips Around The Sun
      1987 So Far (video only)
     27 Mar 1987 Dave's Picks Volume 36
     24 Jul 1987 View From The Vault IV (DVD & CD soundtrack)
     31 Dec 1987 Ticket To New Year's (video/DVD only)
     28 Dec 1988 30 Days Of The Dead (2011) (note 10)
      3 Apr 1989 Download Series Vol 9
     10 Jul 1989 Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set
     17 Jul 1989 Donwhill From Here (video/DVD only)
      9 Oct 1989 Warlocks Box
     16 Oct 1989 Nightfall Of Diamonds
     27 Dec 1989 30 Days Of The Dead (2018)
     14 Mar 1990 Spring 1990 (The Other One)
     24 Mar 1990 Dozin' At The Knick
     30 Mar 1990 Spring 1990
     23 Jun 1990 Dave's Picks Volume 44
     19 Jul 1990 Dave's Picks Volume 40
     19 Sep 1990 Road Trips Number 2, Volume 1
     17 Jun 1991 Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set (CD and DVD)
     11 Jun 1992 30 Days Of The Dead (2023)
     27 May 1993 Road Trips Vol 2, No 4
     25 Jun 1993 (official YouTube video only)
      5 Oct 1994 30 Days Of The Dead (2016)
 
Phil Lesh and Friends Recordings
     19 May 2006 Live At The Warfield
 
(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.)
 
Tribute Albums
     Date Album Recorded By
     1991 Deadicated Indigo Girls
     1996 Fire On The Mountain Reggae Celebrates The Grateful Dead (Joe Higgs)
     1996 DeadBeats Acoustic DeadBeats
     1996 Long Live The Dead Billy And Terry Smith
     2000 Pickin' On The Grateful Dead Vol 2 David West et al
     2001 Gifts From The Dead Gifts From The Dead
     2002 Buckdancer's Choice Wake The Dead
     2003 Ukelele Summit 5 Various (Luisa Finau)
     2003 Grateful Guitar David Cullen
     2007 At Fine Arts Center, UMass The American Beauty Project
     2009 Yoga Tribute To Grateful Dead Yoga Pop Ups (note 9)
     2010 At Page Auditorium, Duke University The American Beauty Project
     2014 Grateful Dead Bluegrass Tribute David Holodiloff
     14 May 2015 Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music Of Jerry Garcia Phil Lesh & Communion
     2015 Grateful Jazz Jazz Is Dead
     2016 Day Of The Dead Lucius
     2018 Dead Songs Vol 2 Barton Hills Choir
     2019 Sabertooth Plays Dead Sabertooth
 
Other Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
     1971 Single The Montanas
     1972 Backporch Song The Wheatones
     1972 The Incomparable ... Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (note 4)
     1973 Watkin's Glen King's Road
     1994 Fruitcakes Jimmy Buffet
     1996 Mirth Control Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (note 5)
     1998 Inner Child Proof Chicago Voice Exchange
     2001 Beach Balls and Alcohol Key West The Band
     2001 Drhoim Herrn Stumpfes Zieh & Zupf Kapelle
     2003 The Taste Of Life Itself Sagin' Time
     2007 Last Of The Jewish Pirates Steve Lieberman
     2007 Steel Away J. Robert
     2007 Take Cover Tomas Nicholas
     2007 Last Of The Jewish Pirates Steve Lieberman
     2008 Upcountry Skies Cyrus Clarke
     2010 One Hesher, Two Punks And A Hippy Punk Is Dead
     2018 Music Of Our People Darol Anger
     2019 Tidal Tracks: Live in Champaign The Boat Drunks
     2020 Full Moonalice Vol. 2 Moonalice
     2023 Uncle John's Band John Scofield
Notes
(1) also on the compilations Skeletons From The Closet, The Very Best Of The Grateful Dead and The Best Of The Grateful Dead. Released as the Grateful Dead 7" single volume 5.
(2) included as a bonus track on remastered album, first released as part of the box set The Golden Road (1965-1973). According to Mike Dolgushkin, the date should be 4 October 1970 not 23 December as in the liner notes.
(3) audio played as background to montage of photos of the band
(4) also on the Stanford Band's "Greatest Hits (1970-1998)"
(5) also on the compilation "Stolen Roses"
(6) also on the box set Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
(7) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2013)
(8) also on the compilation 30 Trips Around The Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965-1995
(9) also released as "Lullaby Versions of Grateful Dead"
(10) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2018)
(11) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2017)
(12) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2020)
(13) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2024)


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 Authentic Guitar Classics Volume 1 (guitar TAB)
          Grateful Dead Songbook Volume 1 (piano arrangement)
          Very Best Of The Grateful Dead (guitar TAB)
          Garcia/Hunter Songbook (vocal line and chords/TAB)

 


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