Baby, What You Want Me To Do?

Lyrics: Jimmy Reed
Music: Jimmy Reed

A Jimmy Reed song, sung by Brent Mydland with the Grateful Dead a few times in the mid 1980s. Also played with guests on a couple of earlier occasions, by Jerry Garcia with Merl Saunders in the early 1970s and once by Bob Weir & Friends in 1986.

You got me running, you got me hiding
You got me run, hide, hide, run
Anywhere you want me, let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me doing what you want me baby
Baby why you want to let go

Going up, going down
Up, down, down, up,
Anyway you want to let it roll, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, you got me doing what you want me
Baby why you want to let go

You got me peeping, got me hiding
Peep, hide, hide, peep
Anywhere you want me, let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me doing what you want me now
Baby why the hell you want to let it go


Going up, going down
Up, down, down, up,
Anyway you want to let it roll, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, you got me doing what you want me
Baby why you want to let go

You got me running, you got me hiding
You got me run, hide, hide, run
Anywhere you want me, let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me doing what you want me baby
Baby why you want to let go
It's slightly odd that the title is "Baby What You Want e To Do" rather than "Baby Why You Want To Let Go". Indeed in the Bob Weir & Friends version the last line every verse is "Baby what you want me to do", though Brent sings "Baby why you want to let go" as in the Jimmy Reed original.

Jerry Garcia Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
     25 Sep 1971 Garcia Live Volume 22 Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders

There's a revealing conversation before one of the Jimmy Reed recordings. Not sure who says what.
What's the name of this?
"You got me doing what you want me"
"Baby why you want to let go"?
No, "Baby what you want me to do" - it's "Baby what you want me to do"
"Baby why you want to let go"?
You could even make it "Why let go". Make it short. "Why let go"
Here we go now ...
The original Jimmy Reed version is very close to the Jimmy Reed original
You got me running, got me hiding
You got me running, hiding, hiding, running
Anywhere you want me, let it roll, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me doing what you want me now
Baby why you want to let go

Going up, going down, going up, down, down, up,
Anyway you want to let it roll, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, you got me doing what you want me
Baby why you want to let go

You got me peeping, got me hiding
You got me peep, hide, hide, peep
Anywhere you want me, let it roll, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me doing what you want me now
Baby why you want to let go



Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For details of every time played by the Grateful Dead, see Chris Edwards Grateful Sets site

 

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