Estimated Prophet

Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir

Played regularly by the Dead from 1977, and more recently by Ratdog and The Other Ones.

My time coming any day, don't worry 'bout me, no
Been so long I felt this way, I'm in no hurry no
Rainbows end down that highway where ocean breezes blow
My time coming, voices saying, they tell me where to go (note 1)
Don't you worry 'bout me--oh no no, don't worry 'bout me, no
And I'm in no hurry--oh no no no, I know where to go

California, preaching on the burning shore
California, I'll be knocking on the golden door
Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light
Rising up to paradise, I know I'm gonna shine

My time coming any day, don't worry 'bout me, no
It's gonna be just like they say, them voices tell me so
Seems so long I felt this way and time sure passing slow (note 2)
Still I know I lead the way, they tell me where I go

Don't you worry 'bout me--oh, no, no, don't worry 'bout me, no
And I'm in no hurry--oh, no, no, no, I know where to go

California, a prophet on the burning shore
California, I'll be knocking on the golden door
Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light
Rising up to paradise, I know I'm gonna shine

You've all been asleep, you would not believe me
Them voices telling me, you will soon receive me
We're standing on the beach, the sea will part before me (note 3)
Fire wheel burning in the air
You will follow me and we will ride to glory (note 4)
Way up in the middle of the air
And I'll call down thunder and speak the same
And my words fills the sky with flame (note 5) (note 6)
And might and glory gonna be my name
And men gonna light my way

My time coming any day, don't worry 'bout me, no
It's gonna be just like they say, them voices tell me so
Seems so long I felt this way and time sure passing slow (note 7)
My time coming any day, don't worry 'bout me, no
Don't you worry 'bout me--oh, no, no, don't worry 'bout me, no
And I'm in no hurry--oh, no, no, don't worry 'bout me, no
And I'm in no hurry--oh, no, no, no, I know where to go
[etc]
Notes
(1) Bob Weir often sang "... where I'll go" instead of "... where to go"
(2) Bob Weir often forget/amended this line, singing variants such as "Been so long I felt this way, but I'm in no hurry, no"
(3) "Standing on the beach ..." seems to be correct, though it sometimes sounds as if Bob sang "Shining ..."
(4) "... ride to glory" is what Barlow has in his published lyrics, though it sounds as if Bob Weir sings "... rise to glory"
(5) the sheet music has "My work ..." but I think that is a mistake
(6) Bob Weir sometimes sang this line as "And I'll ascend on wings of flame"
(7) Bob Weir sometimes sang "This afternoon, streets turned grey and I watched the cars below" as an alternative line (eg on Dick's Picks Vol 3)

Grateful Dead and related recordings
     Date Album
     studio 1977 Terrapin Station (note a)
     26 Feb 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 29
     20 Mar 1977 30 Days Of The Dead (2012)
     22 Apr 1977 30 Days Of The Dead (2023)
     25 Apr 1977 30 Trips Around The Sun (note g)
     30 Apr 1977 Download Series Vol 1
      3 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 50
      4 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 50 (bonus disc) (note i)
      5 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box
      7 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box
      8 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box (note h)
      9 May 1977 May 1977: Get Shown The Light Box
     11 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     12 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     13 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     15 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     17 May 1977 May 1977 Box Set
     19 May 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 29
     21 May 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 29
     22 May 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 3
     25 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 1
     26 May 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 41
     28 May 1977 To Terrapin: Hartford '77
      7 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
      8 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
      9 Jun 1977 Winterland June 1977 - The Complete Recordings
      3 Sep 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 15
     1 Oct 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 45
     16 Oct 1977 Road Trips Volume 1, Number 2
     29 Oct 1977 Dave's Picks Vol 33
      2 Nov 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 34
      4 Nov 1977 Dave's Picks Volume 12
     30 Dec 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 10
      3 Feb 1978 Dick's Picks Vol 18
      6 Apr 1978 Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
      8 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
     19 Apr 1978 30 Days Of The Dead (2011)
     22 Apr 1978 Dave's Picks Vol 15
     10 May 1978 Dick's Picks Vol 25
     14 May 1978 30 Trips Around The Sun
      1 Jul 1978 July 1978: The Complete Recordings
      5 Jul 1978 July 1978: The Complete Recordings
      8 Jul 1978 July 1978: The Complete Recordings
     15 Sep 1978 Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978 (bonus disc)
     21 Oct 1978 Road Trips Volume 1, Number 4 ("From Egypt With Love") (bonus disc)
     24 Nov 1978 Grateful Dead Scrapbook (DVD) (note b)
      4 May 1979 Live At The Coliseum
     12 Aug 1979 So Many Roads (1965-1995)
      5 Nov 1979 Road Trips Full Show: Spectrum 11/5/79
      9 Nov 1979 Road Trips Volume 1, Number 1
      4 Dec 1979 Dave's Picks Vol 31
     26 Dec 1979 Dick's Picks Vol 5
     30 Aug 1980 30 Days Of The Dead (2018)
      4 Sep 1980 Download Series Vol 7
      7 Oct 1980 30 Days Of The Dead (2010)
     10 Oct 1980 Beyond Description: Bonus CD
     9 Mar 1981 In And Out Of The Garden
      9 Dec 1981 Dave's Picks Volume 20
     12 Apr 1982 30 Days Of The Dead (2016)
     31 Jul 1982 30 Trips Around The Sun
     21 Sep 1982 In And Out Of The Garden
      2 Sep 1983 Dave's Picks Volume 27
     14 Oct 1983 Dick's Picks Vol 6
     19 Apr 1984 Dave's Picks Volume 35
     28 Jun 1985 30 Days Of The Dead (2014)
      1 Apr 1986 30 Days Of The Dead (2020)
     27 Mar 1987 Dave's Picks Volume 36
     27 Mar 1988 Download Series Vol 5
      1 Apr 1988 Road Trips Volume 4, Number 2
     28 Jun 1988 30 Days Of The Dead (2021)
      3 Jul 1988 30 Trips Around The Sun
      3 Apr 1989 Download Series Vol 9
      7 Jul 1989 Crimson, White and Indigo (DVD & CD)
     12 Jul 1989 RFK Stadium 1989 Box
     26 Oct 1989 30 Trips Around The Sun
     16 Mar 1990 Spring 1990 (note d)
     21 Mar 1990 Weir Here: The Best Of Bob Weir (note e)
     29 Mar 1990 Wake Up To Find Out (note f)
      3 Apr 1990 Spring 1990 (The Other One)
     16 Jun 1990 View From The Vault III (video/DVD & CD soundtrack)
      8 Jul 1990 View From The Vault (video/DVD & CD soundtrack)
     18 Sep 1990 Road Trips Number 2, Volume 1 (bonus disc)
     14 Jun 1991 View From The Vault II (video/DVD & CD soundtrack)
     10 Sep 1991 30 Trips Around The Sun
     27 Mar 1993 30 Trips Around The Sun
      5 Jul 2015 Fare Thee Well (CD and DVD)
 
Bob Weir Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
     16 Jul 1998 The Strange Remain The Other Ones
     26 Apr 2001 Live At The Roseland Ratdog
     31 Dec 2018 Rising Up To Paradise Big Swell
 
(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 Burning Spear (note c)
     1996 Dark Star David Murray Octet
     1999 Terrapin Joe Gallant & Illuminati
     2001 Great Sky River Jazz Is Dead
     2002 Chants and Praises Marimba Pacifica
     2003 Thunder And Lightnin' Dark Star Orchestra
     2008 Ithica 30 Years Later Dark Star Orchestra
     2008 30 Years Jake's Leg
     2016 Day Of The Dead The Rileys (Terry and Gyan Riley)
     2021 Grateful Deadication David McMurray
Notes
(a) also on the compilations The Arista Years, The Very Best Of The Grateful Dead and The Best Of The Grateful Dead.
(b) DVD included with deluxe edition of the Scrapbook
(c) also on Burning Spear's CDs "Jah Kingdom" and "Chant Down Babylon"
(d) also on the compilation So Glad You Made It
(e) also in Spring 1990 (The Other One)
(f) also included as part of box set Spring 1990 (The Other One)
(g) also on the compilation 30 Trips Around The Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965-1995
(h) also on the compilation The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live
(i) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2015)


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)
          Very Best Of The Grateful Dead (guitar TAB)

 


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