Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir
This song is one mainly played by Bob Weir with Rob Wasserman or one of his bands.
But the Grateful Dead played it several times in 1980 acoustic sets as an instrumental
I was born in Flatland, U.S.A.Notes
And all my dreams lead me to L.A.
Another case of rags to riches
I learned to throw some fancy pitches
And I found out what ain't, and which is
Just exactly cool
Heaven help the fool
Guess I showed the sons of bitches
Heaven help the fool
Got a place in Malibu
Like you've never seen
Pickin' out your lady friends
From Penthouse magazine
You ought to see the chrome gleam
On my new Mercedes
All shiny and new
Hey, I'm the Jack of Diamonds
The boy with all the clues
Lotta pretty vanity
No not me
Glorified insanity
No not me
I'm a hyper-survivor, fast driver, star-driver
Heaven help the fool
Professional gimme-fiver (note 1)
Heaven help the fool
Anything you want to be
You can buy, even get it free
Make yourself a smoother dancer
Fill your head with easy answers
Never a backward glancer
It's you who makes the rules
Heaven help the fool
No, never a backward glancer
Heaven help the fool
The middle of a pentagram
Heart of a star (what you are)
You can trade your soul for an electric guitar
Fool, lotta pretty vanity
No, not me
Fool, glorified insanity
No, not me
When they offer golden apples
Are you sure you'll refuse?
Heaven help the fool
Are you sure you'll refuse?
Heaven help the fool
Just like a deaf man dancin'
Like a blind man shootin' pool
Heaven help the fool
Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
fall 1980 | Reckoning (note 2) | ||||
10 Oct 1980 | The Warfield, San Francisco, CA 10/9/80 & 10/10/80 | ||||
30 Oct 1980 | Dead Ahead (DVD) | ||||
Bob Weir Recordings | |||||
Date | Recorded By | Album | |||
Studio 1977 | Heaven Help The Fool | Bob Weir | |||
fall 1988 | Weir/Wasserman: Live | Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman | |||
6 Sep 1989 | Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound | Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman | |||
Other Recordings | |||||
Date | Recorded By | Album | |||
2011 | Songs For A New Day: Almost Acoustic | Phil McGee |