The Grateful Dead - Uncle John's Band

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Verse 1
Well, the first days are the hardest days
Don't you worry anymore
'Cause when life looks like Easy Street
There is danger at your door
Think this through with me
Let me know your mind
Whoa-oh, what I want to know
Is are you kind?

Verse 2
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?
Whoa-oh, what I want to know
Will you come with me?

Bridge
Goddamn, well, I declare
Have you seen the like?
Their walls are built of cannon balls
Their motto is don't tread on me

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

Instrumental Break

Verse 3
It's the same story the crow told me
It's the only one he know
Like the morning sun you come
And like the wind you go
Ain't no time to hate
Barely time to wait
Whoa-oh, what I want to know
Where does the time go?

Verse 4
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
Whoa-oh, what I want to know
How does the song go?

Chorus
Come hear Uncle John's Band
By the riverside
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide
Come hear Uncle John's Band
Playing to the tide
Come on along or go alone
He's come to take his children home

Instrumental Break

Refrain
Whoa-oh, what I want to know
How does the song go?

Outro
Come hear Uncle John's Band
By the riverside
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide
Come hear Uncle John's Band
Playing to the tide
Come on along or go alone
He's come to take his children home

Thank you all, see you next time we're in town

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The Grateful Dead

Amidst the growing counter-culture scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Grateful Dead were founded by lead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Garcia, bass player Phil Lesh, rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann in Palo Alto in 1965, originally as The Warlocks. Percussionist Mickey Hart later joined the group in 1967 and other members cycled through the group in following years as the core remained intact. Their eclectic music formed the archetype for the “Jam Band” genre, combining elements from rock, blues, folk, country, bluegrass, and psychedelic music into improvisational performances.

Over the years the Dead released 22 recorded albums, although they were most famous for their improvisational jams at concerts, earning them a cult-like following of self-proclaimed “Dead Heads” who would follow the band from concert-to-concert throughout the band’s career.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and they’ve sold more than 40 million albums in total; all that with only one top 40 hit (“Truckin”), and one Top 10 hit (“Touch of Grey”) that came near the end of the band’s run, shortly before Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. Grateful Dead was also ranked 57th in Rolling Stone’s “The Greatest Artists of All Time” issue in 2004 and 2005. Since then, various incarnations of the Dead have continued to tour, although a 2015 farewell tour was said to be the band’s last.

In 2015 Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann started a new group called Dead and Company with John Mayer, Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge, and former Dead keyboardist Jeff Chimenti which Weir has said may have a future in the studio and will continue to tour in coming years.

In 2008, The Grateful Dead named the University of California, Santa Cruz McHenry Library as the home of their complete archival history, including their recorded music, live bootlegs, and artworks. The collections are are now housed at UC Santa Cruz.