Grateful Dead

How many of us were moved by these three entities to question the whole thing and find a life with another path. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake

...called The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and i was 13 years old. that started the wheels in motion that music could be more than "love me do". then a book written by some guy named kerouac took me even further. to name dead lyrics that changed my life--well, it depends on the time and situation. i dont think the lyrics change my life but give me clarity and allow me to deal with situations--but it still all goes back to Dylan (who has no equal) and what that one album did for my 13 year old head.

"if you plant ice you're gonna harvest wind" "I know this song it ain't never gonna end" "If I knew the way I would take you home" i'll be back with some more some day... (me)

Well ,, I was always a very angry kid , born in the 60`s, life was tough,.. My dad got me my first radio and told me to keep it on AM only, asked why am sounds better well ok , so i just had toexplore the FM world, i started to here things that just made me smile, that`s the end of AM.. When i was a young teen i started hearing about this band called the Grateful Dead , i thought wow thats sound interesting.. I had to know more .. now i can`t remember my first show, but man it just blew me away !! All these people smiling and dancing and just having fun .. wow this is what i need, a reason to smile, a home sort of speak,. People that understood me .. so i just kept going to every show i could , even if i had no ticket it did`nt matter ,, the Dead and all the Dead heads showed me that there is more to life than meets the eye,.The peace i was seeking,,..what a beutiful thing to have like 50 thousand people all getting along with each other all happy, how freakin amazing !! The music truley changed my life i was`nt angry like i was , all i had to do when having a bad day was to turn on the Dead and everything got better... many years later and soo many shows later , the peace was still there within me ... I took Brent mydland`s death pretty hard but had to keep on truckin,, saw some wonderfull shows with Bruce hormsbey on his baby grand piano , Clearence Clenons on that sweet sax ,,,.. I was now driving tractor trailers coast to coast, the music was (and still is) the only thing that kept my rage down... But when Jerry passed , life sudonley went totally crazy .. NO more Dead what !!,, I took that really bad ,, like loosing a familly member,, my uncle Jerry,,.. I went on a way too long drinking bindge spent some time in the dark places ,, sold my new car and travled the country on my motorcycle,, until finally stoping in FL. .. Ok i guise i`ll try to call this home ,, got no place else to go and out of money,,...By this time i had all but forgotten the music and i was compleatley misserable again,, back to the bottle !! my old freind,, so i though,...My familly kept sending me Dead stuff for birthday`s and christmas, but it all went into boxes,, Then one day my mother gave me this computer and i found this web site .. wow this is cool ,, and now i am married mostley happy, have a wonderfull familly of cats and dogs ..The music had made it`s way back to me somehow ,..I thought it would never happen but it did ..My blood presure had since decreased, i no longer drink to get drunk, it takes me a week to finish a six pack now ,, (WOW)... and every day i listen to the Deads music to start my stressfull days,, and all in the world seems Great .. as long has i have the music i have my sanity, .. If not for the music i would have been dead a long time ago,.. The music just makes me smile !! And my wife who is not as big of Dead head as me ,she loves the music as well .. Exspecially in the mornings as she sleeps longer then i do ,, by the time she gets up i am already happy and damm glad to see her .. And that alone makes her day`s easier , and also helps with her recovery from a recent major surgery.. life can be very stressfull and the music helps in all aspects of our lives it keeps us smilling helps keep that stress level down.. without the Dead i don`t think i would be here.. the Dead has kept me alive !! OK now everyone here knows a little more abt. me .. Hope this helps you with your paper ...

I feel like music today has less meaning then in the 1960's and 70's. Being a child of the 80's (late 80's at that) I suppose I have no idea what the true meanings of these musics, but Im pretty intellegent and my ideas seem right on. Im doing a research paper on The Grateful Dead, and one of the questions Im asking myself is how they influenced people then and now. Any ideas or comments are welcome. I'd really appreciate any feedback! -New "Dead Head"

She's a special lady!! Hasn't taken to the Dead, though she lets me indulge myself.

That wife of yours sure sounds like a lovely Lady! For those of us who's spouses could do without the Dead, Feel Blessed! PEACE

Sometimes the lights are shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately it ocurs to me, what a long strange trip it's been. My wife had the dj play this song when they introduced our wedding party, SO COOL!!!! Thanks Honey

The poetry and cadence have always been mesmerizing and we all know of a few shows where it seemed to speed up time to a dead stop that seemed like it was repeatedly approaching knowingly again spinning around. Bob split the night in Boston on one of those hot nights in the late 70's garden with "Flight of the seabirds, scattered like lost words Wheel to the storm and fly." Nothing has ever been the same since! Lyrics by John Perry Barlow Cassidy With Bob Weir Recorded on Ace (Warner Brothers, 1972) Cora, Wyoming February, 1972 I have seen where the wolf has slept by the silver stream. I can tell by the mark he left you were in his dream. Ah, child of countless trees. Ah, child of boundless seas. What you are, what you're meant to be Speaks his name, though you were born to me, Born to me, Cassidy... Lost now on the country miles in his Cadillac. I can tell by the way you smile he's rolling back. Come wash the nighttime clean, Come grow this scorched ground green, Blow the horn, tap the tambourine Close the gap of the dark years in between You and me, Cassidy... Quick beats in an icy heart. Catch-colt draws a coffin cart. There he goes now, here she starts: Hear her cry. Flight of the seabirds, scattered like lost words Wheel to the storm and fly. Faring thee well now. Let your life proceed by its own design. Nothing to tell now. Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine. (Repeat)

Awesome iknowurider. How bizzare gratefulmom! Otstanding music and lyrics in that song... At the wedding, everyone just laughed and said that must be one of those Grateful Dead songs they like to listen to. I'm sure no one knew it besides me and my wife! A dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago... ________________________ www.autoquoteresearch.com