Played by the Dead from 1968 to 1995, almost invariably seguing into I Know You Rider. More recently played by The Other Ones, Ratdog and Phil & Friends.
Robert Hunter played Saint Stephen>Alligator>China Cat Sunflower>The Eleven>China Cat Sunflower on 18 March 2003 to illustrate how the songs had originally been conceived. This included what seems to be an extra verse to "China Cat Sunflower" just before "The Eleven":
Come out of the snow into my single-room cabin There you're sitting with your windows wide open And the sound of doors collapsing in the breeze And the sound of violins
(1) the chorus appears in the studio version, but was dropped very early on in live performances (if indeed it was ever played live).
Look for a while at the China Cat Sunflower
proud-walking jingle in the midnight sun
Copper-dome bodhi drip a silver kimono
like a crazy-quilt star gown
through a dream night wind
(note 1)
China cat
China cat
China cat
China cat
Krazy Kat peeking through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire
like a diamond-eyed jack
A leaf of all colors plays
a golden string fiddle
to a double-e waterfall over my back
Comic book colors on a violin river
crying Leonardo words
from out a silk trombone
I rang a silent bell
beneath a shower of pearls
in the eagle winged palace
of the queen Chinee