• Greatest Story Ever Told
    Lyrics By:

    Moses come riding up on a quasar (note 1)
    His spurs was a-jingling, the door was ajar
    His buckle was silver, his manner was bold (note 2)
    I asked him to come on in out of the cold
    His brain was boiling, his reason was spent
    Nothing is borrowed, nothing is lent
    I asked him for mercy, he gave me a gun
    Now and again these things just got to be done

    Abraham and Isaac sitting on a fence
    Get right to work if you have any sense
    You know the one thing we need is a left-hand monkey wrench

    Gideon come in with his eyes on the floor
    Says, "you ain't got a hinge, you can't close the door"
    Moses stood up a full six foot ten
    Said "you can't close the door when the wall's caved in"
    I asked him for water he poured me some wine
    We finished the bottle then broke into mine
    You get what you come for, you're ready to go
    And it's one in ten thousand done come for the show

    Abraham and Isaac digging on a well
    Mama come quick with the water witch spell
    Cool clear water where you can't never tell

    1) Hunter originally wrote this as "Moses come riding up on a guitar." That was what Weir sang in very early versions, but he subsequently changed the lyrics to "... on a quasar" - having also used "car" in intermediate versions. Thanks to Brian Poronsky for this information.

    (2) some have suggested it should be "His buckler was silver ..." This would make equal sense, but Robert Hunter's printed lyrics in "Box Of Rain" show it as "buckle."

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 7 months

1) Hunter originally wrote this as "Moses come riding up on a guitar." That was what Weir sang in very early versions, but he subsequently changed the lyrics to "... on a quasar" - having also used "car" in intermediate versions. Thanks to Brian Poronsky for this information.

(2) some have suggested it should be "His buckler was silver ..." This would make equal sense, but Robert Hunter's printed lyrics in "Box Of Rain" show it as "buckle."

Lyrics By
Robert Hunter
Music By
Bob Weir
Mickey Hart
Lyrics

Moses come riding up on a quasar (note 1)
His spurs was a-jingling, the door was ajar
His buckle was silver, his manner was bold (note 2)
I asked him to come on in out of the cold
His brain was boiling, his reason was spent
Nothing is borrowed, nothing is lent
I asked him for mercy, he gave me a gun
Now and again these things just got to be done

Abraham and Isaac sitting on a fence
Get right to work if you have any sense
You know the one thing we need is a left-hand monkey wrench

Gideon come in with his eyes on the floor
Says, "you ain't got a hinge, you can't close the door"
Moses stood up a full six foot ten
Said "you can't close the door when the wall's caved in"
I asked him for water he poured me some wine
We finished the bottle then broke into mine
You get what you come for, you're ready to go
And it's one in ten thousand done come for the show

Abraham and Isaac digging on a well
Mama come quick with the water witch spell
Cool clear water where you can't never tell