This was played by the Grateful Dead in their early days, from 1966 to 1970. It is normally in setlists as "He Was A Friend Of Mine" but it is in fact a portion of a Mark Spoelstra song "Just A Hand To Hold"
Lyrics By
Traditional
Music By
Traditional
Lyrics
He was, he was a friend of mine
He was, he was a friend of mine
Now he's dead and gone
This morning my best friend
Was sleeping in his bed
His face like a jewel
And he was dead
He liked to play games
Mark, push me on a swing
Mark, push me on a merry-go-round
Going round and round