This is one of the songs my boyfriend chose to be played at his memorial service. He passed away in February from lung cancer. He was in love with the GD. He went to 372 concerts 💔😢. RIP DAVID N JERRY 🦋🦋
Patsi Mitchell my heart and prayers go out to you, this is a beautiful song and one of my favorites of all time and fits perfectly. RIP to a beautiful soul ❤️❤️
The news hit me hard this morning when I saw Phish playing this song. Phil stayed with us a lot longer than Jerry but will be no less missed. Rest in gratitude.
It's not Phish. Not yet. Jerry and Phil were why I deadheaded it. 2 titans on their instruments going where no one went. Sure, some have tried to take the throne. No one could.
I went and saw The Dead after my brother passed away in 2009. They were playing a show at the Gorge in George, Washington. I wasn't originally planning on going to this concert, but my little brother was a big GD fan and had planned on going before he passed away in April. I felt compelled to go. The concert was in May. I was a fan of the dead as well and remember my brother telling me the story of this song. I really hoped they would play it. They did end up playing it as the encore song to end the night. What a beautiful moment. Even though tears were running down my face I felt at peace in that moment.
RIP Phil. Thank you for you, for your music and especially, for me, for this song. It has always held much meaning for me and poignantly, now for you once again.
I chose this song to sing at my sixth grade talent show back in 1973....a little heavy for a 12 year old, but the song just touched my soul and now I'm glad I know what it was about.
My Mom passed away 3 hrs ago. God rest her soul. Played this for her a month ago, sang it as I drove her in the car up to my house. Been thinking about this song and this story all day. Words can’t explain.
Phil is such a kind, sensitive soul and wow, Hunter who is a genius at lyrics was really inspired to write these words to help Phil at this time of his dad's impending death.
Hunter's solo cover of this song is out there on YT somewhere. He has a much lower singing range, about like that of Gordon Lightfoot. His take on the song is very tender and comforting.
This kind of music can’t be made, it has to be created and it can only be created through an experience like a persons father dying. This song means more to a lot of people then he could ever know. Thank you so much
My sister passed away from a brain tumor last week. I have listened to this song a lot in the past year and the lyrics get me every single time. IMO this is the finest song Phil ever wrote. Thanks for all the music, Phil, and rest easy. There are things you can replace. And others you cannot.
Used to sing my kids to sleep with this song. I'm 40 now, I have a new baby, well he's 1 now. There were some complications at birth that required a C-section. That meant that dad and baby had an hour or so together just us. I sang this to him. This song has always been so special for me.
Always loved this song, I lost my dad in 2014, age 91,and my mom 5 Day's after my birthday in 1992, age 67. Its not easy loosing those you LOVE. I'll be 64 soon, and still alone.
First of all: Sorry. I also lost my father at 91, when I was in my early 60's. I take solace in the fact that I got a lot longer with him than most people do. And, yeah, "Box..." was the first Dead song I got heavily into, and it still touches a deep spot in my heart.
R.I.P. Phil Lesh. In my world he was absolutely one of the greats. I saw him play at least 145 times thru the years starting in 1978. A classically trained musician whose unconventional bass playing gave me an incredible perspective on musical and emotional possibilities. Very rarely did he sing but his impassioned vocal on “Box of Rain” for many, including myself, is one of the bands finest moments. Even if you can’t stand this band this clip is extremely moving. Music will do that.
I got a call from a friend on a rainy morning. We knew he left his parents home on a motorcycle that morning after spending the weekend and never showed up at work. So as soon as I got his call I said "let me guess you had an accident and are in the emergency room" and he said "how did you know". As I jumped in the car to see him that rainy morning, this song came on the radio. "What do you need to see you through, a box of rain will ease the pain". Every time I hear this song it brings me back to that moment about 1973. He said the leather jacket I lent him literally saved the skin off his back as he skidded across the road. Fortunately no major injuries. Just a few bruises.
I play acoustic guitar and sing lots of GD songs to hospice patients and nursing home residents on a volunteer basis. And Box of Rain is one of my absolute favorites to include. Such a colorful, meaningful song of comfort, depth, and warmth. Thank you Phil, and Mr. Hunter. Thank you...
Can you imagine the words just coming to you - writing them down as they come.. and 50 years later they are still alive in many, many hearts and souls. And will continue to be.. ❤️❤️
I can understand why he/they went something like 15 years without performing it - very personal. Which is why, of course, it has so much power and beauty. Personally I'm in a period of pain and loss which is why this is so meaningful to me. The author PAul Tillich has defined 'courage' as being able to accept the unacceptable. Death is the prime example, and of course only "love will see you through". Love, Blessings, and a Box of Rain to all.
Though im replying after 7 yrs, I still feel your pain. Im pained too but aside from BOX OF RAIN , I sing BREATHE by Pearl jam and FURTHER ON by Jackson Browne. So, soothing and inspiring ,
this song always makes me think of my sister. She is still with us-but somewhat lost. Drugs are NOT the answer ....and most of the time,... there is nothing you can do for certain people. Just love 'em and keep hopin' for something better... for them. Such a beautiful song.Always.
Before this video, i identified this song with my daughters passing. Then, and now 12 years later, i still get choked up. I knew in my heart this song was for that time in all of our lives, when we shall all live through... the dying of a loved one.
R.I.P. ROBERT YOUR IN GRATE COMPANY UP THERE THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL MUSIC LET THERE BE SONGS TO FILL THE AIR AND BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU THEIR ALWAYS WILL BE
To me, The Dead are the most important band to happen to American music...some people want to hate on them because the times, culture and fans ( Deadheads ) but if you can look past all that you will see a band that staples together genres that have stood the test of time and others that just exist within The Dead...
I put a copy of this song in my grandmothers casket when shepassed away. this song is definetly the most personal of all dead tunes. I love you Gram miss you everyday.
When I was 18 and got my first car in NY State, my license plate was EEP HOUR, my fave track on Garcia's first solo LP from 1972. When I returned to NY in 2015-16 for one year, to be with my ageing father, 28 years after leaving the US, my my license plate was BOXARAIN. My then wife said she was driving along on Interstate 287 one day on the way to White Plains. A guy pulled up next to her and honked his horn, and she had no idea what was going on. They both rolled down their windows. He said at the top of his lungs, "BOX OF RAIN!!!" and gave her two thumbs up. Being a Deadhead I have been since ca. 1973, is like being a member of an extended family. It was a good move going to live with my father that year with my kids, born and raised abroad, since he passed away a few years later but got to know and love his grandkids, and I got to really reconnect with him. This song has a special place for anyone who has been close to their father and watched them die. This probably has the most meaning for me, personally, of any Dead song, in the same way that John Lennon's Across the universe is by far the most eloquent and spiritually moving Beatles song bar none. There are very few songs by any band that reach this level of musicianship and lyrical maturity.
I also relate this song to my parents' deaths, and it actually helps me grieve. An amazing song. Sometimes I just need to let it all out; that's when I play Box of Rain and purge my heart.
Wow that is so cool. Great video. All these years later Phil still gets choked up thinking about it... It is definitely my favorite studio recording by the Dead. I would love to have heard it live back when Phil could still sing. You forget what a great voice he once had. Weir mentions it in one of the books, that Phil just blew his voice out and it never really came back.
IMHO Another stroke of genius on this song was having David Nelson's guitar throughout. It blends so beautifully and the song was so suited to his style of play. On the surface it sounds simple, but it is very complex and grabs the spotlight often in the song. I've heard the song 1000 times and I'm still mesmerized by it. Truly timeless.
This song has a special place in my heart because when my husband and I had our first date he played this on the guitar and sang it for me. Beautiful song about death and the circle of life.
A few years after the great zen master, Dogen predicted on his death-bed that he would return, a young zen disciple sat under the roof on the edge of the pagoda porch in a rainstorm during guided meditation, making her hands into a perfect box. This was not a typical meditation posture. The meditation master asked, "What are you doing?" Dry and wry, the student answered, "Caching rain!" "Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment."
Rest In Peace to a legend and a truly golden era of music and culture I’m so privileged to be raised around people that loved the music of the Greatful Dead
Woah. My dad passed away in 2000 from a 18 month long battle with lung/brain cancer. TBH, I've always loved this tune, not knowing the real story behind it until now. I don't think I'll be able to hold back tears the next time I sing that line: "what do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through?"
It was awesome to see the sun burst through the clouds at 2:18 seconds. Sometimes nature just puts amazing things on a plate and serves it up with a ton of love!
I think a good number of the Dead songs could be viewed as contemporary hymns or allegories that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning . Attics of My Life, Ripple, Brokedown Palace, and Black Muddy River are examples of what I'd consider hymns. They connect us to the spiritual realm and provide assurance that in spite of life's hardship a great and undying good is present in the universe and always will be. Other songs like Box of Rain, Here Comes Sunshine, and Row Jimmy strike me as beautiful allegories. Any way you see it, every Dead fan knows there's more to their songs than what first appears. After 50 years of listening all I can say is I've had the pleasure of sharing Grateful Dead songs with others and wandering, "In the book of love's own dream". Thank you so much so for these spiritual treasures.
I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful songs, I don't know why but now I do. My dad passed from cancer and when I listen now I'll think of him.
I always thought more of the music than the words. Hunter's nothing but the best, but now that I hear Phil's motivation, I can better grasp my initial thoughts.
I didn’t know the story of this song but this song holds a great deal of tears from own mother’s death. She was an amazing woman. She was made an angel way to young. ❤️
When my grandfather passed in Jan. 2008, I had been his caretaker for the previous 4 years. He raised me, my brother and sister. He was as hard working and as kind and sweet and generous a man as I've ever seen or known. I usta say that if I could grow up to be even half as good a man as him, I'd be way ahead of the game. Lol The last six months of his life were spent in a nursing home. Which I hated. But in August of 2007, he caught pneumonia and went into a "semi-coma" The Dr's qll suggested he stay there temporarily after he came out of the coma (he was in the coma for about two weeks, until myself and an old friend of mine from church, a retired L.A. Firefighter, got together and prayed over him. He began to twitch his fingers. I pushed the call button for a nurse and by then he'd opened his eyes. Praise the Lord Jesus!!) Anyway, the last 6 months or so I'd play Box of Rain every day in the parking lot before I'd go in to see him. I'd just sit in my car, smoke a little weed, down a beer or two and cry cry cry. It really was cathartic, healing. Phil and the boys helped me to let the pain of losing him out. And helped to be ok with it all in both the big and small picture. This song is so fucking beautiful and special. It will always hold a place in my heart. Thanks GD, you guys hit it out of the park on this baby.
The Dead got me to Park West In 83 baddest Little Red Rooster I ever did hear. 1983 Beautiful day. Got a ride with a Native American he was off to do an equestrian event. Then by the last week of October I was in Downey at a Winchell's. Ended up on a ranch in Clovis. Then the Dog into SF at 7th and Market. Off to the Federal Hotel. A quick splash in Aquatic Park. Then reality set in . Yet at Civic Center 83. Opening night. Tickets came out of a bus like Confetti. Then the longest, strangest, trip ever. Still on it. The Dead lives on. "When life seems like easy street...." That lyric resonates with me. Yet that is another song.
My son read the lyrics to this song at my Moms and Brothers Wake. People were beside themselves. Had me in tears. That’s how deep this song goes. Such a long long time to be gone and a short time to be there. 😢🙏
RIP Phil. You, Robert, and this song were all such treasures. You will be missed.
Somehow I found myself way back to this video. One of three bassists that I look up to the most.
RIP Robert Hunter- what a masterful lyricist. I love this story so much
Can you imagine crafting those perfect lyrics to that beautiful song? What a genius. RIP Hunter
Depressing that he had to leave us. Hopefully him, pigpen, and jerry are in a better place.
Hunter was brilliant
This is one of the songs my boyfriend chose to be played at his memorial service. He passed away in February from lung cancer. He was in love with the GD. He went to 372 concerts 💔😢. RIP DAVID N JERRY 🦋🦋
Patsi Mitchell my heart and prayers go out to you, this is a beautiful song and one of my favorites of all time and fits perfectly. RIP to a beautiful soul ❤️❤️
Meg G thank you so much. Today is 6 months he’s been gone 💔
WOW Patsi, sorry to hear of your lost love.
Phatt Daddy thank you ❤️
Blessings
The more I learn about Phil the more I like him.
The news hit me hard this morning when I saw Phish playing this song. Phil stayed with us a lot longer than Jerry but will be no less missed. Rest in gratitude.
It's not Phish. Not yet. Jerry and Phil were why I deadheaded it. 2 titans on their instruments going where no one went. Sure, some have tried to take the throne. No one could.
I went and saw The Dead after my brother passed away in 2009. They were playing a show at the Gorge in George, Washington. I wasn't originally planning on going to this concert, but my little brother was a big GD fan and had planned on going before he passed away in April. I felt compelled to go. The concert was in May. I was a fan of the dead as well and remember my brother telling me the story of this song. I really hoped they would play it. They did end up playing it as the encore song to end the night. What a beautiful moment. Even though tears were running down my face I felt at peace in that moment.
I feel Your Pain My Friend. 🙏
Sighs. Im sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your beautiful experience. Certain music I consider the soundtrack of my life.
Thanks for sharing this experience with us.
Peace to you!
Rest in Peace Phil. What a contribution!
God Bless The Grateful DEAD
RIP Phil. Thank you for you, for your music and especially, for me, for this song. It has always held much meaning for me and poignantly, now for you once again.
I chose this song to sing at my sixth grade talent show back in 1973....a little heavy for a 12 year old, but the song just touched my soul and now I'm glad I know what it was about.
gretchen mitzelfelt kool !
That’s awesome!
My Mom passed away 3 hrs ago. God rest her soul. Played this for her a month ago, sang it as I drove her in the car up to my house. Been thinking about this song and this story all day. Words can’t explain.
lost my brother and Dad in last five years, but I will see them again as you will see your Mom
Phil is such a kind, sensitive soul and wow, Hunter who is a genius at lyrics was really inspired to write these words to help Phil at this time of his dad's impending death.
Hunter's solo cover of this song is out there on YT somewhere. He has a much lower singing range, about like that of Gordon Lightfoot. His take on the song is very tender and comforting.
RIP Phil, i hope you are reunited with him.
I just sang this song in the car as I was driving to see my own father in the hospital. Healing music to help me thru this life passage.
One of the most personally meaningful songs ever made for me. I truly love Phil, and cherish his contributions to the dead and music as a whole
This kind of music can’t be made, it has to be created and it can only be created through an experience like a persons father dying. This song means more to a lot of people then he could ever know. Thank you so much
I can easily say this is one of my favorite songs ever written. The album version is absolute perfection
Agreed
My sister passed away from a brain tumor last week. I have listened to this song a lot in the past year and the lyrics get me every single time. IMO this is the finest song Phil ever wrote. Thanks for all the music, Phil, and rest easy. There are things you can replace. And others you cannot.
I'm very sorry for your loss, Russell.
Used to sing my kids to sleep with this song. I'm 40 now, I have a new baby, well he's 1 now. There were some complications at birth that required a C-section. That meant that dad and baby had an hour or so together just us. I sang this to him. This song has always been so special for me.
Always loved this song, I lost my dad in 2014, age 91,and my mom 5 Day's after my birthday in 1992, age 67. Its not easy loosing those you LOVE. I'll be 64 soon, and still alone.
Michael Orzolick Sorry for your loneliness bro, be strong, you never know what the future holds , it’s never too late. I wish you peace ☮️
First of all: Sorry.
I also lost my father at 91, when I was in my early 60's.
I take solace in the fact that I got a lot longer with him than most people do.
And, yeah, "Box..." was the first Dead song I got heavily into, and it still touches a deep spot in my heart.
I lost my father this year, 76. Too young.
R.I.P. Phil Lesh. In my world he was absolutely one of the greats. I saw him play at least 145 times thru the years starting in 1978. A classically trained musician whose unconventional bass playing gave me an incredible perspective on musical and emotional possibilities. Very rarely did he sing but his impassioned vocal on “Box of Rain” for many, including myself, is one of the bands finest moments. Even if you can’t stand this band this clip is extremely moving. Music will do that.
I got a call from a friend on a rainy morning. We knew he left his parents home on a motorcycle that morning after spending the weekend and never showed up at work. So as soon as I got his call I said "let me guess you had an accident and are in the emergency room" and he said "how did you know".
As I jumped in the car to see him that rainy morning, this song came on the radio. "What do you need to see you through, a box of rain will ease the pain". Every time I hear this song it brings me back to that moment about 1973. He said the leather jacket I lent him literally saved the skin off his back as he skidded across the road. Fortunately no major injuries. Just a few bruises.
We lost one of the best lyricists to ever grace the earth recently in Robert (Bob) Hunter. Rest now for your journey ahead spans the cosmos.
I play acoustic guitar and sing lots of GD songs to hospice patients and nursing home residents on a volunteer basis. And Box of Rain is one of my absolute favorites to include. Such a colorful, meaningful song of comfort, depth, and warmth. Thank you Phil, and Mr. Hunter. Thank you...
That is a lovely thing to do. God bless you.
This will forever be the Dead's best song...
Bruce Wayne Touch Of Gray means more to me today now that I’m old than back then so it & Box Of Rain are my 2 favorites today.
Phil was one of one. 10-25-24 RIP.
When my dad passed on I lost a great father and a friend who still visits me in lucid dreams .
Rip Phil 😢 the last 30 seconds of this clip exemplifies why he was such a terrific, genuine individual
Can you imagine the words just coming to you - writing them down as they come.. and 50 years later they are still alive in many, many hearts and souls. And will continue to be.. ❤️❤️
I can understand why he/they went something like 15 years without performing it - very personal. Which is why, of course, it has so much power and beauty.
Personally I'm in a period of pain and loss which is why this is so meaningful to me. The author PAul Tillich has defined 'courage' as being able to accept the unacceptable. Death is the prime example, and of course only "love will see you through".
Love, Blessings, and a Box of Rain to all.
Though im replying after 7 yrs, I still feel your pain. Im pained too but aside from BOX OF RAIN , I sing BREATHE by Pearl jam and FURTHER ON by Jackson Browne. So, soothing and inspiring ,
"I guess it was written for a young man whose father was dying."
Robert Hunter is one of the best poets of our time his words will forever be hanging in the fabrics of the existence of conciousness. Very real!
My favorite GD song. It's my go-to when I'm stressed out. If you don't know this song, listen, and peace.
I feel we have all been moved by this song and album..
Thanks for the gift Robert and Phil. I played this for my own father as he lay dying in the hostpital on Christmas eve 2018 of cancer.
This song helped me through the passing of both my mom and dad; it sounds corny, but it really did help
I miss the Dead shows so much. They were special, and those were special times.
This song helped me deal with the same passing of my father due to cancer.... extremely beautiful/moving song....
RIP Hunter - thanks for the great lyrics
this song always makes me think of my sister. She is still with us-but somewhat lost. Drugs are NOT the answer ....and most of the time,... there is nothing you can do for certain people. Just love 'em and keep hopin' for something better... for them. Such a beautiful song.Always.
Just hug them if you can. Even if they don't hug you back -that's just a bonus if it happens.
It's different to words.
Rest In Peace, Phil Lesh 🙏
Before this video, i identified this song with my daughters passing. Then, and now 12 years later, i still get choked up. I knew in my heart this song was for that time in all of our lives, when we shall all live through... the dying of a loved one.
Love you, Phil!
Together again. RIP to them both.
RIP Phil!! you truly are one of the bassists that inspired me heavily on the bass guitar with all your bass lines!!😥🙏🏻💔
R.I.P. ROBERT
YOUR IN GRATE COMPANY UP THERE
THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL MUSIC
LET THERE BE SONGS
TO FILL THE AIR
AND BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU
THEIR ALWAYS WILL BE
To me, The Dead are the most important band to happen to American music...some people want to hate on them because the times, culture and fans ( Deadheads ) but if you can look past all that you will see a band that staples together genres that have stood the test of time and others that just exist within The Dead...
A particularly piognent song and always a comfort to me and mine. Thanks for everything Phil!
I put a copy of this song in my grandmothers casket when shepassed away. this song is definetly the most personal of all dead tunes. I love you Gram miss you everyday.
Box of rain, american beauty , le premier morceau sur la platine, le ton est donné , magnifique solo ,j' aime de tout mon coeur ...
My high school yearbook has some words from this wonderful song. There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert. ❤️✌️🌏🌎🌍✨✨ Never forget.
When I was 18 and got my first car in NY State, my license plate was EEP HOUR, my fave track on Garcia's first solo LP from 1972. When I returned to NY in 2015-16 for one year, to be with my ageing father, 28 years after leaving the US, my my license plate was BOXARAIN. My then wife said she was driving along on Interstate 287 one day on the way to White Plains. A guy pulled up next to her and honked his horn, and she had no idea what was going on. They both rolled down their windows. He said at the top of his lungs, "BOX OF RAIN!!!" and gave her two thumbs up. Being a Deadhead I have been since ca. 1973, is like being a member of an extended family. It was a good move going to live with my father that year with my kids, born and raised abroad, since he passed away a few years later but got to know and love his grandkids, and I got to really reconnect with him. This song has a special place for anyone who has been close to their father and watched them die. This probably has the most meaning for me, personally, of any Dead song, in the same way that John Lennon's Across the universe is by far the most eloquent and spiritually moving Beatles song bar none. There are very few songs by any band that reach this level of musicianship and lyrical maturity.
I also relate this song to my parents' deaths, and it actually helps me grieve. An amazing song. Sometimes I just need to let it all out; that's when I play Box of Rain and purge my heart.
RIP & God Speed Phil 10/25/2024
Fly high , Phil. Thanks for everything!
We love you Phil. We are forever to Cody. We are all an Unbroken Chain.
This documentary is a must see.
What’s it called?
@@joeywisedrums Anthem to Beauty.
Just WOW....."a Box of rain will see you through"......BEAUTIFUL.......
Wow that is so cool. Great video. All these years later Phil still gets choked up thinking about it... It is definitely my favorite studio recording by the Dead. I would love to have heard it live back when Phil could still sing. You forget what a great voice he once had. Weir mentions it in one of the books, that Phil just blew his voice out and it never really came back.
Let Phil Sing!!!
LOL...I was gonna post “Let Phil Sing” but someone beat me to it!
IMHO Another stroke of genius on this song was having David Nelson's guitar throughout. It blends so beautifully and the song was so suited to his style of play. On the surface it sounds simple, but it is very complex and grabs the spotlight often in the song. I've heard the song 1000 times and I'm still mesmerized by it. Truly timeless.
This song has a special place in my heart because when my husband and I had our first date he played this on the guitar and sang it for me. Beautiful song about death and the circle of life.
It's my favorite Grateful Dead song. I appreciate now knowing the background.
One of their best songs.
Huge loss today. Always loved this song.
Gonna miss you Phil
I remember reading about this in Phil Lesh's book, and he said in a short span they lost Phil's father, Jerry's mother and both of Bob's parents.
Oy. I loved that guy.
RIP Phil 😢
A few years after the great zen master, Dogen predicted on his death-bed that he would return, a young zen disciple sat under the roof on the edge of the pagoda porch in a rainstorm during guided meditation, making her hands into a perfect box. This was not a typical meditation posture. The meditation master asked, "What are you doing?" Dry and wry, the student answered, "Caching rain!" "Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment."
I wonder, is this story how Hunter came up with the words "box of rain?"
Rest In Peace to a legend and a truly golden era of music and culture I’m so privileged to be raised around people that loved the music of the Greatful Dead
RIP Robert !! Love for Phil !! Great Story Great Song !! ✌
Beautiful, beautiful poetry of the highest order.
RIP Phil Your music will live in our hearts forever. You will be missed.
Woah. My dad passed away in 2000 from a 18 month long battle with lung/brain cancer. TBH, I've always loved this tune, not knowing the real story behind it until now. I don't think I'll be able to hold back tears the next time I sing that line:
"what do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through?"
It was awesome to see the sun burst through the clouds at 2:18 seconds. Sometimes nature just puts amazing things on a plate and serves it up with a ton of love!
That was God,not just nature. Peace and Love to you
Phil is my absolute favorite
this song was lovingly played acoustically by a guy at a good friends funeral. very touching
I think a good number of the Dead songs could be viewed as contemporary hymns or allegories that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning . Attics of My Life, Ripple, Brokedown Palace, and Black Muddy River are examples of what I'd consider hymns. They connect us to the spiritual realm and provide assurance that in spite of life's hardship a great and undying good is present in the universe and always will be. Other songs like Box of Rain, Here Comes Sunshine, and Row Jimmy strike me as beautiful allegories. Any way you see it, every Dead fan knows there's more to their songs than what first appears. After 50 years of listening all I can say is I've had the pleasure of sharing Grateful Dead songs with others and wandering, "In the book of love's own dream". Thank you so much so for these spiritual treasures.
RIP Phil - thanks for getting us all through tough times in our lives.
Thank you Phil, travel well✌️💖🎸🎶
My God! The gift the world received in so many ways with this band, and all associated with them, what a gift to humanity!!
Love will see you through ~ thanks Phil and Hunter
I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful songs, I don't know why but now I do. My dad passed from cancer and when I listen now I'll think of him.
It's chopped full of minor chord changes, ever noticed how Clapton's let it rain has similar Am chord changes in it?
Amazing and beautiful both
Oh Phil! RIP
Thank you Phil. For sharing your 😮
that song really touched him.
I always thought more of the music than the words. Hunter's nothing but the best, but now that I hear Phil's motivation, I can better grasp my initial thoughts.
I didn’t know the story of this song but this song holds a great deal of tears from own mother’s death. She was an amazing woman. She was made an angel way to young. ❤️
such a great song. i love hearing the sories behind the songs especially ones like this
Our love won’t fade away
Some day I hope I find direction around some corner where it's been waiting to meet me!
The first time I saw this was right after my father passed
It hit me the same way
The end vocal refrain is just so beautiful and heartfelt
When my grandfather passed in Jan. 2008, I had been his caretaker for the previous 4 years. He raised me, my brother and sister. He was as hard working and as kind and sweet and generous a man as I've ever seen or known. I usta say that if I could grow up to be even half as good a man as him, I'd be way ahead of the game. Lol
The last six months of his life were spent in a nursing home. Which I hated. But in August of 2007, he caught pneumonia and went into a "semi-coma" The Dr's qll suggested he stay there temporarily after he came out of the coma (he was in the coma for about two weeks, until myself and an old friend of mine from church, a retired L.A. Firefighter, got together and prayed over him. He began to twitch his fingers. I pushed the call button for a nurse and by then he'd opened his eyes. Praise the Lord Jesus!!)
Anyway, the last 6 months or so I'd play Box of Rain every day in the parking lot before I'd go in to see him. I'd just sit in my car, smoke a little weed, down a beer or two and cry cry cry. It really was cathartic, healing. Phil and the boys helped me to let the pain of losing him out. And helped to be ok with it all in both the big and small picture.
This song is so fucking beautiful and special. It will always hold a place in my heart. Thanks GD, you guys hit it out of the park on this baby.
Onto to the next realm.RIP ❤️
The Dead got me to Park West
In 83 baddest Little Red Rooster I ever did hear. 1983 Beautiful day.
Got a ride with a Native American he was off to do an equestrian event. Then by the last week of October I was in Downey at a Winchell's. Ended up on a ranch in Clovis.
Then the Dog into SF at 7th and Market. Off to the Federal Hotel. A quick splash in Aquatic Park. Then reality set in .
Yet at Civic Center 83. Opening night. Tickets came out of a bus like Confetti.
Then the longest, strangest, trip ever. Still on it.
The Dead lives on. "When life seems like easy street...." That lyric resonates with me. Yet that is another song.
This song is so beautiful.. This video with Phil and Robert is a gem. Thanks
R.I.P. the great Phil Lesh
My son read the lyrics to this song at my Moms and Brothers Wake. People were beside themselves. Had me in tears. That’s how deep this song goes. Such a long long time to be gone and a short time to be there. 😢🙏
Happy and Sad .....together....
This song always touches you!!!
This is my favorite Dead song. Great!