I thought this was intresting and wanted to share:

This is the poem Robert Hunter wrote and read at Jerry’s funeral (I bolded the important verse):

An Elegy for Jerry (by Robert Hunter)

Jerry, my friend,
you've done it again,
even in your silence
the familiar pressure
comes to bear, demanding
I pull words from the air
with only this morning
and part of the afternoon
to compose an ode worthy
of one so particular
about every turn of phrase,
demanding it hit home
in a thousand ways
before making it his own,
and this I can't do alone.
Now that the singer is gone,
where shall I go for the song?

Without your melody and tase
to lend an attitude of grace
a lyric is an orphan thing,
a hive with neither honey's taste
nor power to truly sting.

What choice have I but to dare and
call your muse who thought to rest
out of the thin blue air
that out of the field of shared time,
a line or two might chance to shine --

As ever when we called,
in hope if not in words,
the muse descends.

How should she desert us now?
Scars of battle on her brow,
bedraggled feathers on her wings,
and yet she sings, she sings!

May she bear thee to thy rest,
the ancient bower of flowers
beyond the solitude of days,
the tyranny of hours--
the wreath of shining laurel lie
upon your shaggy head
bestowing power to play the lyre
to legions of the dead

If some part of that music
is heard in deepest dream,
or on some breeze of Summer
a snatch of golden theme,
we'll know you live inside us
with love that never parts
our good old Jack O'Diamonds
become the King of Hearts.

I feel your silent laughter
at sentiments so bold
that dare to step across the line
to tell what must be told,
so I'll just say I love you,
which I never said before
and let it go at that old friend
the rest you may ignore.


Lyrics for Big Bad Blues:

Found this card by the side of the road
Jack O'Diamonds, battered and old
Run down, rained on, filthy and torn
My own face card, sure as I'm born

This is no story, and it's never no lie
Sat down lookin' that Jack in the eye
Rest of the deck nowhere to be seen
Nary an Ace, nor a doggone Queen

Big bad blues keep rollin' along
Never found the place where I belong
Never done right but it turned out wrong
So shut your face while I sing my song

Say what you want, brother, say what you will
Jack O'Diamonds was there for the kill
One to the head, sister, one to the heart
Murder most foul, without mercy or art

Jack O'Diamonds got only one eye
Lost the other in a bedroom fight
Gone like smoke, never said goodbye
Just stole off in the dark of the night

Big bad blues keep rollin' along
Never found the place where I belong
Never done right but it turned out wrong
So shut your face while I sing my song

Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on

Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
Singing rat shack talking about one-eyed Jacks, come on
[etc]

Big bad blues keep rollin' along
Never found the place where I belong
Never done right but it turned out wrong
So shut your face while I sing my song

There was a time, brother, I'd have been glad
To find his fate turned out so bad
There was a time, sister, I'd have paid
To dance on his memory and spit on his grave

Jack O'Diamonds, I knew you well
A long time ago, truth to tell
Reckon we'll share the same fire in Hell
Just like that same cold Birmingham cell

Big bad blues keep rollin' along
Never found the place where I belong
Never done right but it turned out wrong
So shut your face while I sing my song

Big bad blues keep rollin' along
Never found the place where I belong
Never done right but it turned out wrong
So hold on tight while I sing my song

To me, this is obviously a song written By Bob and Robert for their departed brother Jer…Kinda neat.

That is kinda neat, a very interesting observation. Makes me wonder if that's why Big Bad Blues is the only one of the "new" songs that I liked right off the bat.

It's a great song. And like a lot of art, it's open to some interpretation. But, I think in some way, on some level, it is about Jerry.

I loved the ulogy he wrote just beautiful , he must have taken loosing jerry very hard not that we all did not but the relationship they had musically was sureal .

I like that Sue, maybe thats the reason for me too. Its my favorite new song and I like it better than some original gd bobby tunes. Its one song that i cross my fingers for to hear on nye, which I believe we will.

I'm surprised it took this long for this observation to appear on this board "gone like smoke, never said goodbye...just stole off in the dark of the night"...yeah

SunshineSue wrote:


colors of the rain (awesome jams why'd they stop?!) I thought i died and went to heaven when they played that for the first time in Lowell, MA

seven hills of gold (better every time they played it and fit well into song canon, I love songs about San Francisco!)

why if Furthur is really trying to go "further" why oh why, have they stopped playing their awesome originals?!?!

and why no more ?!?!?!

I agree with you Dire, I love their originals and have enjoyed them every time I've seen them.
BRING BACK THE ORIGINALS!

As far as the lyrics, well I think we can associate many lyrics as messages to Jerry. Even some written before he passed.

most of the song fits well about Jerry, though a couple lines may seem out of place....

"There was a time, brother, I'd have been glad
To find his fate turned out so bad
There was a time, sister, I'd have paid
To dance on his memory and spit on his grave"


I love their originals to and wish they'd play more then 2 or 3 on a regular basis.

I remember hearing when BBB first came out that it was part of a trilogy with Money for Gasoline and another new song not released yet. Haven't really heard anything more of that since