The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics

by Grateful Dead, David G. Dodd (Annotations), Robert C. Hunter (Foreword)

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics is an authoritative text, providing standard versions of all the original songs you thought you knew forwards and backwards. These are some of the best-loved songs in the modern American songbook. They are hummed and spoken among thousands as counterculture code and recorded by musicians of all stripes for their inimitable singability and obscure accessibility. How do they do all this? To provide a context for this formidable body of work, of which his part is primary, Robert Hunter has written a foreword that goes to the heart of the matter. And the annotations on sources provide a gloss on the lyrics, which goes to the roots of Western culture as they are incorporated into them.

Genres: Music, Poetry, Reference, Nonfiction, Coffee Table Books, Biography

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Long Strange Trip

Reading a book of lyrics without listening to the songs makes little sense to me. Writing a review about said book is utterly stupid. So, I'm utterly stupid. Hardcore Deadheads own this book anyway. Newdeads shouldn't read the book, but listen to the music (and then get the book).

♫ Let there be songs to fill the air


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is, that it has all the lyrics to the Grateful Dead compositions. A few covers are also included, but only about 3% of the covers are included. This book tries to give meaning to the lyrics, by explaining what a certain reference, or lyric might mean. In general it was helpful, but a lot of it was filler, like going on for three paragraphs about a certain bird that was named in a song. The best parts were when someone like Phil Lesh or Robert Hunter explained what a certain part of the song meant. These came from the source, so these I put more credit in. Although, most of these quotes were lifted from other books.

This was a pretty large volume, around 500 pages, with a lot of good artwork. It includes a foreword an a afterword by Hunter and Barlow, and it just is generally a beautiful book. Reading it through straight wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would have been, though. But I am glad I purchased it, because I do see the value of this book always being used as a reference.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this does contain the complete annotated Grateful Dead lyrics with the addition of some covers, deadheads might be disappointed to find out it doesn't contain the most well known covers by them such as big river or el paso.Also, the annotations in this book aren't consistent, and I felt some things could've been annotated much more, and some songs much less. However, if you're a deadhead, it's still a good read. Gotta love the forward by Robert Hunter

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book of 2021 had to be a comfort book. A great little look into the songs of the Dead. If you are a dead head you will love it, If not, there are some cool little history things thrown in about their songs that may be of interest but it will probably not hit your groove and thats okay.

[HeavyReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book rocks! (Well, yeah, literally.)

Anybody who loves The Grateful Dead needs this book.

Anybody who loves poetry needs this book.

Anybody who's ever wondered what the hell Bob or Jerry is singing about needs this book.

This mighty tome (yes, I have always wanted to write "mighty tome") is full of lyrics, stories, explanations, poetry, and love.

Find out what song The Grateful Dead played live most often.

Learn about Neal Cassady's connection to Bob and the rest of the band.

Get the scoop on what piano player got it on with Janis Joplin.

All that's in here, plus a ton more.

You need this book!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Hunter's forward could in itself be reason enough to own this book. Listening to someone describe the secrets of lyrical alchemy with such clarity is totally spellbinding. To talk about writing lyrics in a way that is at once parallel to the individual listener's own life in such a deeply personal manner, while providing that same experience to so many different people universally with the very same words and intonation, and with such clarity, is a master stroke. It's amazing when you read or hear another's words ring so true that you must convince yourself that somehow they're not your own.

[books & coffee addict]

I don't even know one song of the Grateful Dead. Picked this up randomly and when I read one song, I decided to buy it. Currently looking the net for free downloadable Dead songs.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of all time

[Jaimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a book. Love reading about all the stories behind the lyrics! I will be reading this over and over. A true must have for all Deadheads 🎶

[Thomas Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, annotations by David G. Dodd (1957-), foreword by Robert Hunter, 2005, 480 pages, Dewey 782.421660265, ISBN 9780743277471


The collected lyrics of Robert Hunter and John Barlow, lyrics to all original Grateful Dead songs, with selected traditional and cover songs. 1965-1994 and 1996-2004 by surviving members after Jerry Garcia's death in 1995.

Lyricists with mini-biographies in the book:
John Barlow (1947-2018) p. 424. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pe...
Robert Hunter (1941-2019) p. 425. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Peter Richard Zimels, AKA Peter Monk (1937-1992) p. 425.
Robert M. Petersen (1936-1987) pp. 425-426.
Gerrit Graham (1948-) p. 426. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_...

The annotations don't say what the songs /mean/. Instead they merely specify what particular lyrics refer to. In a song with a Cheshire cat, we get an annotation about Lewis Carroll pp. 3-5; with a vampire bat, we get an annotation about Bram Stoker p. 5. Cream Puff War's annotation is a recipe for cream puffs. pp. 16-17.


Lyricist Robert Hunter writes a 16-page foreword. He tells us:

It begins to appear that our output embodied the summation and close of a musical era, rather than heralding the bright new beginning devoutly wished for. p. xi.

Sometimes, the writer was just stretching for a rhyme, accepting something convenient with a deadline impending, no further significance intended. pp. xii-xiii.

We would have done better with a hit, three of which we had until the Federal Communications Commission banned them from the airwaves: "Truckin'" and "Casey Jones" for mentioning cocaine, and "Uncle John's Band" for "God damn! I declare / Have you seen the like?" Nixon will never know what a favor he did us. We needed another decade of hard-work-just-to-survive to temper our metal. Burnout was providentially deferred. p. xxiii.

The annotator is a librarian.

Lyrics to 461 Grateful Dead songs are on the band's website, dead.net/songs?page=0 through dead.net/songs?page=46
The songs' individual URLs are like this: dead.net/song/truckin and dead.net/song/uncle-johns-band

The lyrics on dead.net aren't always identical to those in this book. For example:

dead.net/song/ripple is missing the last verse and half of the last chorus, which the book does have. But the website gives, "Let it be known there is a fountain /
That was not made by the hands of man," where the book has, "... by the hands of men." pp. 126-127.

The book arose from the annotator's website, of which a version is available for download from archive.net: https://archive.org/details/TheComple...

Grateful Dead wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratefu...

[Xine Segalas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics is a must-have book for any die-hard fan of the iconic band. This comprehensive collection includes the lyrics to every song recorded by the Grateful Dead and insightful annotations that provide historical context, cultural references, and other fascinating tidbits of information. One of the standout features of this book is the level of detail and depth provided in the annotations. The annotations cover everything from the meaning behind specific lyrics to the inspiration for the song itself. They offer a unique insight into the band's creative process and the cultural milieu that influenced their music.
The book is also beautifully designed and well-organized, making it easy to find the lyrics to your favorite songs or explore the annotations more systematically. The layout is clean and easy to read, and the annotations are thoughtfully placed next to the relevant lyrics for easy reference. In addition to being an invaluable resource for Grateful Dead fans, The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics is also a fascinating cultural artifact in its own right. It offers a window into a particular time and place in American history, and the songs and lyrics contained within are still as relevant and inspiring today as they were when they were first recorded.
The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics is essential to any music lover's library. It is a lovingly crafted tribute to one of the most iconic and influential bands in American history and a testament to the enduring power of their music and lyrics. I give this book five stars and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Grateful Dead or the cultural history of the 1960s and 70s.

[Carlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is A Must Own for ALL Deadheads & even those who may not consider themselves so, but like their music. It is a fascinating look at what stories and meanings Robert Hunter & John Barlow were portraying in their lyrics. It is what the title says. I find it extremely interesting...although the price tag is not (still worth every penny)....so if you ever see it in a used bookstore....SNAG IT!
For those lyrics you couldn't fully pickup or understand. Very Detailed.

It is a book I refer to again and again - when I'm searching for the sound :-)


May we all be just a little bit kinder, more compassionate and Loving people - and let's try to put on our child glasses - you know the one's that help you see the world through a child's eyes ;-)

"They say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one"

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics by David G. Dodd (Free Press 2005) (782.42166). This is a fascinating work. Every word in every Grateful Dead song has been parsed and referenced - and that's a lot of work. This is a must have for every Deadhead's library. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 2/10/2010.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love using this while listening to the tunes. Gives you new outlooks and cross references. It goes by other dead song references and in general. I love the endless scope of the annotations! I learn so much every time I pick it up or check them out online. Online it's sometimes even more fun bc you see more feedback from other readers and how they have interpreted the lyrics.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the authoritative text on the Grateful Dead's lyrics. It features lovely illustrations. In fact, I first read this book as part of a course on the Music of the Grateful Dead while attending UC Santa Cruz. Mr. Dodd was a research associate at UC Santa Cruz. There is a website on this very subject, http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl. Enjoy!

[Carol Kolceski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so awesome! It lists all the Grateful Dead lyrics and gives you some insight to what they were all about! I'm 'Grateful' to have gotten my hands on this book. It's nice having the index of all the songs when I want to locate a certain song. I really enjoy all the graphics and photos in the book as well!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Dodd has a website where the lyrics are discussed and fans contribute their own annotations. Band members also chime in. The annotations are varied in quality: some are very enlightening, while others are little more than conjectures borne of a puff of smoke. I look at it whenever I'm trying to learn one of their songs.

[creativemuffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book....not only because the lyrics of the dead are sometimes cryptic, but to see others thoughts on what symbolism was used and so on....

i cannot love this book anymore, and continue to refer to it and read it in bits and pieces...

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Changer! A page to turn to during any of life's ups and downs. A work of art, beauty, and love. Probably the most cherished piece of my collection...except I don't exactly know where it is. Guess I'll have to get a replacement!

[perkidawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Grateful Dead!! Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, and the others who wrote songs for the Dead are on a level all their own. This is a reference book much more than a book you would sit down and read cover to cover.
Just nothing left to do but smile smile smile.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most exhaustive - exhausting - book of lyrics I've ever read; full of so many footnotes. A handful of brilliant lyrics - intriguing, elegiac, mercurial - from Robert Hunter. And then a lot of hippie tosh (also from Hunter - and the others). But it's all here. Literally, all of it. So much.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because these songs are special to many, myself included, the origins and stories behind their creation are interesting to me. John Barlow’s essay on the writing of Cassidy on page 224 is worth the cost of admission alone.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The annotations are great and good for singing along.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really am a nerd. BUT it was marked waaaaaaaayyyyy down. Like 60% off. Really.

[Mark Nenadov]

The authoritative source for the lyrics of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow and connected details. Lots of interpretive, historical, and contextual details.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a book that contains the actual words (as well as some explanation behind the intent) of the lyrics.
I love this book!~

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it seems like the Annotated website is more convenient, but there's nothing like settling down with this big book for a good perusal.

[Jonathan Holleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of wonderful insight into the lyrics of The Grateful Dead...References and inspiration galore...An incredibly interesting book...whether you consider yourself a big Grateful Dead fan or not.

[Neelakantan K.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrics to the songs of my favorite band. What's not to like? Also, lovely illustrations and annotations.

[Priscilla King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never listened to this band at all; picked up their collected lyrics out of curiosity and was amazed by how well written the lyrics were. (They admit people couldn't actually hear the words on their original records!) Robert Hunter was a real poet (he wrote books of poetry that weren't lyrics, too). People claimed to hear full-length novels implied in his songs. They're there, and this collection also works as a "story" of struggle, hard work, success, bereavement, and consolation.

Dodd's annotations include band members' and fans' memories, books and movies to which the songs seem to relate, and full-length traditional songs to which the lyrics refer. Even if you don't know any Grateful Dead songs you can sing your way through this book.

Prices? I bought a copy in an open-air market for $1, copied the song lyrics to my ever-expanding song lyrics file, then offered the book for resale for $5. The buyer looked at it and gave me $10. That means the buyer resold it, the same day, for at least $20. If you're an aspiring pop singer who gets requests to cover classic rock songs, a clean copy is worth at least $20.