In interviews, Weir talks about writing the song after reading "Of Mice And Men," implying he did more than just set Hunter lyrics to music. And the lyrics in "Box Of Rain" has some sections in italics, which is used elsewhere to show someone else wrote part of the lyrics. Thanks to Andrew Sonnabend for this information. Thanks to Dan Franzen for pointing this out.
Jerry Garcia Jerry Garcia. My Dad used to work for Great Northern, and he would tell me they got it all wrong, that the great Northern trains went north to south, not east to west. I just looked at that show, and what a killer. Warren Zevon opened up for them. The crowd would not let them go home. I'm puzzled over the demise of Shannon, whether Jack killed him, or if Jack cut the rope that Shannon was attached to, then buried him in a shallow grave. Not much loose soil in the southwest U.
Is Jack Straw himself the one referred to as " Like many of the people who've responded to David's topic here, I must've played the Europe '72 album version I've been through 3 vinyl sets, an 8 track tape and have the cd now hundreds of times. As a kid, I remember playing a game of pick-up sticks, called jack straw. Vocalists on Jackstraw Bob used to sing both characters' parts Jackstraw and Shannon.
Ghost Bob It's true, during the Europe tour, it was decided that Jerry would sing some of the verses. This is the original Europe '72 album take and although it was later in the tour when they decided to trade verses, this version got overdubbed back home with Jerry's verse vocals.
I guess they erased Bob's vocal on the Jerry verse parts on this one, because it was not restored on the box set. One other thing: A few different women including my wife have commented to me - negatively - on "We can share the women, we can share the wine," leading to a conversation about the characters in the song - not necessarily good guys. I'd blow you straight to Hell Oh yeah, and on inappropriate applause: In Candyman, the roar after "if I had me a shotgun Couldn't get much better than that.
I had a conversation once with Hunter in our first interview, concerning how few people seemed to make it down the path of seeing the correlation of "we can share the women, we can share the wine" with the bad outcome. We used to play for I have a distinct recollection of a different insertion for that line, also from the 80's: "We used to play for acid, now we play for lines" Anybody out there have a date for one of those versions?
Bad Outcome Great point, Marye. I never made it down that path myself in "Jack Straw" until you mentioned it. Too often, the singer is conflated with an ear-catching piece of the song and the greater message is lost. Songs that "glorify" drugs usually really don't, murder ballads generally end badly for the singer, etc.
I just can't. And this is just part of the songwriter's life, of course. If I recall correctly, part of the same conversation involved Hunter saying that everyone hears "Drivin' that train, high on cocaine," and nobody hears "Casey Jones you better watch your speed.
Marye Ok, off topic a bit, but the Casey Jones line -- I know that forever I assumed that "watch your speed" was a second drug reference of the double entendre variety.
But there's definitely trouble ahead And all this time I thought this song was about the efficiency of German railroad schedules. And, of course, the lost composure of the fireman as he marvels at the unrivaled complexion of the train as he views it from his new angle rounding the corner.
Ahh, we do seem a bit off the track here. I'm sure Jack and Shannon will excuse us Relevance of Steibeck One should definitely read Steinbeck, especially as an American. Ethan Allen Hawley would agree. Perhaps another slant: Try to view the opening verse of the song as not "sung" by the Narrator who sings the later narrator verses.
Rather, it is the song's "overture" or perhaps a Greek Chorus introducing Hunter's cautionary tale and its characters to the audience. Because it works better as a SONG this way I guess it's taken me about forty years or so to see it in this current light. Riding the Lightning, Women and Wine, Jack and Me Like most of you, I've been fascinated by this song since the first time I heard it, captivated by the story, trying to figure out what events it actually described.
After reading the article and these posts, I have even more nuggets to mull over. I have a couple of minor points to add. Or maybe " Either fits better with the comma-like pause after Detroit. Just listened to that phrase several times on Europe '72 and it still sounds like that to me. So that's two of us. The first couplet is pretty awesome. The first line is an example of a phrase that hasn't worn well. It's a variant of "Wine, Women and Song" singing about Women and Wine IN a song , which in times past such as where the song is set would have been viewed as a bit naughty, but a relatively benign expression of good times.
It needs to be viewed in that light but also retired from everyday usage, not to mention not cheered for during performances. Good times also implies--to me, anyway--a sense that all is well.
We party because we can. And then comes line two, where one voice or possibly both--it's the choir are griping that they've done shared all theirs, so the other guy needs to start sharing.
Now we see that times are hard, not so rosy. And the first complaint--or request, with maybe just a bit of resentment behind it--has been lodged. And that's just the beginning. So much stuff in so few words.
Like my Uncle Jerry used to say when he hawked popcorn at the local ballgames, "Nutritious, Delicious, and Satisfying! Eagle-filled sky This is one of those synchronicity stories, but I doubt its cosmic import. We're talking big skies here, and you saw the Rockies rising and the road stretching ahead, great gatherings of clouds and the hot sun mottling the landscape in colossal swaths of moving light.
We looked about us, goggling, and just as the lyric about "sun's so hot, the clouds so low, the eagles fill the sky" came around, we spotted a pair of eagles, not filling the sky by any means but, hanging suspended in a lazy soar across our horizon, their presence was sufficient to provoke further awe. We had to duck down a bit to see them under the windshield's periphery, and so we gazed with necks bent in wonder at the natural beauty and the semi-mystical coincidentality of the moment.
And of course one of them chose this moment to take a dump. I am so grateful to have you in my life. Thanks for holding all of it and being so fucking good at your job.
I love you, you motherfucker of a bard strongwoman exorcist. Catch the lightning. Killer Whales And Data Trails. Louisa Tomlinson. Coach - Poet - Consultant. I coach and mentor people of all ages, all backgrounds, all over the world, My great passion is mavericks, who share a love of freedom, nonsense, creativity and depth perception. Read my story. What The Whales say. Chelsea Erickson.
Entrepreneur, uSA. As my coach, Louisa helped me navigate through one of the toughest and most transformational times in my life. The next murder occurs when Jack Straw murders his buddy and buries him. Who is Jac Straw's buddy? An unnamed card player at the game? Next, it is said that one man is down and another to go.
This would leave now only the Narrator, his "slow buddy", Jack Straw and Shannon assuming the man robbed was murdered. This leaves 4 people left. Now, either Jack Straw's buddy that he murdered, was a member of the dangerous card game that was not mentioned before in the song, or Jack Straw IS the narrator who has now killed his buddy that is "moving too slow".
Or, Shannon is Jack Straw and has killed the before unmentioned other card player in the game. If Shannon is Jack Straw who killed the unknown card player then it makes sense as to why the narrator continues with the admonition towards his slow moving buddy to pick up the pace; as they are next one man down and another to go. Of course, I still can't reconcile why the narrator communicates with Shannon twice in the song, but his second reference to Shannon keeping them on the run is damning evidence that Shannon is Jack Straw and is trying to kill the narrator and his slow buddy.
What do you think? Only because it seems to me that your point on it being either Shannon OR his acquired buddy after the first murder Thank you I do have to say, in addition the the impact of lyrics on our psyche, when I sing this song I feel like an angel. Especially this whole verse: "Leaving Texas Leavin' Texas, fourth day of July, Sun so hot, the clouds so low, the eagles filled the sky. This verse reminds me of seeing the Dead in Vegas in General Comment First off, freakin' incredible song!
The version I listen to is Europe '72, and nuts to you if you have a problem with that. Go get it. There are three entities singing this song to you. The first is the narrator we can share Disclaimer: this is my badass opinion, nothing more.
The third is the innocent whose eyes are hurt and ears are burned ominously at the beginning of the song, and who is murdered at the end.
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