Dead Songs in Depth

    
Passenger
w: Monk m: Lesh
AGDL: http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/pass.html
LASF: http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/PASSENGE.HTM
  

    
Passenger 
Lyrics: Peter Monk
Music: Phil Lesh

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Firefly
Can you see me?
Shine on, glowing
Brief and brightly

Could you imagine
One summer day
That same night
Be on your way

Do you remember?
Hearts were too cold
Seasons had frozen us
Into our souls

People were saying
The whole world is burning
Ashes were scattered
Too hard to turn

Chorus:
Upside out
Or inside down
False alarm, the only game in town
No man's land, the only game in town
Terrible, the only game in town

Passenger
Don't you hear me?
Destination
Seen unclearly

What is a man
Deep down inside
But a raging beast
With nothing to hide

[chorus]
  

    



Ted Syrett writes:




The lyrics to "Passenger" shown on your site, which match
those on the "Grateful Dead Lyric And Song Finder" at
http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/intro.htm , aren't
exactly what is sung in the live performance on the "Dead
Set" CD.  On that CD, the chorus is clearly

Upside out
Or inside down
False alarm, the only game in town
You and I, the only game in town
Now we're, the only game in town


The official lyrics give the chorus as

Upside out
Or inside down
False alarm, the only game in town
No man's land, the only game in town
Terrible, the only game in town


Not to give the Dead too much credit for prophetic
foresight, but the variant chorus on "Dead Set"
seems to apply very tightly to the mess we've
got ourselves into in Iraq.


Another quibble:  in the verse

Do you remember?
Hearts were too cold
Seasons had frozen us
Into our souls


I hear the last word of the third line as "ice":

Do you remember?
Hearts were too cold
Seasons had frozen ice
Into our souls


in the "Dead Set" performance.

Quibbles aside, the instrumental break on that
track is one of the most powerful guitar solos I've
ever heard any rock band deliver.  Sure, Jerry
was often great, but on this cut, the rhythm
section just surges.  Just listen to what Bob,
Phil, Bill and Mickey are laying down behind
Jerry, and enjoy.

// Ted Syrett
syrett1@earthlink.net
  

    
Interesting.

I had a listen to Dead Set and several other recordings. I agree that
on Dead Set, it sounds as if they sing "Seasons had frozen ice into our
soul" which is a nicer line. But on other versions it sounds like
"Seasons had frozen us"

On Dead Set, I don't hear "You and I, the only game in town" etc. It
sounds to be like they sing "No man's land ..." but I'd be interested
to know if others hear Ted's alternative.

While I was at it, I noticed a couple of other points common to
several of the recordings.

It sounds as if they sing "Could you measure" not "Could you imagine"
- though that may just be slurring words. "Measure" would make sense -
in the sense of how long a firefly's life could last.

It also sounds as if the line "Ashes were scattered/Too hard to turn"
is wrong. Something like "Too far in to turn[ing]." Not sure I
understand wither version.

The only published source I know of is the sheet music in Anthology 1
(which is where the lyrics above come from). But that's got quite a lot
of mistakes in others songs and are certainly not definitive.
  

    
I always heard "Parables, the only game in town," not "Terrible . . ."
  

    
I always wished it was "Terrapin, the only game in town." But no.
  

    
For years I thought it was terrible. 

I mean I thought the word was "terrible" until I suddenly heard parable 
one day.
  

    
I checked out the Dead Set Passenger the other day and got "parables"
but admittedly that was on my portable player. Guess I should listen to
a few versions on the hi-fi.
  

    
After listening to three different versions on the hi-fi I am still
hearing "parable".