Dead Songs in Depth

    
Cosmic Charley
w: Hunter m: Garcia
AGDL: http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdlcosmic.html
LASF: http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/COSMICCH.HTM
  

    
Cosmic Charley 
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Cosmic Charley, how do you do?
Truckin' in style along the avenue
Dum dee dum dee doodley doo
Go on home, your mother's calling you

Kalico Kahlia, come tell me the news
Calamity's waiting for a way to get to her
Rosy red and electric blue
I bought you a paddle for your paper canoe

Say you'll come back when you can
Whenever your airplane happens to land
Maybe I'll be back here too
It all depends on what's with you

Hung up waiting for a windy day
Kite on ice since the first of February
Mama keeps saying that the wind might blow
But standing here, I say I just don't know

New ones coming as the old ones go
Everything's moving here, but much too slow now
A little bit quicker and we might have time
To say "How do you do?" before we're left behind

Calliope wail like a seaside zoo
The very last lately enquired about you
It's really very one or two
The first you wanted, the last I knew

I just wonder if you shouldn't feel
Less concern about the deep unreal
The very first word is "How do you do?"
The last "Go home, your mama's calling you"

Calling you
Calling you
Calling you
Calling you

Go on home your mama's calling you
Go on home your mama's calling you
Go on home your mama's calling you
  

    
I hate to be picky, but it's spelled "Cosmic Charlie".

I remember that a couple of years into my Deadshowgoing, which started
in 1980, I was at a show in Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre and someone
was going around handing out cards, with Aoxomoxoa artwork on them,
that were intended to get people to write in and ask the Dead to start
playing Cosmic Charlie again.

I thought it was an excellent idea, but then I read an interview where
Garcia said they gave up on the song because it was just to difficult
vocally.  

I play it every once in a while, but for me the problem is rhythmic in
nature; no matter how fast I take the song, it still seems to be going
too slow.  As as result, I don't play it that much and when I do I
pretty much suck.  But I keep at it.
  

    

> I hate to be picky, but it's spelled "Cosmic Charlie".

He's right, you know!  We should get that changed.

Welcome to the WELL, Tom!
  

    
Ahem. As my annotation explains, (p. 67 in The Complete Annotated GD
Lyrics), Hunter titles the song "Cosmic Charley" in A Box of Rain. I
titled it "Charlie" as it appears on the album. Risky to go against
Hunter's take, though....
  

    
Well, like I said, I was being picky.  You shouldn't change things on
my say-so.

David Dodd, sir, your work is outstanding!  I'm eternally grateful for
it!  I'd like to give you my take on "Ramble On Rose" sometime.

Mr. Gans, thank your for your excellent volume, "Playing in the Band".
 Very enjoyable.
  

    
Tom--welcome to the conversation! Please do post in the Ramble On Rose
topic. And thanks for the kind words...
  

    
Right, good to see these topics getting some more action, welcome Tom.
  

    
How 'bout Pigpen's hat in the Beat Club meetup film!