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As we all do, whether we are conscious lyric listeners or just let the words wash over us as part of the overall music. It’s about the listener’s perception, about the variety of ways a song can be heard, and heard differently over time, or how it can be convincingly explained in many differing ways.Įach of the listeners who took time to lay out a theory of the song’s meaning had spent time with the words. So there you have Hunter actually telling us how he imagined the song-a rare glimpse behind the curtain.īut the point, as always, is not about reality. And yes, I knew Libba's song, and did indeed borrow the new name from her, suggested by the 'Shake it' refrain." The song, as I imagined it, is addressed to a pimp. "Why change the title to 'Sugaree'? Just thought it sounded better that way, made the addressee seem more hard-bitten to bear a sugar-coated name. What he said, when departing, was: 'Hold your mud and don't mention my name.' The phrase 'just don't tell them that you know me' was prompted by something said by an associate in my pre-Dead days when my destitute circumstances found me fraternizing with a gang of minor criminals. People assume the idea was cadged from Elizabeth Cotten's ‘Sugaree,’ but, in fact, the song was originally titled 'Stingaree,' which is a poisonous South Sea manta. "Sugaree was written soon after I moved from the Garcia household to China Camp. You may have seen Robert Hunter’s liner notes on the song, written for the Garcia box set All Good Things, in which he wrote: Just to give you an idea, they range from well-argued position to well-argued position proposing a variety of possible scenarios including one involving two slaves newly-arrived in the New World, all the way to the relationship of a john to a prostitute. ![]() Donna tetreault youtube the real sugar story series#If you want some fun, take a look at the series of proposed interpretations voiced in the “deadsongs” conference on the WELL. I have read a wide range of interpretations over the years. The performances could settle into a wide range of tempos, and the instrumentals between the verses could roar to life and then descent to a whisper. Garcia’s setting of the lyric is just as mercurial as the words themselves. But even in the song’s present moment, what is occurring or has just happened? He lays out a character, addressing another character, the Sugaree of the title, in terms that could mean several things, and offers a glimpse of a shared past and a possible future that awaits. “Sugaree” is a story song utilizing all the subtle tricks in Hunter’s arsenal. And iTunes one-off downloads rob us of all context. I remember having to face the question: side one or side two? Side one is the impeccable suite of perfect songs: “Deal,” “Bird Song,” “Sugaree,” and “Loser.” Side two is the exploration of sonic spaces and the incredible opening up into “The Wheel.” I loved them both, but it was all about the mood of the moment. But then, the same could be said of most of the albums-song collections all-from that era: the golden age of story songs by Hunter and Garcia. Garcia is one of those collections of songs that seems borderline unbelievable, 44 years later. “If that jubilee don’t come….maybe I’ll meet you on the run.” (I’ll consider requests for particular songs-just private message me!) Donna tetreault youtube the real sugar story free#Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time-and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems. Here’s the plan-each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact-a truly subjective thing. ![]()
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