Jerome John Garcia
Fare you well, my honey Fare you well, my only true one All the birds that were singing Have flown except you alone Going to leave this broke-down palace On my hands and my knees I will roll, roll, roll Make myself a bed by the waterside In my time - in my time - I will roll, roll, roll
In a bed, in a bed by the waterside I will lay my head Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul
River gonna take me Sing me sweet and sleepy Sing me sweet and sleepy all the way back home It's a far-gone lullaby sung many years ago Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home
Going home, going home by the waterside I will rest my bones Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul
Going to plant a weeping willow On the bank's green edge, it will grow, grow, grow Sing a lullaby beside the water Lovers come and go - the river roll, roll, roll
Fare you well, fare you well I love you more than words can tell Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul
Brokedown Palace -- Robert Hunter
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Rock historians will mark Friday, December 8 as the day The Grateful Dead died.
Having survived the loss of their beloved leader Jerry Garcia in August. the remaining members of The Grateful Dead declared the end of one of the longest-surviving bands in rock history.
"After four months of heartfelt consideration, the remaining members of the band met yesterday and came to the conclusion that the 'long strange trip' of the uniquely wonderful beast known as the Grateful Dead is over," the band said in a statement issued Friday.
The August 9 death of Garcia, who died of a heart attack at age 53, marked the end of the band for legions of devoted fans, or "Deadheads" who had followed the band around the country first in Volkswagen microbuses and later in Jeep Cherokees.
Despite the importance of Garcia, band members had indicated they would stay together.
Bob Weir, singer and rhythm guitarist for the band, told the Associated Press in November that the group would return to touring in 1996. "I more or less expect that everybody's going to get together and play again," Weir said.
There had been considerable speculation over who would replace Garcia as lead guitarist.
Mickey Hart, the group's drummer, said the decision to disband was a difficult one, but he said, when all was said and done, " Everybody had a feeling. It just wasn't there. ..We put it to pasture, righteously as it should be."
Band members made a formal announcement to end speculation about their future, according to the group's publicist, Dennis McNally.
"We had to end the fantasies that were sprouting," he said. "We had to end that with our fans in honesty and good faith."
The decision does not rule out the possibility that band members will collaborate on future projects.
"Although individually and in various combinations (band members) will undoubtedly continue to make music, whatever the future holds, will be something different in name and structure," the band's statement read.
The Grateful Dead with its tie-dye wearing fans and happy-go-lucky sprit became a symbol of the '60s counter-culture revolution. While other '60s bands retired to the history books, the band that combined rock, bluegrass and folk music endured attracting new legions of fans over its 30-year history. The band attracted an eclectic following from ex-hippies turned businessmen to combat-boot wearing teen-agers.
Garcia, Weir and others formed an acoustic band in 1965. When they began playing electric instruments they dubbed themselves the Warlocks, but finding the name already in use, they thumbed through the dictionary until they stumbled on "grateful dead," defined as a traditional British folk ballad in which a person helps a ghost who has recently died find peace.
Fans in San Francisco Haight-Ashbury district received news of the band's breakup with resignation and hope.
"The nomadic part of it is ended, but the music will live on," said Deadhead Lee Leibrock. "It never would have been the same with Jerry gone."
Bruce Lydall, owner of Recycled Records, had a similar take.
"Christianity didn't stop when Jesus died," he said. In 25 years, they'll probably get back together and have a six-hour TV special and a six-CD set."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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