Jack Straw Lyrics

[Verse 1: The Grateful Dead]
We can share the women, we can share the wine
We can share what we got of yours cause we done shared all of mine
Keep on rollin', just a mile to go;
Keep on rollin' my old buddy, you're movin' much too slow


[Verse 2: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir]
I just jumped the watchman, right outside the fence
Took his rings, four bucks in change, ain't that Heaven sent?

Hurts my ears to listen, Shannon, burns my eyes to see;
Cut down a man in cold blood, Shannon, might as well've been me


[Verse 3: Bob Weir]
We used to play for silver, now we play for life;
And one's for sport and one's for blood at the point of a knife
And now the die is shaken, now the die must fall
There ain't a winner in the game, he don't go home with all
Not with all

[Verse 4: The Grateful Dead]
Leavin' Texas, fourth day of July
Sun so hot, the clouds so low, the eagles filled the sky
Catch the Detroit Lightning out of Santa Fe
The Great Northern out of Cheyenne
, from sea to shining sea

[Verse 5: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir]
Gotta go to Tulsa, first train we can ride
Gotta settle one old score, one small point of pride
There ain't a place a man can hide, Shannon, will keep him from the sun
Ain't a bed can give us rest now, you keep us on the run

[Verse 6: The Grateful Dead]
Jack Straw from Wichita
Cut his buddy down
Dug for him a shallow grave
And laid his body down


Half a mile from Tucson
By the morning light
One man gone and another to go
My old buddy, you're moving much
Too slow

[Outro: The Grateful Dead]
We can share the women, we can share the wine

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About

Genius Annotation

“Jack Straw” renders a cowboy’s perspective of a mythic America. Writers Bob Weir and Robert Hunter took inspiration from the book and 1939 movie versions of Of Mice and Men. The song has two characters—Jack Straw (sung by Jerry Garcia) and Shannon (sung by Weir)—and a narrator (sung by Garcia, Weir, and Phil Lesh.

It was first performed on October 19, 1971 at the Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, and soon became a part of their repertoire. The first official release of the song was on the band’s 1972 live triple-album, Europe ‘72.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Trumpet
Harpsichord
Bass Guitar
Steel Guitar
Mandolin
Rhythm Guitar
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Recorded At
Paris, France
Release Date
November 5, 1972
Jack Straw Live Performances
Jack Straw (Live at RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, 6/10/73) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Olympia Theatre, Paris, France, May 3, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France) [2022 Remaster] by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Alexandra Palace, London, September 11, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Winterland, San Francisco, December 29, 1977) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw [Live at Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD, 9/17/72] by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, May 19, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO, December 10, 1971) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, December 2, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Fairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, OK, October 19, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Austin Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX, November 15, 1971) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Recreation Hall, Penn State University, May 6, 1980) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Denver Coliseum, Denver, CO, November 21, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, April 1, 1988) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw - Live at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis (Live Broadcast) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, May 10, 1978) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Warfield Theatre, SF, October 10, 1980) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, PA, August 4-5, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA, November 1, 1985) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA, July 21, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT, February 28, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at Pershing Municipal Auditorium, Lincoln, NE, February 26, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, Jack Straw (Live at the Palestra, Rochester, NY, October 26, 1971) by The Grateful Dead & Jack Straw (Live at Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY, November 5, 1977) by The Grateful Dead
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