What's Become of the Baby
Grateful Dead Lyrics
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The rainbow winged singing birds fly 'round the sun
Sun bells rain down in a liquid profusion
Mermaids on porpoises draw up the dawn
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
Songbirds frozen in their flight
Drifting to the earth, remnants of forgotten dreaming
Dawning answer comes there none.
Go to sleep you child, dream of never-ending always
Panes of crystal ice sparkle like waterfalls
Lighting the polished ice caverns of the dawn,
But where in the looking-glass fields of illusion
Wandered the child who was perfect as the dawn?
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
Racing in rhythm of the sun
All the world revolves captured in the eye of woman
Allah, where are you now?
All eyes are blinded by the sparkling waters
Scheherazade gathering stories to tell
But where is the child who played with the sunshine's?
And chased the cloud shape to the regions of mind?
Standing stream cries the south wind
Lost in the regions of
Shadow-like chains of illusion, delusions of living and dead.
The lyrics to Grateful Dead's "What's Become of the Baby" are surreal and abstract, evoking a dreamlike state of mind. The opening lines describe waves of violet crashing and rainbow-winged singing birds flying around the sun. The imagery is vivid and fantastical, suggesting a world that is ethereal and otherworldly. The following lines shift to mermaids on porpoises drawing up the dawn, creating a sense of magic and wonder.
However, the title of the song and the repeated chorus line, "What's become of the baby this cold December morning?" suggests a darker undertone to the lyrics. The juxtaposition of the lighthearted, dreamy imagery with the ominous question creates a sense of unease and mystery. The second stanza describes songbirds frozen in their flight and a "dawning answer comes there none," indicating that there are no clear answers or explanations for what has happened. The final stanza seems to suggest a search for meaning, with references to Scheherazade gathering stories to tell and the child who played with the sunshine's being lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Waves of violet go crashing and laughing
Violet-colored waves crash and laugh
The rainbow winged singing birds fly 'round the sun
Birds with wings like rainbows fly around the sun while singing
Sun bells rain down in a liquid profusion
Golden rays of sun pour down like a liquid shower
Mermaids on porpoises draw up the dawn
Mermaids riding porpoises bring the dawn up from the depths of the sea
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
What has happened to the baby on this cold December morning?
Songbirds frozen in their flight
Birds singing but frozen in mid-flight
Drifting to the earth, remnants of forgotten dreaming
Falling to the ground as remnants of a forgotten dream
Dawning answer comes there none.
No answer comes with the dawn
Go to sleep you child, dream of never-ending always
Sleep, child, and dream of an unending always
Panes of crystal ice sparkle like waterfalls
Icy panes sparkle like waterfalls
Lighting the polished ice caverns of the dawn,
Illuminating the shining ice caves of the morning
But where in the looking-glass fields of illusion
But where is the child in the deceptive, mirror-like fields
Wandered the child who was perfect as the dawn?
Where did the child who was as perfect as the dawn wander?
Racing in rhythm of the sun
Racing in time with the sun
All the world revolves captured in the eye of woman
The whole world is seen through the eye of a woman
Allah, where are you now?
Asking where Allah is right now
All eyes are blinded by the sparkling waters
All eyes are blinded by the shimmering water
Scheherazade gathering stories to tell
Scheherazade collecting stories to tell
But where is the child who played with the sunshine's?
But where is the child who played with the sunshine?
And chased the cloud shape to the regions of mind?
And followed the shape of the clouds into the realm of the mind
Standing stream cries the south wind
A stream stands and cries out in the southern wind
Lost in the regions of
Lost in the realms of
Shadow-like chains of illusion, delusions of living and dead.
Chains of illusion, like shadows, trapping the living and dead.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEROME J. GARCIA, ROBERT C. HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Heywood
"What's Become Of The Baby"
Waves of violet go crashing and laughing
The rainbow winged singing birds fly 'round the sun
Sun bells rain down in a liquid profusion
Mermaids on porpoises draw up the dawn
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
Songbirds frozen in their flight
Drifting to the earth, remnants of forgotten dreaming
Dawning answer comes there none.
Go to sleep you child, dream of never-ending always
Panes of crystal ice sparkle like waterfalls
Lighting the polished ice caverns of the dawn,
But where in the looking-glass fields of illusion
Wandered the child who was perfect as the dawn?
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
What's become of the baby this cold December morning?
Racing in rhythm of the sun
All the world revolves captured in the eye of woman
Allah, where are you now?
All eyes are blinded by the sparkling waters
Scheherazade gethering stories to tell
But where is the child who played with the sunshines?
And chased the cloud shape to the regions of mind?
Standing stream cries the south wind
Lost in the regions of
Shadow-like chains of illusion, delusions of living and dead.
LaraVanHouten
Waves of violet go crashing and laughing
Rainbow winged singing birds fly round the sun
Sunbells rain down in a liquid profusion
Mermaids on porpoises draw up the dawn
What's become of the baby
This cold December morning?
Songbirds
frozen in their flight
drifting to the earth
remnants of forgotten dreaming
Calling...
answer comes there none
Go to sleep you child
Dream of never ending always
Panes of crystal
Eyes sparkle like waterfalls
lighting the polished ice caverns of Khan
But where in the looking-glass fields of illusion
wandered the child who was perfect as dawn?
What's become of the Baby
this cold December morning?
Racing
rhythms of the sun
all the world revolves
captured in the eye of Odin
Allah
Pray where are you now?
All Mohammed's men
blinded by the sparkling water
Sheherazade gathering stories to tell
from primal gold fantasy petals that fall
But where is the child
who played with the sun chimes
and chased the cloud sheep
to the regions of rhyme?
Stranded
cries the south wind
Lost in the regions of lead
Shackled by chains of illusion
Delusions of living and dead
D San
This was my favorite song when I was 3. 1975. No wonder I was a “goth” as a teenager. I loved Bauhaus and I can hear this as a possible influence in their music that began in the late 70’s.
Bill McLaughlin
Melodically, this song (like my favorite Grateful Dead song, “Dark Star”) reminds me of Gregorian and other mediaeval
chants (although admittedly weirder). Although I’m not in the majority, this is among my favorite Grateful Dead music, in
which they really delve “into the pudding.” For a contemporaneous example of a band incorporating similarly quiet yet non-rock influences, check out Pink Floyd’s “Quicksilver” from their More soundtrack.
Leaf Brown
Love More reminds me of stuff like Cirrus Minor as well
Sergey Toropin
Quicksilver is spot on also
Steve Brian
I listened to this on the way to my dad's funeral and it was perfect!!!!
ca va bien se passer
i've listened to that years ago, on mescaline. it was so in tune with the trip !!
Ryan Derby
this song still sounds sick at 2x speed
Jack Durden
Also reccomend 1.75x 👍😉
Lucy Lennon
Love the good ol' Grateful Dead
Slow-Mo Moon Buggy
One day people will know how deep these guys were into the occult and wake up from the spell. I still like a few songs.