The lead singer was "Country" Joe McDonald. The lead guitarist was Barry "The Fish" Melton. Co-founders McDonald and Melton added musicians as needed over the life of the band. By 1967, what many consider the classic line-up included Gary "Chicken" Hirsh (drums), David Cohen (keyboards) and Bruce Barthol (bass).
The band was an early example of Psychedelic music. The LP "Electric Music for the Mind and Body" was very influential on early FM Radio in 1967. Long sets of psychedelic tunes like "Section 43", "Bass Strings", "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", "Janis" (for and about Janis Joplin) and "Grace" (all released on Vanguard Records) were often played back to back on KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco and progressive rock stations around the country. Country Joe and The Fish were regulars at Fillmore West and East and the Family Dog at the Avalon. They were billed with such groups as Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Led Zeppelin, and Iron Butterfly. They played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. In 1971 the band appeared in a Western film starring Don Johnson as an outlaw gang called the Crackers. The film, entitled Zachariah, was written by the Firesign Theater and was billed as "The First Electric Western". They also appeared in the George Lucas film More American Graffiti.
Their biggest hit was the anti-war "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag", which debuted the same year of the band, but became best known after Country Joe's solo acoustic performance of it at Woodstock. Country Joe was involved with legal disputes with the family of Kid Ory due to the tune's similarity to Ory's Dixieland jazz standard "Muskrat Ramble". In August of 2003, the court case was decided in Joe's favor due to the long time between the debut of "Fixin' to Die" and the first legal claim against it by Ory's family. (Copyright on Country Joe's song was registered in 1968, and Babette Ory registered her father's 1926 song in 2001.)
Barry Melton was later a founding member of The Dinosaurs and has recently released new recordings of that band whose members included Peter Albin from Big Brother and The Holding Company and John Cipollina from Quicksilver Messenger Service and Copperhead.
Grace
Country Joe and the Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold rain to splash water diamonds colored green and
Flash the sun to paint green her hair.
Cold rain to splash water diamonds colored green and
Flash the sun to paint green her hair.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye.
Warm wind to touch the trees colored blue and
Flash the moon to paint blue my heart.
Warm wind to touch the trees colored blue and
Flash the moon to paint blue my heart.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye
Across the tiny door of my eye.
Soft skin to spend the every day colored gold and
Flash the sea to paint gold our love.
Soft skin to spend the every day colored gold and
Flash the sea to paint gold our love.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye
Across the tiny door of my eye.
I love you
I love you
I love you.
The song "Grace" by Country Joe and the Fish features vivid and poetic lyrics that describe the power of the natural world to transform a person's perspective and emotions. The opening lines set the tone with the image of cold rain splashing against diamonds, suggesting the beauty and sparkle of nature. The rain and sun combine to paint a woman's hair green, indicating the influence of nature on human appearance and mood. The image is repeated twice, suggesting the importance of this connection between nature and human emotion.
The next two stanzas use similar imagery to describe the effects of a warm wind and a blue moon on the singer's heart. The repeated refrain of "Your silver streak flash / Across the tiny door of my eye" indicates the power of these natural phenomena to create a lasting impression on the singer's mind and heart. The final stanza describes how the warmth and beauty of another person's skin combines with the surrounding natural environment to create a feeling of golden love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Grace" suggest a deep appreciation for the transformative power of nature and the importance of connection between humans and the environment. The repeated refrain emphasizes the impact of these natural experiences on the singer's consciousness and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four.
The song is starting.
Cold rain to splash water diamonds colored green and
The rain is splashing and making diamonds appear green.
Flash the sun to paint green her hair.
The sun is shining, making the girl's hair look green.
Your silver streak flash
The flash of light is coming from somewhere silver.
Across the tiny door of my eye
The flash is happening in front of the singer's eye.
Warm wind to touch the trees colored blue and
The wind is touching the blue trees.
Flash the moon to paint blue my heart.
The moon is making the singer's heart look blue.
Soft skin to spend the every day colored gold and
The singer is spending every day with someone whose skin looks golden.
Flash the sea to paint gold our love.
The sea is making the love between the singer and their partner look golden.
I love you
The singer is expressing their love.
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cutbackgreenroom
LSD...
Beach town...
Sweet smooth early morning waves...
Board stash garage...
A weekend overnight for early morning glass...
Boy Howdy thank you for a wonderful flash-back.
Got to see "Country Joe & the Fish" at that Monterey Pop Festival...
Writing this brief not brings the a waterfall of warm memories...
Turned 21 in Paris in a 6 month...
On a 2 year saved for a 6 Month "Europe On Five Dollars A Day" tour...
Of "Youth Hostel" "Eu-rail Train Rides" through Europe journey.
@Tom-bs3zh
This song captures an acid trip better than any other song I've ever heard.
@Daniel-ts3uy
My favorite song by "Country Joe" and his Fish.
@MrWildcountry
Hello I was the first buyer of this LP in Norway. Autumn 66. Dag
@fireballninja01
Dag Ingebrigtsen that’s awesome. i am honored to be in range of your internet voice. I hope you are in good health
@sirbogly
first time I heard it I was in Haight-Ashbury 1967 - I was expecting some real country music!! Still is a fantastic album!!
@tippimail1
It is country,just not this one.
@blackforestpygmy8756
That's amazing.
@charliefaege2723
@@tippimail1 Country?
@danhackley
You were pleasantly surprised
@Nowhereoh
@@charliefaege2723 Berkeley CA
Commander Cody , Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks.
Asleep At the Wheel until they left Oakland for TX.
Sir Douglas Quintet until he went back to TX.
Check out Song of Everything by Sir Douglas.