David Grisman started his musical career in 1963 as a member of The Even Dozen Jug Band. His nickname, "Dawg" was affectionately assigned by his close friend Jerry Garcia (the two met at a Van Hoy Campground (NC) back when they used to host the old time fiddlers convention). "Dawg Music" is what he calls his mixture of bluegrass and Django Reinhardt-Stéphane Grappelli-influenced jazz, as highlighted on his 1977 album "Hot Dawg". Stephane Grappelli played on a couple of tracks on the Hot Dawg album and then the 1981 recording "Stephane Grappelli and David Grisman Live". It was his early fusions with Reinhardt-era Jazz that led to the formation of the genre known as newgrass. Grisman, along with New Grass Revival are generally considered the modern day Bill Monroes to this new bluegrass-influenced sound.
Denny Zeitlin, Tony Rice, Mark O'Connor, Béla Fleck, Bob Brozman, Mike Auldridge, Mike Seeger, David Bromberg, Martin Taylor, Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, John Hartford, Darol Anger (Turtle Island String Quartet), Sam Bush, and the Kronos Quartet are just some of the musicians that have played with David Grisman or been part of the DGQ (David Grisman Quintet).
The documentary "Grateful Dawg" chronicles the deep friendship between Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. David Grisman appeared on the Grateful Dead's American Beauty album. To this day, Grisman complains of how Jerry Garcia vetoed the length of the mandolin solo featured on the studio version of Ripple. The two recorded a number of duet albums, including the children's album "Not for Kids Only". They also played together as the band "Old and in the Way" with Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, and John Kahn, which recorded three different albums.
Mood Indigo
David Grisman Lyrics
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You ain't never been blue,
Till you've had that mood indigo.
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".
I always get that mood indigo,
Since my baby said goodbye.
I'm so lonely I could cry.
'Cause there's nobody who cares about me,
I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be.
When I get that mood indigo,
I could lay me down and die.
You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You ain't never been blue,
Till you've had that mood indigo.
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".
The song Mood Indigo, composed by Duke Ellington, is a jazz standard that has been covered by numerous artists throughout the years, including David Grisman in this instrumental rendition. The lyrics describe a feeling of desolation and depression that is called "mood indigo", and the singer asserts that one can never truly understand this emotion until they have experienced it themselves. He expresses his own experiences with mood indigo, confessing that he is plagued by it ever since his significant other left him. He paints a picture of himself sitting alone at night, feeling lonely and helpless, "bluer than blue can be". As he concludes the song, the singer suggests that this deep sense of despair could lead him to give up on life altogether.
The lyrics of Mood Indigo describe a powerful and very relatable feeling of sadness and loneliness that everyone can relate to at some point in their life. The singer metaphorically equates mood indigo to a color that is so deep and intense that it can only truly be understood by those who have experienced it firsthand. The reference to shoes being affected by this feeling is interesting because it indicates that sadness can permeate every aspect of a person's existence, right down to their physical surroundings. The mention of nobody caring about the singer is also noteworthy, as it highlights the sense of isolation that often accompanies sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You haven't experienced true sadness before
You ain't never been blue,
You haven't been melancholic
Till you've had that mood indigo.
Until you feel the deep sadness of mood indigo
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
The feeling of sadness is so intense that it's felt through the entire body, even down to the shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".
All I can do is sit and let out a sigh while the blues take over.
I always get that mood indigo,
I constantly feel the sadness of mood indigo
Since my baby said goodbye.
Ever since my lover or partner walked away
And in the evenin' when the lights are low,
During the evening when it's dark and quiet
I'm so lonely I could cry.
Feeling extremely lonely to the point of tears
'Cause there's nobody who cares about me,
No one is there for me, no one cares about my feelings
I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be.
I'm a sad and foolish person, feeling the deepest shades of blue possible.
When I get that mood indigo,
When I experience the deep sadness of mood indigo
I could lay me down and die.
Feels like giving up or giving into the sadness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Barney Bigard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind