When the Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989 in response to the popularity of the Dreams box set, Warren Haynes was added on lead guitar and Allen Woody on bass. The two shared a love for '60s power trios, like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and James Gang. With no bands making similar music in the 90s (except ZZ Top), Haynes, Woody, and former Dickey Betts drummer Matt Abts came together as Gov't Mule during Allman Brothers' breaks. (It is likely that Haynes and Abts first met during the recording of the Dickey Betts Band CD "Pattern Disruptive" in 1988.) They released their debut album the selftitled Gov't Mule in 1995. It was followed by Live from Roseland Ballroom.
When it became apparent that the Allman Brothers weren't planning on recording any new material, Haynes and Woody left to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997. Dose, the studio follow up to their first studio effort, was released in early 1998. They were joined by members of the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, and Parliament/Funkadelic for their 1998 New Year's Eve concert. This was released in both a two and four CD version as Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends. The band exposed some of their roots with covers of Neil Young, Free, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Mongo Santamaria (via John Coltrane) and Frank Zappa.
In 2000, the band released Life Before Insanity to critical praise. Many thought that this would be Gov't Mule's breakthrough CD. However, Woody was found dead in New York City in August. Haynes and Abts considered breaking up the band but did stage a concert called "One for Woody" to raise money for his daughter's education. The Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, members of the Grateful Dead, and other friends of Woody also performed at the concert.
At both the "One for Woody" performance and other shows, Haynes began appearing with the Allman Brothers Band again. With Dickey Betts' departure from the Allmans, Warren came back full time to the band at the beginning of 2001 and has continued splitting his time between the Allmans and for a period Phil Lesh and Friends and the reformed Dead as well as Gov't Mule (performing acoustic gigs with just Haynes on guitar and Abts on percussion and as The New School of Gov't Mule with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools on bass and Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers and known for his current work with the Rolling Stones on keyboards).
The next year, Haynes and Abts began to record a tribute CD using Woody's favorite bass players. These sessions resulted in two CDs The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001) and The Deep End, Volume 2 (2002). A documentary of the recording sessions was also made by Phish bassist Mike Gordon called Rising Low. Bass contributions to the CDs came from Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwisle of The Who, Mike Watt of Minutemen, Les Claypool of Primus, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chris Squire of Yes among others.
When it came to touring in support of the Deep End CDs, Haynes and Abts used a revolving door of keyboardists and bassists. Keyboardists included Chuck Leavell, Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends and Zen Tricksters, Phish's Page McConnell and Danny Louis. Bassists included among others, Dave Schools, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten of the Flecktones, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Greg Rzab formerly of The Black Crowes and the Buddy Guy Band and Andy Hess, also formerly of The Black Crowes. Louis and Hess were eventually added as permanent members of Gov't Mule. They continue to tour extensively and have become staple acts at many music festivals including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Vegoose, and their annual New Orleans Jazzfest night show (where they filmed and recorded the last show of the Deepest End tours, with 17 guest musicians in a 6 hour show) wich was released on CD/DVD as The Deepest End, Live in Concert.
The first CD with Louis and Hess Deja Voodoo was released in September 2004. Additional material from those sessions was released in 2005 as and EP entitled Mo' Voodoo.
The new lineup's second release, titled High and Mighty, was released on August 22, 2006.
A third, Mighty High, was released in 2007 it features reggae and dub versions of classic Mule covers and originals with special guest appearances by Willi Williams, Michael Franti and Toots Hibbert,
Blind Man in the Dark
Gov't Mule Lyrics
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Is that they ask nothing from me
Stared so long at the future
That I'm blind to reality
Come a time will watch our lives
Slip into the sea
All I ask from anyone
Is that they ask nothing from me
Dreams fly by like a thousand railroad trains
Egos steadfast like mountains in our brains
Those of us who let go will be swallowed
Left here to die
Do not look to the sky
It will not rain for you
Do not look to strangers
They won't help you through
Only chance you got
When you hear those war dogs bark
Is to be one up on your brother
Like a blind man in the dark
Face to face we will meet again
But never eye to eye
Meanwhile, in your mania
Your four wings touch the sky
Fly too high the wax will melt
And you'll fall down to your knees
All I ask from you my friend
Is that you ask nothing from me
Dreams fly by like a thousand railroad trains
Egos steadfast like mountains in our brains
Those of us who let go will be swallowed
Left here to die
Do not look to the sky
It will not rain for you
Do not look to strangers
They won't help you through
Only chance you got
When you hear those war dogs bark
Is to be one up on your brother
Like a blind man in the dark
Do not look to the sky
It will not rain for you
Do not look to strangers
They won't help you through
Only chance you got
When you hear those war dogs bark
Is to be one up on your brother
Like a blind man
Blind man in the dark
Blind man in the dark
The lyrics of the song "Blind Man in the Dark" by Gov't Mule, seem to depict a sense of disillusionment and cynicism towards the world, and a pessimistic outlook on life. The song begins with a plea for people to ask nothing from the singer, indicating a sense of self-sufficiency and a reluctance to rely on others. The line "Stared so long at the future, that I'm blind to reality" suggests that the singer has become so preoccupied with their aspirations and dreams that they have lost sight of the present, and reality itself. The following lines "Come a time will watch our lives slip into the sea" seem to allude to the inevitability of death, which is a recurring theme throughout the song.
The section of the song with the lyrics "Do not look to the sky, it will not rain for you; do not look to strangers, they won't help you through" suggests that the singer has lost faith in the idea of divine intervention, and human kindness. This is reinforced by the line "Those of us who let go will be swallowed, left here to die", which seems to suggest that a sense of detachment from the world is essential for survival. The line "Only chance you got when you hear those war dogs bark, is to be one up on your brother, like a blind man in the dark" perhaps implies that in a turbulent world, the only way to come out on top is to be cunning and ruthless, like a blind man who can't see his surroundings but must rely on his other senses to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
All I ask from anyone
I don't want anything from anyone
Is that they ask nothing from me
I don't want anyone to ask me for anything
Stared so long at the future
I've been thinking so much about the future
That I'm blind to reality
That I'm not able to see what's really happening in the present
Come a time will watch our lives
At some point, we'll see our lives
Slip into the sea
Fade away into the vastness of time
Dreams fly by like a thousand railroad trains
My hopes and dreams are passing me by, one after another
Egos steadfast like mountains in our brains
Our pride and self-importance are firmly rooted in our minds
Those of us who let go will be swallowed
Those of us who learn to let go will be absorbed by life
Left here to die
Left here to fade away
Do not look to the sky
Don't expect greatness to come from above
It will not rain for you
There won't be any miracles in your favor
Do not look to strangers
Don't look for help from people you don't know
They won't help you through
Strangers can't make your journey any easier
Only chance you got
The only opportunity you have
When you hear those war dogs bark
When you face a difficult situation
Is to be one up on your brother
The best thing you can do is to come out on top, even if it means defeating those closest to you
Like a blind man in the dark
Like someone who can't see their way out of a problem
Face to face we will meet again
We'll encounter each other in person someday
But never eye to eye
But we may never see things the same way
Meanwhile, in your mania
Meanwhile, in the midst of your excitement or madness
Your four wings touch the sky
Your sense of possibility and optimism is boundless
Fly too high the wax will melt
If you go too far, you'll suffer the consequences
And you'll fall down to your knees
You'll experience a painful failure
All I ask from you my friend
All I want from you, my friend
Is that you ask nothing from me
Is that you don't expect anything from me in return
Blind man in the dark
Someone who can't see their way out of a difficult situation
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WARREN HAYNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind