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,
Don't Step On The Grass Sam
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryin′ to find some life in the waste land
Fin'ly found a program, gonna deal with Mary Jane
Ready for a trip into hate land
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen
Along with his guest self-righteous Sam
And one more guy who doesn't count
His hair and clothes are much too out
While pushin′ back his glasses Sam is sayin′ casually
"I was elected by the masses"
And with that in mind he starts to unwind
A vicious attack upon the grasses
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don′t step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don't be such an ass, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You′re so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight, alright)
Misinformation Sam and Joe
Are feeding to the nation
But the one who didn't count counted them out
By exposing all their false quotations
Faced by a very awkward situation
This is all he′d say to save the day
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don't step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don′t be such an ass, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You′re so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight alright)
You waste my coin Sam, all you can
To jail my fellow man
For smoking all the noble weed
You need much more than him
You've been telling lies so long
Some believe they′re true
So they close their eyes to things
You have no right to do
Just as soon as you are gone
Hope will start to climb
Please don't stay around too long
You′re wasting precious time
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don′t step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don't be such an ass, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You're so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight, alright)
The lyrics of Gov't Mule's "Don't Step On The Grass Sam" are a commentary on the society of the 1960s, and the ongoing debate over marijuana legalization. The verses are centered around the fictional character of Sam, who represents the conservative mindset that believed the use of marijuana would lead to the downfall of the country.
The song opens with the singer staring at the television to find something to watch. Eventually he finds a program discussing marijuana, and the self-righteous character of Sam appears as the guest. Throughout the song, Sam expresses his strong belief that marijuana is evil and its use should be strictly prohibited, while the singer questions his views and ultimately tells him to stop wasting precious time.
Lyrically, "Don't Step On The Grass Sam" is a very impactful song, painting a vivid picture of a society deeply divided over an important social issue. The song's message is still relevant today, with many people debating the legalization of marijuana and other drugs.
Line by Line Meaning
Starin' at the boob tube, turnin' on the big knob
Watching mindless TV, searching for something worthwhile
Tryin' to find some life in the waste land
Looking for any shred of hope or meaning
Fin'ly found a program, gonna deal with Mary Jane
Found a show about marijuana
Ready for a trip into hate land
Prepared for an argument or confrontation
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen
A sarcastic or rude host appears
Along with his guest self-righteous Sam
Sam is an egotistical guest on the show
And one more guy who doesn't count
A third person with little significance
His hair and clothes are much too out
The third person looks ridiculous
While pushin' back his glasses Sam is sayin' casually
Sam, adjusting his glasses, speaks nonchalantly
"I was elected by the masses"
Sam claims he was elected by the people
And with that in mind he starts to unwind
Sam begins to speak his mind
A vicious attack upon the grasses
An aggressive argument against the use of marijuana
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
Marijuana is terrible and destructive
(Don't step on the grass, Sam)
Don't talk about or attack marijuana
And it will ruin our fair country
Marijuana is a threat to the nation
(Don't be such an ass, Sam)
Stop being ridiculous, Sam
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
Marijuana is addictive and dangerous
(You're so full of bull, Sam)
You are lying, Sam
All will pay that disagree with me
Anyone who disagrees with Sam will suffer consequences
(Please give up you already lost the fight, alright)
Just stop, you have no chance of winning
Misinformation Sam and Joe
Sam and Joe are spreading lies
Are feeding to the nation
They are spreading these lies to the public
But the one who didn't count counted them out
The third person exposes their false claims
By exposing all their false quotations
The third person reveals their lies
Faced by a very awkward situation
Sam and Joe are put in a difficult spot
This is all he'd say to save the day
The third person offers the following solution
You waste my coin Sam, all you can
You are using my money to harm others
To jail my fellow man
You are putting innocent people behind bars
For smoking all the noble weed
For using marijuana, which isn't harmful
You need much more than him
You are the one who needs help
You've been telling lies so long
You have been deceiving people for too long
Some believe they're true
Despite the lies, some people still believe you
So they close their eyes to things
They ignore the truth because they don't want to face it
You have no right to do
You are wrong and have no authority to act this way
Just as soon as you are gone
When you are no longer around
Hope will start to climb
People will start to see things differently
Please don't stay around too long
But please don't stick around for too much longer
You're wasting precious time
You're wasting your time and everyone else's
Writer(s): John Kay
Contributed by Thomas C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.