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,
Dreams
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had to wake up with the blues
Pulled myself outta bed, yeah
Put on my walkin' shoes
Went up on the mountain
To see what I could see
The whole world was fallin'
Right down in front of me
'Cause I'm hung up on dreams
I'll never see, yeah baby
Ah, help me baby
Or this will surely be the end of me, yeah
Pull myself together
Put on a new face
Climb down off the hilltop, baby
Get back in the race
'Cause I'm hung up on dreams
I'll never see, yeah baby
Ah, help me baby
Or this will surely be the end of me, yeah
Pull myself together
Put on a new face
Climb down off the hilltop, baby
Get back in the race
'Cause I'm hung up on dreams
I'll never see, yeah baby
Ah, help me baby
Or this will surely be the end of me, yeah
The song "Dreams" by Gov't Mule is about the struggle of dealing with disappointment and failure. The lyrics depict the singer waking up with the blues, feeling bogged down by unfulfilled dreams. He puts on his walking shoes and goes up the mountain to gain perspective. However, upon reaching the top, he sees that the whole world is falling apart, which only exacerbates his feelings of hopelessness. The chorus, "Cause I'm hung up on dreams I'll never see, yeah baby, Ah, help me baby or this will surely be the end of me, yeah" emphasizes his desperation and need for help in order to avoid giving up entirely. He resolves to put on a new face and climb down off the hilltop to get back in the race, acknowledging that he cannot remain hung up on his unfulfilled dreams.
The song is a powerful reminder of the importance of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. The imagery of the mountain serves as a metaphor for the challenges we face in life, and the need to keep pushing through despite the obstacles. The repeated chorus reflects the singer's deep sense of frustration and despair, but the song ultimately ends on a note of hope and determination.
Line by Line Meaning
Just one more mornin'
Just another morning
I had to wake up with the blues
I woke up feeling sad
Pulled myself outta bed, yeah
I got out of bed
Put on my walkin' shoes
I put on my shoes to go for a walk
Went up on the mountain
I climbed a mountain
To see what I could see
To explore what was around
The whole world was fallin'
Everything felt like it was falling apart
Right down in front of me
Right in front of my eyes
'Cause I'm hung up on dreams
Because I'm struggling with unfulfilled dreams
I'll never see, yeah baby
Which I may never achieve
Ah, help me baby
I need help to cope with this
Or this will surely be the end of me, yeah
Or else I might lose hope completely
Pull myself together
Regain my composure
Put on a new face
Try to look positive
Climb down off the hilltop, baby
Descend from my high hopes
Get back in the race
Get back to pursuing my dreams
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREGG ALLMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fredparadisogroup8456
"Dreams & Songs"
My whole life's been filled with songs and dreams
When I was a child I had a time machine
Little did I know it would go too fast
Little did I know it could see the future but not the past
Leave it all behind, come what may
Always thought I'd be comin' home someday
Little did I know that life is hard
Here I am, now, starin' out a window at my old back yard
Is there any comfort to be derived?
In knowing that most of our lives
Can never be the same
We can never go back home
And those that can are lucky, I guess
To somehow escape from this mess
Me, I can only do it in dreams and songs
Tryna fill a hole while running a race
Leaves an even bigger empty space
But a moving target is harder to kill
Never was one for taking it easy or standing still
Nowadays I find myself again
Throwing stones and caution to the wind
Nothing's really changed but the scenery
And staring into my child's eyes
I realize what it all means to me
Is there any comfort to be derived?
In knowing that most of our lives
Can never be the same
We can never go back home
And those that can are lucky, I guess
To somehow escape from this mess
Me, I can only do it in dreams and songs
Is there any comfort to be derived?
In knowing that most of our lives
Can never be the same
We can never go back home
And those that can are lucky, I guess
To somehow escape from this mess
Me, I can only do it in dreams and songs
Dreams and songs
@crusheverything4449
Even after all these years, I've never heard Warren's voice sound any less than perfect and there aren't many singers you can say that about. He carries the torch now for Gregg. Long may it burn.
@blazer6248
You're damn right! Gregg was the first person I ever heard sing that sounded the same on their studio album as they did live. That's extremely rare these days. Now, almost no one sounds as good live as they do on their studio albums.
Get em, Warren! He is building his legend as we speak. As if his career hasn't been legendary enough lol. Thank you so much. 😎♥️🎸
@ricknelson5493
that is SOO beautifully said, TRUE, I Thank you for your kind words. you are indeed spot on
@martinmosher1041
I must have listened to this 5000 times and I still feel the same emotion as the very first time I heard it..
@paullevine1813
Hey Martin, Just like Warren says at the start , Play it like best you've ever played & so we feel it the same way every time . AWESOME ..
@blazer6248
Thank God for Warren Haynes, Allen Woody, and Gov't Mule. You boys are legendary! Rest in peace, Woody! Thank you for everything! Your music will be enjoyed for eternity ❤️😎🎸
@maximpopov8651
God bless Govt Mule 💙❤️💙 Peace Love and the Blues 💙💙💙
@michaeldavila2325
Beautifully done!~》
@brianhenriksen2660
OMG I cannot Express how much I love the band and song! Met them in 2004 real nice people!
@gw5309
Outstanding. Warren is THE Soul man. 🤘