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,
Scared To Live
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought I might lose myself
Nobody told me there'd be music, sweet music
Now I got that sinking feeling
Though I try to brace myself
I can feel me start to surrender, sweet surrender
Everything I needed to remember
When I see you smile, I am a child
I'm captured
Never once thought I could love someone
More than I love myself
Nobody told me about forgiveness, sweet forgiveness
Now were waving our flag in the air
The one we sewed together
We planted our seeds in the ground
Roots are growing
Everything I needed to remember
Everything I needed to forget
When I see you smile, I am a child
I'm captured
Oh I'm captured, oh yeah
Yes I'm captured
Oh I'm captured
The lyrics of Gov't Mule's "Scared To Live" talk about the fear of losing oneself that comes with being swept away by love. The songwriter speaks of not being aware of the power of music that brings people together, including the newfound love that has them feeling vulnerable. The phrase "sweet surrender" is repeated throughout the song, which signifies the moment of giving in to the feeling of being fully immersed in love despite the fear of losing oneself.
The songwriter acknowledges that their love for someone else is stronger than the love they had for themselves. This realization seems to catch them off guard since nobody told them about the power of forgiveness in a relationship. The chorus speaks of the impact of their love interest's smile, that it has the ability to make them feel like a child again. This reaction shows the vulnerability that the songwriter feels around their love interest.
The lines "Now we're waving our flag in the air, the one we sewed together" and "We planted our seeds in the ground, roots are growing" suggest that the relationship is advancing to higher levels. The metaphorical flag and seeds highlight the idea that the love between the two is becoming stronger and more stable.
Line by Line Meaning
Never wanted to be swept away
I never imagined myself being in love or being in a situation where I have no control
I thought I might lose myself
I was afraid that my identity will be lost when I fall in love
Nobody told me there'd be music, sweet music
I never realized how beautiful love can be and how it can change everything
Now I got that sinking feeling
I feel vulnerable and scared because I am opening myself to someone else
Though I try to brace myself
Even though I try to prepare myself, I can't fight the overwhelming effect of love
I can feel me start to surrender, sweet surrender
I am giving in to love and it feels amazing
Everything I needed to remember
Love reminds me of what is important in life
Everything I needed to forget
Love helps me move on from things that were holding me back
When I see you smile, I am a child
The person I love has a profound effect on me and makes me feel young and carefree
I'm captured
I am completely captivated and entranced by the person I love
Never once thought I could love someone
I never realized that I had the capacity to love someone so deeply
More than I love myself
My love for this person is so strong that I put their needs before my own
Nobody told me about forgiveness, sweet forgiveness
Love also involves forgiveness and letting go of grudges and resentments
Now were waving our flag in the air
We are proud and unafraid to show the world how much we love each other
The one we sewed together
Our love is a result of hard work and effort that we put into our relationship
We planted our seeds in the ground
Our love has a strong foundation and we are committed to nurturing it
Roots are growing
Our love continues to grow and deepen over time
Oh I'm captured
I am completely spellbound by the person I love
Yes I'm captured
There is no denying the fact that I am head over heels in love
Oh I'm captured
Love has completely taken over my heart and soul
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MATTHEW J ABTS, WARREN HAYNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
linda theobald
ohio mule alwaze sez---don't be scared to live people