Their first album was recorded live at Berkeley in 1969. They continued their work with Jefferson Airplane during this project, and even though Jefferson Airplane dissolved, Hot Tuna has continued to tour to this day. Casady is considered by many to be one of the most advanced and innovative in his style.
Their official website is http://hottuna.com and http://hottunatunes.com has music downloads of some of their recent live dates and a few older dates which really capture the spirit of these two very talented musicians.
Joey Covington, a self-taught drummer since the age of 10, (also know in his childhood as Joey Michno) helped found Blues-rock group Hot Tuna in 1969, alongside Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, while the latter band was still in its beginnings.
However, the recordings he did for Tuna were unreleased and eventually rejoined Casady and Kaukonen at the Airplane and featured on three studio albums, the first being Volunteers, as he replaced Spencer Dryden midway through the recording process. He wrote and sang the last hit for Jefferson Airplane 1971's "Pretty As You Feel" featured on the Bark Album.
Covington left Jefferson Airplane in mid-1972 to pursue a solo career, starting with Fat Fandango.[3] He subsequently faded from view, only resurfacing sporadically, like in 1976's Spitfire by Jefferson Starship, where he co-wrote the hit single "With Your Love".
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he toured with various configurations as The San Francisco Allstars.
Covington was well-known around the Palm Springs area as a talented musician who delighted his audience by playing free gigs whenever possible. His last performance was for a Marilyn Monroe celebration in Palm Springs June 1, 2013. Covington thrilled his audience and signed autographs following the performance.[4]
Covington was killed in an automobile accident in Palm Springs, California on June 4, 2013. Covington slammed into a wall and was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collison. He was 67.[5]
See also: Hot Tuna at Wikipedia
Serpent Of Dreams
Hot Tuna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Linin' the edge of tomorrows grave.
Bright shinin' way,
Livin' in the shadows,
Tryin' to be the master of tomorrow's slave.
Down in the mine, circled 'round a diamond;
Serpent of your expectations,
Sleeps a nervous dream.
Whiles away the passing hours;
Not being what he seems.
Then he creeps into the light;
Speeding up like fire flight,
Now he moves across the forest floor.
Send away the pace of time;
Leave behind the lonely mine,
And the diamond brilliant on the floor.
We cannot stay by the crystal mountain;
Serpent of dreams has left his shadow lair;
Diamond remains, brilliant in its cavern;
No one to see and no one left to care.
Sepent's friends have come and gone,
Down the slopes they're movin' on,
Through the lakes and forests and the dale.
They will find tomorrow's rise,
Brings them all the bluest skies,
Frees the lonesome banshee and his wail
The lyrics of "Serpent of Dreams" seem to be about the fleeting nature of life and the struggles of trying to control one's future. The first verse discusses flowers blooming beside a pathway that leads to tomorrow's grave, indicating a metaphorical journey towards the end of life. The bright shining way represents the desire to live life fully, but it is tempered by the realization that we are all slaves to our future.
In the second verse, the diamond in the mine is symbolic of the potential and hopes we all possess. The serpent, which is often associated with temptation or evil, circles around these expectations, creating a nervous dream. The velvet palace represents a false facade that we all present to the world, while whiling away the hours, not being true to ourselves. However, the serpent eventually creeps into the light and speeds off, representing the chaotic nature of life and the impossible attempt to control it.
The third verse describes the inevitable end that we all face, with the serpent of dreams leaving his shadow lair, representing the end of hope and the fleeting nature of life. The diamond, which remains brilliant in its cavern, represents the unrealized potential of all that we hoped to achieve. Despite the loneliness and finality of death, there is still beauty to be found, with the bluest skies and the freeing of the lonesome banshee's wail.
Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the transience of life and the difficulties of trying to control our own destinies. It speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with the inevitability of death and the desire to make the most out of our time on earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Flowers today bloomin' by the pathway;
Today is a beautiful day, with flowers blooming alongside the path.
Linin' the edge of tomorrows grave.
Tomorrow may bring death, and the flowers are lining the gravesite.
Bright shinin' way,
The path ahead is clear and bright.
Livin' in the shadows,
Despite the brightness of the path, the singer is still living in the shadows of doubt and uncertainty.
Tryin' to be the master of tomorrow's slave.
The singer is trying to control their future, but realizes that fate may still have the upper hand.
Down in the mine, circled 'round a diamond;
In the darkness of the mine, there is a diamond that is coveted by those who circle around it.
Serpent of your expectations,
The serpent represents the expectations one has for themselves.
Sleeps a nervous dream.
Those expectations are causing anxiety and unrest in one's dreams.
Circled so fine, like a velvet palace,
The circling around the diamond is done with precision and detail, like the luxurious design of a velvet palace.
Whiles away the passing hours;
The circling around the diamond seems almost like a waste of time, as the hours pass by.
Not being what he seems.
The diamond may not be as valuable or important as it initially appears.
Then he creeps into the light;
The true value of the diamond is revealed as it emerges into the light.
Speeding up like fire flight,
The pace quickens as the true value is realized.
Now he moves across the forest floor.
The singer reflects on the diamond's journey to a new location.
Send away the pace of time;
The idea of time is not important in this moment.
Leave behind the lonely mine,
The diamond is leaving behind the lonely mine.
And the diamond brilliant on the floor.
The diamond is still brilliant and valuable, but in a new location.
We cannot stay by the crystal mountain;
The singer cannot stay in one place forever, even if it is a beautiful crystal mountain.
Serpent of dreams has left his shadow lair;
The expectations that once haunted the singer have dissipated.
Diamond remains, brilliant in its cavern;
The diamond is still valuable, even though it is no longer in the mine.
No one to see and no one left to care.
Even though the diamond is valuable, there is no one left to appreciate it or care about it.
Sepent's friends have come and gone,
The people who once shared in the singer's expectations have moved on.
Down the slopes they're movin' on,
Those people are moving on with their lives.
Through the lakes and forests and the dale.
The people are traveling through various landscapes and regions.
They will find tomorrow's rise,
The group is hopeful that tomorrow will bring new opportunities.
Brings them all the bluest skies,
Their hopes for the future will lead to a brighter outlook.
Frees the lonesome banshee and his wail
The group's hopes will lead to the release of a lonesome banshee and his mournful expression of pain.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JORMA KAUKONEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Lobato
on Half/Time Saturation
I believe it is, "And life's ain't gonna be the way it was before." You can clearly hear him say "ain't", and it sounds like "life". I always hated it there were no lyrics to this inside the record sleeve.