Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an America… Read Full Bio ↴Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his work with the band the Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s. Though he disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group.

One of its founders, Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career (1965–1995). Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Saunders–Garcia Band (with longtime friend Merl Saunders), the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, Legion of Mary, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage (which Garcia co-founded with John Dawson and David Nelson). He also released several solo albums, and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician. He was well known for his distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 46th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" cover story.

Later in life, Garcia was sometimes ill because of his diabetes, and in 1986 went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he also struggled with heroin and cocaine addictions, and was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack in August 1995.

All by Myself
Jerry Garcia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Little girl don't you want to stay?
I want to be your lover man
All by myself
All by myself

I don't need no one to love you
I'm gonna love you all by myself

You'll find, little girl, you know it too,
Don't you know I'm in love with you
All by myself
All by myself.

I don't want no one to love you
I want to love you all by myself

Meet me in the parlor 'bout half past one,
We'll go on down and have some fun
All by ourselves,
All by ourselves,

We don't need nobody with us
We gonna do it all by ourselves.

Overall Meaning

The first stanza of Jerry Garcia's song, All By Myself, speaks of the singer's desire to have a little girl alongside him as his lover man, but with the catchphrase of affirming his independence, "All by myself." He reiterates this phrase in the second stanza, which shows his confidence in his ability to love the girl alone without any assistance. The third stanza suggests a course of action- to meet in the parlour around half past one and have some fun alone, continuing to assert the phrase, "All by ourselves."

The song's lyrics depict a confident and self-sufficient man who is proud to be alone and is more than capable of taking care of himself and his lover. It shows how strongly he feels about the girl, wanting to share his time with her amidst their solitude.

Apart from its lyrics, the song also features a catchy melody with vocals that complement the guitar riffs. It is an excellent representation of Jerry Garcia's musical craft, blending his love for guitar playing and vocal harmonies. The song has become a fan favorite, with many listeners identifying with its message of self-assuredness and independence in love.

Line by Line Meaning

Little girl don't you want to stay?
Asking the girl to stay with Jerry Garcia

I want to be your lover man
Jerry Garcia wants to be the girl's only lover

All by myself
Jerry Garcia wants to love the girl without anyone's help

I don't need no one to love you
Jerry Garcia doesn't need anyone else to love the girl

I'm gonna love you all by myself
Jerry Garcia will love the girl without any interference

You'll find, little girl, you know it too,
Jerry Garcia believes that the girl also knows that they're meant to be together

Don't you know I'm in love with you
Jerry Garcia wants the girl to know that he loves her

All by myself
Jerry Garcia wants to love the girl without anyone's help

All by myself.
Jerry Garcia wants to love the girl without anyone's help

I don't want no one to love you
Jerry Garcia doesn't want anyone else to love the girl

I want to love you all by myself
Jerry Garcia wants to be the girl's only lover

Meet me in the parlor 'bout half past one,
Jerry Garcia wants to meet the girl at a specific time and place

We'll go on down and have some fun
Jerry Garcia wants to have fun with the girl alone

All by ourselves,
Jerry Garcia wants to have fun with the girl alone

We don't need nobody with us
Jerry Garcia doesn't want anyone else to join them

We gonna do it all by ourselves.
Jerry Garcia wants to have fun with the girl alone

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eric Carmen, Sergei Rachmaninoff

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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