Jerry Garcia Band employs many of the same elements and similar style to the Grateful Dead, such as rock influenced by blues, folk, country, and jazz.
Over the years, the lineup of the Jerry Garcia Band changed a number of times. The one constant member besides Garcia himself was bassist John Kahn. Melvin Seals had the next longest tenure, serving as keyboardist from 1980 onward. Seals became band leader following Garcia's death and changed the band's name to JGB.
Tears Of Rage
Jerry Garcia Band Lyrics
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On Independence Day
And now you'll throw us all aside
And put us all away
Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun
Could treat a father so?
To wait upon him hand and foot
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why must I always be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so low
And life is brief
It was all so very painless
When you ran out to receive
All that false instruction
Which we never could believe
And now the heart is filled with gold
As if it was a purse
But, oh, what kind of love is this
Which goes from bad to worse?
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why must I always be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so low
And life is brief
We pointed you the way to go
And scratched your name in sand
Though you thought it was nothing more
Than a place for you to stand
I want you to know that while we watched
You discovered that no one would be true
That I myself was among the ones who thought
It was just a childish thing to do
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why must I always be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so low
And life is brief
The Jerry Garcia Band's song "Tears of Rage" tells a story of betrayal and heartbreak. The song starts by setting a scene on Independence Day, where a father carries his daughter in his arms. However, it is later revealed that the daughter is going to throw him and everyone else aside. The lyrics contain a sense of disbelief and sorrow as the father talks about the daughter whom he has always waited upon hand and foot, but who always answers with a "no."
The lyrics then reveal that the daughter is filled with false instruction, and the heart is now filled with gold as if it was a purse. The father asks what kind of love this is which goes from bad to worse. The song's final verse speaks of how they showed the daughter the way to go, and the daughter thought it was nothing but a place for her to stand. The father states that he himself was among the ones who thought it was just a childish thing to do, and the song ends with the same lines, "Tears of rage, tears of grief, why must I always be the thief?"
Overall, "Tears of Rage" is a song that speaks of disappointment and betrayal, one that laments a daughter who would throw her family away. The song's emotional lyrics and Garcia's vocals make it a powerful and moving ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
We carried you in our arms
On Independence Day
And now you'll throw us all aside
And put us all away
We welcomed you into our lives with open arms on a special occasion, however, now you're abandoning us and disregarding us completely.
Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun
Could treat a father so?
To wait upon him hand and foot
Yet always answer, "No"
A father ponders why his daughter, who he has always doted on, treats him so coldly despite how much he has done for her.
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why must I always be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so low
And life is brief
The sadness and anger that comes with feeling like a thief for wanting what you feel you deserve; a plea to come together before it's too late because life is short.
It was all so very painless
When you ran out to receive
All that false instruction
Which we never could believe
When you went out to accept whatever false teachings the world had to offer, it was easy for you but hard for the ones who loved you and couldn't believe in those teachings.
And now the heart is filled with gold
As if it was a purse
But, oh, what kind of love is this
Which goes from bad to worse?
Although on the surface it might seem like everything is going well, the love in the relationship has turned from bad to worse, and it feels shallow and materialistic.
We pointed you the way to go
And scratched your name in sand
Though you thought it was nothing more
Than a place for you to stand
We guided you and offered advice, but you thought it was only a temporary place to rest, and it would be easy to move on from us.
I want you to know that while we watched
You discovered that no one would be true
That I myself was among the ones who thought
It was just a childish thing to do
We watched as you learned that people didn't have your best interests at heart, and we regret that we were among those who didn't take your feelings seriously.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Richard Manuel, Bob Dylan
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