Musical career
In the 1970s, Saunders began collaborating with Jerry Garcia, with the Grateful Dead and with Garcia's bands The Legion of Mary and Reconstruction.
He's led his own bands, as Merl Saunders and Friends, playing live dates with Garcia, as well as Mike Bloomfield, David Grisman, Tom Fogerty, Vassar Clements, Kenneth Nash, John Kahn and Sheila E.
In 1990 he released the world music and New Age classic album Blues From the Rainforest, a collaboration with Jerry Garcia and Muruga Booker. This led to the release of a video which chronicled Saunders' journey to the Amazon, and the subsequent album Fiesta Amazonica.
He worked with musicians Paul Pena, Bonnie Raitt, Phish, Miles Davis, and B.B. King. Merl also recorded with The Dinosaurs, a "supergroup" of first-generation Bay Area rock musicians.
Released material own Sumertone (his own record label) and also recorded on Fantasy Records, Galaxy Records and Relix as well as the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia labels. He worked with the Grateful Dead on the theme music for the 1985 TV show The New Twilight Zone, and with Mickey Hart on the score for the show. He was a director of The Recording Academy, and did the sound design for several of the Grammy Awards.
Discography
Main studio, live and compilation releases
1968 - Soul Grooving - Merl Saunders Trio and Big Band
1972 - Heavy Turbulence - with Tom Fogerty
1973 - Fire Up - with Tom Fogerty and Jerry Garcia
1973 - Live at the Keystone - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
1974 - Merl Saunders
1976 - You Can Leave Your Hat On - with Aunt Monk
1979 - Do I Move You
1982 - San Francisco After Dark
1988 - Meridien Dreams
1988 - Keystone Encores Vol. 1 - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
1988 - Keystone Encores Vol. 2 - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
1988 - Live at the Keystone Vol. 1 - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
1988 - Live at the Keystone Vol. 2 - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Bill Vitt
Feelings
1990 - Blues From The Rainforest - with the Rainforest Band
1991 - Save The Planet So We'll Have Someplace To Boogie
1992 - Fire Up Plus - with Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Tom Fogerty and Ron Tutt
1993 - It's In The Air
1995 - Still Having Fun
1997 - Keepers - Merl Saunders and Friends
1998 - Fiesta Amazonica
1998 - The Twilight Zone (Vol. 1): Original Soundtrack from the TV series - Grateful Dead & Merl Saunders
1998 - Merl Saunders Live With His Funky Friends
2000 - Struggling Man - Merl Saunders & His Funky Friends
2004 - Still Groovin'
2004: Keystone Berkeley: September 1, 1974 with Jerry Garcia
2006: Well-Matched: The Best of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia (Fantasy)
Positively 4th Street
Merl Saunders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To say you are my friend
When I was down
You just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve
To say you gotta helping hand to lend
You just want to be on
You say I let you down
You know it's not like that
If you're so hurt
Why then don't you show it
You say you lost your faith
But that's not where it's at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I know the reason
That you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd
You're in with
Do you take me for such a fool
To think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide
What he don't know to begin with
You see me on the street
You always act surprised
You say, "How are you?" "Good luck"
But you don't mean it
When you know as well as me
You'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once
And scream it
No, I do not feel that good
When I see the heartbreaks you embrace
If I was a master thief
Perhaps I'd rob them
And now I know you're dissatisfied
With your position and your place
Don't you understand
It's not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
The lyrics to Merl Saunders's song Positively 4th Street express frustration and anger towards a supposed friend who has betrayed the singer. The first stanza accuses this friend of not being a true ally, emphasizing that they stood by grinning when the singer was down, and they only want to be on the side that's winning. The second stanza responds to the friend's accusations that the singer let them down and lost their faith, arguing that this is not the case and that the friend had no faith to begin with. The third stanza reveals that the singer knows the real reason the friend is talking behind their back: jealousy. The fourth stanza confronts the friend's insincere greetings in public, pointing out that they only act surprised to see the singer and don't actually mean it. The fifth stanza turns this frustration into a wish, hoping that the friend could stand in the singer's shoes and understand how it feels to be hurt and betrayed.
Overall, the lyrics showcase the singer's resentment towards a person who pretended to be their friend but ultimately revealed their true colors. The song is a classic example of Bob Dylan's songwriting, as it was originally written by him and covered by various artists, including Merl Saunders. The lyrics speak to the Universal human experience of betrayal and injustice, and the frustration that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a lotta nerve
You are audacious
To say you are my friend
To claim that we are allies
When I was down
During my time of crisis
You just stood there grinning
You just smiled and observed
To say you gotta helping hand to lend
To assert that you are prepared to assist
You just want to be on
You just want to align with
The side that's winning
The side that is prevailing
You say I let you down
You claim that I disappointed you
You know it's not like that
It is not accurate
If you're so hurt
If you are feeling so pained
Why then don't you show it
Why not exhibit it
You say you lost your faith
You claim that you lost hope and belief
But that's not where it's at
But that is not the situation
You had no faith to lose
You lack faith to lose
And you know it
You recognize it
I know the reason
I am aware of the reason
That you talk behind my back
That you gossip about me
I used to be among the crowd
I used to be part of the group
You're in with
The group you belong to
Do you take me for such a fool
Do you consider me to be such an idiot
To think I'd make contact
To expect me to reach out
With the one who tries to hide
With someone who conceals
What he don't know to begin with
What he is ignorant of in the first place
You see me on the street
You see me in public
You always act surprised
You always act taken aback
You say, "How are you?" "Good luck"
You say, "How are you?" "Best of luck"
But you don't mean it
But you are not sincere
When you know as well as me
When you are just as aware as I am
You'd rather see me paralyzed
You would rather see me incapacitated
Why don't you just come out once
Why not speak up once
And scream it
And yell it out
No, I do not feel that good
No, I do not feel that great
When I see the heartbreaks you embrace
When I witness the sorrows you accept
If I was a master thief
If I were an expert bandit
Perhaps I'd rob them
Perhaps I would steal from them
And now I know you're dissatisfied
And now I know that you are unhappy
With your position and your place
With your status and role
Don't you understand
Do you not comprehend
It's not my problem
It is not my issue
I wish that for just one time
I desire that just once
You could stand inside my shoes
You could empathize with my situation
And just for that one moment
And just for that fleeting moment
I could be you
I could experience what you go through
Yes, I wish that for just one time
Indeed, I want that for just once
You could stand inside my shoes
You could empathize with my situation
You'd know what a drag it is
You would understand how tedious it is
To see you
To see you as you are
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joeynice123
You've got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend
When I was down you just stood there grinnin'
You've got a lotta nerve to say you got a helping hand to lend
You just want to be on the side that's winnin'
You say I let you down, ya know its not like that
If you're so hurt, why then don't you show it?
You say you've lost your faith, but that's not where its at
You have no faith to lose, and ya know it
I know the reason, that you talked behind my back
I used to be among the crowd you're in with
Do you take me for such a fool, to think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide what he don't know to begin with?
You see me on the street, you always act surprised
You say "how are you?", "good luck", but ya don't mean it
When you know as well as me, you'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once and scream it
No, I do not feel that good when I see the heartbreaks you embrace
If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob them
And tho I know you're dissatisfied with your position and your place
Don't you understand, its not my problem?
I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is to see you!
Thank you to all members that made JGB such a special place to be on a rainy Tuesday night at an intimate music hall.
Past members of Jerry Garcia Band
Saint Jerome Garcia
John Kahn
Ron Tutt
Nicky Hopkins
James Booker
Keith Godchaux
Donna Godchaux
Maria Muldaur
Buzz Buchanan
Ozzie Ahlers
Johnny de Foncesca
Greg Errico
Melvin Seals
Jimmy Warren
Daoud Shaw
Essra Mohawk
Liz Stires
Bill Kreutzmann
Jaclyn LaBranch
DeeDee Dickerson
David Kemper
Gloria Jones
Gaylord Birch
Donny Baldwin
@jonsettlemeyer5899
This show was the first date with a woman who became my wife. I am sure the fire on stage kindled the flame in her heart. RIP Jerry, Merle, Keystone, 2nd wife.
@dotcompost1
Jerry always did the best covers of Dylan's songs and this one is the best one of all; the best of the best.
@GinjaNinja77
Agreed, my favorite break up tune ever, given the weight it needed from Merl and Jerry
✌💀🌹⚡
@jamesmclean4932
And Bob Dylan agreed with what you wrote above too. There is an Oswego N.Y. 1980 show which has a great version of this as well.
@paulmancini-sb9qn
No One Played “Dylan” better than Jerry Garcia, No One that I’ve heard ..
@robertkubik1997
What makes Jerry one of a kind is that he had a way of telling the story without having to say a word. His tone, phrasing, and fill are second to none, just absolute dynamite
@stefanschleps8758
Lyrics by Robert Humter, Bob Dylan, and tradition.
Peace. 🐢
@roadkill5838
❤️ yup. This is amazing.
He does the same kind of things with his vocals.
Beautiful!
@benringenberg2394
Well put my friend. I feel the exact same about Jerry, he is the king. Put simply, he sings straight from the heart. The reason he does it so well is because it is pure truth, no audience pleasing hooks or phony lyrics, just pure emotion and living and playing in the moment.
@jeffdempsey6478
Agreed with all of the comments. He was the best at interpreting Dylan. He understood how to feel/play the story.
Ps absolutely love the pictures & photos of the video.