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China Cat Sunflower Lyrics
Look for a while at the China Cat sunflower,
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun.
Copperdome bodhi drip a silver kimono,
Like a crazy quilt stargown through a dream night wind.
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandanna,
Like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye jack.
A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle,
To a double-E waterfall over my back.
Comic book colors on a violin river Cryin' Leonardo,
Words from out a silk trombone.
I rang a silent bell, beneath a shower of pearls,
In the eagle-winged palace of the Queen Chinee.
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun.
Copperdome bodhi drip a silver kimono,
Like a crazy quilt stargown through a dream night wind.
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandanna,
Like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye jack.
A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle,
To a double-E waterfall over my back.
Comic book colors on a violin river Cryin' Leonardo,
Words from out a silk trombone.
I rang a silent bell, beneath a shower of pearls,
In the eagle-winged palace of the Queen Chinee.
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When this song was first played live over the earliest months of 1968, it was often sandwiched between "Dark Star" and "The Eleven." In 1968 it was played in the key of E as well; over time they would switch to the key of G for this song and there it would stay until the end of the band's career together. Perhaps most interestingly, on the early live versions (again, 1968), Garcia plays the distinctive lead part we all know and love instead of Bob Weir, who would eventually play it while Garcia played the bit that you hear opening the song behind it. I love the early '68 versions - they had a bite to them, much heavier than you'd expect. Check out the one from Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR 2/3/68. Incredible stuff!
yeah he plays it different everytime, its sick
Basically tone poetry. Really good tone poetry
This is such a lovely song. The main riff is so cool!
I forgot to mention, this song is soooooooooo much better when performed live.
awesome song... isnt China Cat a slang term for heroin?
@getlucky I'm no expert, but "China White"?
@getlucky I'm no expert, but "China White"?
i dunno...maybe
awesome song though. one of my favorite dead songs. great combo with i know you rider
Check out track #7: http://www.archive.org/details/gd72-08-27.sbd.orf.3328.sbeok.shnf
Check out track #7: http://www.archive.org/details/gd72-08-27.sbd.orf.3328.sbeok.shnf
china cat is a slang for heroin heres a link
http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/herpes/l/blsldicher.htm
I'm not so sure that "china cat" is actually a slang term for heroin. Sites like that are notoriously unreliable because they're generally run by people with no real drug knowledge or experience.
According to Robert Hunter, the song isn't really about anything. He wrote the lyrics on acid (shocking!) and wasn't in a real coherent state of mind.
Yes the song isn't really about anything, its things you observe on an Acid trip. The supblot to the song was Hunter left the group for awhile in a dispute and stayed at the actual ChinaCat Sunflower hotel, hence the title and lyrics.