Row Jimmy

Sure, it seems like a song about Jimmy and Julie living in abject poverty - 'til the line, "Ever since they tore the jukebox down". This line suggests the song is set in a post-apocalyptic town, perhaps, or a post-anarchy town - Jimmy and Julie live in a village that has been ravaged by something (let's call it The Event, for the sake of convenience) that has supplanted modes of playing music.

They're living slowly, day-by-day, subsisting - a pace of life reflected in the song's stately pace. Since The Event, they've been living off rabbits; Julie's tried to run away, to escape, but she couldn't - the effects of The Event were too widespread, and anyway, she needs Jimmy just as much as Jimmy needs her.

Jimmy, the stoic optimist, tells Julie not to "hang [her] head", as moping won't help them get by - they should "let the two-time roll" (two-time being a triple-entendre, I think - it's a dance, i.e. they're sort of slow-dancing their way through life, but also the 'two' suggests that the pair have each other, and no-one else. A third possible interpretation is that Julie has two-timed Jimmy - but we'll get to that interpretation later.) Naturally, everything is made more difficult by the fact that there's no music (no jukeboxes), except for the song that Jimmy's singing - the song that helps them get by.

Jimmy's rowing himself and Julie down the metaphorical river of life - seemingly to some sort of afterlife. It's a "common way to go"; 'common' could also be a double-entendre (it's 'common' because everyone since The Event is just rowing, fatalistically, towards death/afterlife; but, since 'common' can also mean 'poor', it could suggest that commoners are forced to merely row, while the richer people can sail by on their yachts - although they, too, are headed for death/afterlife).

The whole interpretation of the song may change if we interpret 'two time' as Julie having cheated on Jimmy - in which case, they're living in spiritual misery. They may as well be living in literal poverty - the cheating has brought their world crashing down. Even the jukeboxes may as well have been torn down, for all the good the music's doing the couple. Still, there's a sense of optimism - they're rowing their way towards a paired salvation, a state of mind in which they've got over the cheating.

Anyway - those are my two cents. :)

Just a fantastic song, one of my all time favorites. Beautiful image of a river town past its heyday, a girl dancing without a jukebox, working people struggling to get by, and finding solace in the healing power of music (which the song itself exemplifies). But who are Jimmy, Julie, and the narrator? I believe the narrator is Julie's mother speaking to her husband Jimmy. They are watching their daughter learning to dance while reflecting on their struggles and the plight of the town. They are struggling to get by, but marveling at their daughter coming of age. Julie's mother tells her husband to get down and row and see where life takes them.

Let's not forget that the song came off of the album "Wake of the Flood". I don't know that "rowing" is metaphorical and the levee breaking is metaphorical for rough patches or times in life. But the title of the album is on is important to interpret the songs meaning.

I’ve been a Dead fan for about 25 years and for some reason today is the day (15 years after this post started) that Row Jimmy just hit me profoundly!

You’ve all touched on the greatness of this song and I love that everyone can interpret a song as great as Row Jimmy in their own way.

For me, it’s so simple. It’s timeless. The setting is definitely rural south, southeast or Midwest. River community. But it could be anywhere at anytime- although the language suggests early to mid twentieth century.

The imagery of Julie doing the Do-Pas-O below the levee is the ultimate multiple meaning and pinnacle of the song.

1) the innocence Julie has being young and not understanding how the world has so much power over her (and her people) that “they” can hold back rivers for their benefit, while the common folk get none. The levee just looms above and could burst and flood and crush everything!

2) or, Julie may just know what it all means and dances and mocks (and even taunts it) right in the face of it all!

3) but for sure, being poor shouldn’t rob you of your happiness. And maybe having half of what those in power have is a blessing.

In general, it’s the plight of the common woman and man. “They” are running the show and “they” can “tear the jukebox down” and “they” are making out at our expense. But we keep rowing. And we will get there!

A song about a simple life and simple pleasures.

Julie ( a child, I think) caught her pet rabbit by the scruff of the neck, demonstrating a confidence in handling animals that only comes from country living. She came back steppin' high, proud of her accomplishment. She told the rabbit not to run off no more.

Don't hang your head - Introduces a sad aspect. I believe the family is moving, being displaced from an area that no longer supports a simple life. At the end of the song, we find that they "tore the jukebox down," presumably because the town went to ruin, or wealthier folks were moving in. Not sure about "let the two times roll," but it sounds like some form of cheering up. The rabbit was the only animal she was allowed to bring, because rabbits are "portable."

Row Jimmy row - They only had a boat and were heading up or down river in their search for a new place to live their simple life.

Here's a half a dollar if you dare. Double twist when you hit the air - Simple pleasures. Julie is doing a dance at a stop along the trip. Her mother or father bet her a half dollar she can't do a double twist in the air. A way of keeping her spirits up.

Broken heart don't feel so bad - Something you might say to yourself when you are being uprooted, and forced to leave everything that was familiar. You aint got half of what you thought you had - Try to drop your attachments - the new place will be good, too.

Rock you baby to and fro, not too fast and not too slow - Again, words of encouragement, maybe this time between husband and wife. We have each other, and we'll take life at our pace like we always have.

The last verse reveals that they are on the move because their old way of life is being "torn down." They can't get by on two bits anymore - at least not there.

Julie is a dog. She caught a rabbit and is bringing it back to her master prancing “stepping like to walk on air” the way dogs do when they are proud of something and want to show their owner. The owner( jimmy probably) tells her to “get back home where you belong and don’t you run off no more”. There used to be a jukebox is town( probably in the rural South USA) but due to the Great Depression and hard times or a strict Southern religion that didn’t abide by what they considered frivolous behavior( dancing etc to that “bad/devil” music) they took the jukebox down. Now that they had no jukebox the young people went to the local swimming hole for fun. Probably the most common way to get to the swimming hole was by rowing up the river (rather than walking). There was an old grass shack at the swimming hole where they drank, had sex etc. Good hang out place. The swimming hole had a high bank for jumping off. Jimmy was challenged with a half dollar dare to do a “double twist when you hit the air”. Probably was during the depression as money didn’t buy as much as it did before and it seems 1/2 of what they thought they had was gone==== but they could still have fun in this rural setting by going to the swimming hole.

NO COMMENTS?!

THIS IS ONE OF THEIR GREATEST SONGS.

this song alone got me in to the grateful dead

Me tto - I heard it on their live Dozin' At The Knick. It is a beautiful song, don't know what some of the lyrics mean though.

classic Robert Hunter//Jerry Garcia collaboration. The flow of the lyrics always reminded me of "Box of Rain" for some reason, which is also another classic Hunter song...