Just because it's the Grateful Dead doesn't necessarily mean it's about drugs, folks. It's most definitely about a girl. Bob Weir's lover at the time, Frankie, was certainly of some inspiration to this song ("waits backstage while I sing to you"). I do know this song created some friction bewtween Robert Hunter (the main lsyricist of it) and Bob Weir (who penned the line "Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive", much to Hunter's dismay). It eventually became so tense between the two that when John Perry Barlow - himself a fine, fine lyricist - started writing word for Weir's music, Hunter said, "Take him, he's yours!" Great, great song, both live and in the studio. Live it was a straight-out rocker, the studio version has almost a country-ish lilt which is quite pleasing.
Just because it's the Grateful Dead doesn't necessarily mean it's about drugs, folks. It's most definitely about a girl. Bob Weir's lover at the time, Frankie, was certainly of some inspiration to this song ("waits backstage while I sing to you"). I do know this song created some friction bewtween Robert Hunter (the main lsyricist of it) and Bob Weir (who penned the line "Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive", much to Hunter's dismay). It eventually became so tense between the two that when John Perry Barlow - himself a fine, fine lyricist - started writing word for Weir's music, Hunter said, "Take him, he's yours!" Great, great song, both live and in the studio. Live it was a straight-out rocker, the studio version has almost a country-ish lilt which is quite pleasing.