When was truckin written

Did it start to seem that all this life was just a dream? The lyrics were written under pressure, in the studio, during the recording of American Beauty , with Hunter running back and forth with hastily-written verses that somehow, despite the fact that were purpose-written on the spot, seem to have some pretty good staying power.

Hunter gets the credit for the lyrics. They spend time in hotel rooms. It was released on American Beauty in November , after being recorded in three weeks at Wally Heider studios in September. Pretty much anyone who saw the band do the song more than once probably saw Bobby mess up the lyrics. But it never mattered in the least.

What always struck me about this song in concert was the almost foolhardy, even fearless, way the band charged into the jam at the end, as if daring each other to just try to do something really crazy, for once.

It was a description of what the band actually lived through. Lesh notes that it was the closest they came to a hit on American Beauty. It expressed the feeling, and the reality, of being out on the road in America—a rite of passage in those days.

And perhaps still today for many. Where Were We? October 24, Next Article:. Grateful Dead Hour no. Jerry Garcia Jerry Garcia. Bob Weir Bob Weir. Bill Kreutzmann Bill Kreutzmann. Phil Lesh Phil Lesh. Mickey Hart Mickey Hart.

Robert Hunter Robert Hunter. Tom Constanten Tom Constanten. Keith Godchaux Keith Godchaux. Brent Mydland Brent Mydland. Vince Welnick Vince Welnick. Log in or register to post comments. Custom Sidebar. Listen on Spotify. Display on homepage featured list. Homepage Feature blurb. Homepage Feature title. Custom Teaser. Feature type. Greatest Stories Ever Told. If they went through every song perfectly, they wouldn't be the Grateful Dead.

The greatness is in the risks and chances they took and this song, being so autobiographical, displayed that every time they played it, mistakes or not. I just recently watched Ticket To New Years and one of the fans questions is "Bob, when if ever are you gonna get Truckin' straight?

That being said, I do remember reading somewhere that it bugged Jerry that Bob could remember all the words to several Bob Dylan songs but he couldn't remember Truckin'. However, an educated guess puts its debut at August 17, The Grateful Dead had a three night stand at Fillmore West, from the 17th til the 19th. Whereas recordings and setlists exist for the two latter shows, none exist for the 17th Also a blog entitled Jerry's Middle finger discusses this matter.

It was their song pretty much nails it The observation by Mr. Dodd that other bands had their songs and the Grateful Dead had this song pretty much puts this one to bed. The fact that Hunter just seemed to be running around collecting notes to put it together on the fly seems entirely appropriate. They were always flying by the seat of their pants. It was like "Oh Jesus! What did I do with the file copy of our cosmic broadside? You just have to look for it because you forgot where you put it down last time.

And you just know you'll be looking for it again some day. Beside that, I always loved the final jam. It was like hitting 4 creases in the firmament that let a ton of energy in. It was a song that if you heard on the radio did nothing for you but when you were there hearing it live Awreet, Skeet Let us not forget R.

Icon, Icon, Icon Icon all day. Keep on Truckin. I don't know the technical term, but the buildup they tagged on to the end, starting in 73 was nothing short of brilliant Sometimes they would get it "just exactly perfect" the first time. Other times it would take a couple of tries, before they got it. Sometimes it wouldn't work at all. Best of all they would get it right the first time and than try it again just for kicks and it would fail miserably.

Truckin', got my chips cashed in Keep truckin', like the do-dah man Together, more or less in line Just keep truckin' on Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street Chicago, New York, Detroit and it's all on the same street Your typical city involved in a typical daydream Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings Dallas, got a soft machine Houston, too close to New Orleans New York got the ways and means But just won't let you be Most of the cats that you meet on the street speak of true love Most of the time, they're sittin' and cryin' at home One of these days they know they better be goin' Out of the door and down to the street all alone Truckin', like the do-dah man Once told me, "You've got to play your hand" Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime If you don't lay 'em down Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me Other times, I can barely see Lately, it occurs to me What a long, strange trip it's been What in the world ever became of sweet Jane?

She lost her sparkle, you know she isn't the same Livin' on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine All a friend can say is, "Ain't it a shame?

Truckin' song meanings. Add Your Thoughts 36 Comments. General Comment Alright. Honestly, I cannot believe that nobody has yet mentioned what this song is actually supposed to be about. In a way, it is about drugs, and it's also about traveling, but it's not the Dead alone who are doing the traveling, it's also Owsley "Bear" Stanley, the Dead's early sound guy who was arrested for manufacturing and attempting to transport LSD. They were all arrested for real in New Orleans, which is where Bourbon St.

It's a great song, and plenty of the Dead's songs have little to do with drugs, but this is not one of them. It's also foolish to say that LSD did not have a massive influence on their music--it did. This includes various barbiturates and opiates. The term originates from opium poppies, which are red.

Anyway, you guys should try to get your facts straight before you get all holier than now, and act like you know exactly what the song was about. No Replies Log in to reply. There was an error. General Comment at the high school i went to the graduating class always got tshirts at the end of the year.

General Comment yea this song is about touring.. She lost her sparkle, you know she isn't the same Living on reds, vitamin C and cocaine all a friend can say is "ain't it a shame" There it says that pot just doesnt do it for him anymore. So he turns to harder drugs like reds which is a barbituate called Seconal, vitamin C is Ketamine and coke..

Then i think there are just a lot of things that can either be interpreted as touring or drug addiction so the rest is up to you nothing2lose on July 10, Link. General Comment All I have to say is You people have absolutely no heart for the Grateful Dead.

Now, I'll set this straight The song "Truckin'" is about life on the road, as you've said, and the realization that you only live once, so you should take risky chances She lost her sparkle, you know she isn't the same Living on reds, vitamin C and cocaine all a friend can say is "ain't it a shame" This is simply about a girl named Jane who lives on "Marlboro Full-Flavored" cigarettes marb reds , Vitamin C, and Cocaine.

Ziggy "Reds" in the '60s and '70s at least referred to Seconal, a barbiturate i. This is a reference to a girl or young woman who used to have energy, flair, and "sparkle," then drifted into hard drugs, cocaine and barbiturates. I know classic Marlboros are sold in red and white packs but this is not a reference to cigarettes but to downers, barbs, barbies, reds, "alcohol in pill form" barbiturates and alcohol are often considered interchangeable in terms of their effects, and cross-tolerance is high.

General Comment i read a book called the car by gary paulsen and they used the term truckin in it, it means to travel without knowing where u r going and possibly be on drugs at the time gmanoaks on August 21, Link. General Comment kamyatek is on the target. Robert Hunter wrote many other verses as well.