The WELL: deadsongs.vue.197: Terrapin Station (entire suite)

#64: Scott MacFarlane (s-macfarlane) Sun 17 Feb 08 11:43

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 11:43:00 PST

In the half-circle at the guitarist*s feet, a line of blue, red and gray boxes connected to the amplification and looping, but looked more like model train cars ready to loop around a miniature track. The log beams on the ceiling of the spacious Santa Fe home vibrated from Deadhead loco motion. Behind the big sectional that elbowed through the spacious living room, I was flanked by Tinydancer gyrating on one side, and a ponytailed reveler grooving like a gandydancer on the other. The miniature boxcars weren*t moving, but the echoing repeats of the musician*s song hinted of denouement.

Ten feet away from the musician, Jacob Cohen, the young musicologist, snuggled on the couch with his wife. The day before he had presented a conference paper called *The Compass Always Points to Terrapin: Harmonic and Geographic Ambiguity in the Grateful Dead*s *Terrapin Station*.* It discussed the suffused notion of place within the musical arrangement of this composition widely considered to be the Grateful Dead*s opus magnus. In this *rare and different tune* some rise, some fall and some climb to get to Terrapin.*

I tapped him on the shoulder, leaned down for him to hear, and pointed at the performer*s feet: *Hey, Jake. There*s no more ambiguity. I think we found Terrapin Station.*

Jake tilted his neck in my direction and smiled: *That does look like a train depot.*

The next morning at the hotel, David Gans was loading his car with boxes and a guitar case. I offered to help and told him how he had launched into his evocative rendition of *Terrapin Station* the moment after Jake and I spoke.

*Really?* he said. *You*re kidding me.*

**Albuquerque, February 2008 [Read entire topic]

#63: Alex Allan (alexallan) Sun 30 Dec 07 13:48

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:48:00 PST

I've been digging around and finding out more on the origins. I'll update my site when I have a moment. While the original "Glove" stories do have the action taking place in a coliseum, the later versions have the three travelling to a separate lion's den - in some it's the lions kept in the Tower of London. That would allow for lots of ground for her to swoon on. [Read entire topic]

#62: Scott MacFarlane (s-macfarlane) Fri 28 Dec 07 09:19

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:19:00 PST

slippage [Read entire topic]

#61: Scott MacFarlane (s-macfarlane) Fri 28 Dec 07 09:18

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:18:00 PST

Swooning makes sense, but the ground she falls down on in the second to last verse here isn't inside the lion's den and, by inference, must be above where the lions are, because in the last stanza here, it says that:

<And when she did recover, Threw her fan DOWN IN the lion's den>

This is before she asks the soldiers to recover her fan, "again."

[Maybe the Coliseums back then had Corporate suites for the Lords and Ladies to chill out in while the games were played.] [Read entire topic]

#60: David Gans (tnf) Fri 28 Dec 07 09:09

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:09:00 PST

Alex Allan posted a reply on my blog:

http://logblog.gdhour.com/?p=658

With a link to his research on the GD Lyrics and Song Finder:

http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/LADYCARL.HTM

It was more of a late-night stoned goof than a serious question, but I was glad to see what Alex has come up with. [Read entire topic]

#59: Gary Burnett (jera) Fri 28 Dec 07 06:18

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:18:00 PST

>> she TAKES A NAP?

Maybe she swooned? Or was in the throws of some sort of spell? [Read entire topic]

#58: Lightning in a Box (unkljohn) Fri 28 Dec 07 05:33

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:33:00 PST

You know, I'm wondering if this is the same song I heard late at night several years ago on our local NPR station (WUNC). I regret not calling the station right then to find out about it, but I swear he said it was called "The Carolina Lady" but I could have misheard. It sounded very similar and was also from the 1930's so it prolly is the same song. It blew my mind that night. [Read entire topic]

#57: David Gans (tnf) Fri 28 Dec 07 01:14

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:14:00 PST

I was poking around the net looking for info on "Lady of Carlisle" (getting ready to play an Ian and Sylvia recording of it on the radio), and I found this:

(excerpt)

Then up spoke this fair young lady, Saying "I can't be but one man's bride But if you'll come back tomorrow morning, On this case we will decide. "

She ordered her a span of horses, A span of horses at her command; And down the road these three did travel Till they come to the lions' den.

There she stopped and there she halted These two soldiers stood gazing around, And for the space of half an hour, This young lady lies speechless on the ground.

And when she did recover, Threw her fan down in the lion's den Saying, "Which of you to gain a lady Will return her fan again?"

http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=3476

(In Hunter's version, we meet the soldier and the sailor first. Then the lady arrives, by way of a door in the fire - how cool is that! This bit of research is making me love "Lady With a Fan" all over again.)

Anyway, I'm wondering what's up with this bit -

There she stopped and there she halted These two soldiers stood gazing around, And for the space of half an hour, This young lady lies speechless on the ground.

They're parked in front of a lion's den. The men are gazing around, presumably on the lookout for lions, and she TAKES A NAP?

I don't geddit. [Read entire topic]

#56: David Gans (tnf) Fri 28 Dec 07 01:10

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:10:00 PST

<scribbled by tnf Fri 28 Dec 07 01:10> [Read entire topic]

#55: Bryan Miller (bamfinney) Wed 30 Aug 06 20:31

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:31:00 PDT

thanks Paul, I've sent you two in reply already. I can't wait!!!! [Read entire topic]