The WELL: deadsongs.vue.207: U.S.Blues (incl. Wave That Flag)

#8: Marked from the Day That I was Born (ssol) Wed 7 Jan 09 03:58

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:58:00 PST

Fwiw, I believe they were/are. Franklin propably would have had ag good time sipping coffee and port with Garcia and Hunter. [Read entire topic]

#7: Scott MacFarlane (s-macfarlane) Mon 5 Jan 09 21:26

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:26:00 PST

from another GD thread:

I actually thought your political take on "Ship of Fools" was interesting, fresh to me, yet hardly the ONLY way to hear those lyrics. As for U.S. Blues, there is also a legitimate political take, but an oblique one at best.

I see this as a parodic caricaturization of Uncle Sam. Since, I always thought the line was "cop a bag" instead of "pop a bag", my own take on this Uncle Sam persona of Hunter's was, at most, of a political icon who is suddenly a viable patriot of underground America, too. I guess that can be construed as political, but I see it as a wonderfully ironic statement about how much America was transforming by 1973 when he wrote the song.

Uncle Sam is a newly hip sort of cat, hiding out in a rock'n'roll band. Could Hunter be saying with this that, "hey folks, the Grateful Dead are as American as anyone"? [Read entire topic]

#6: Marked from the Day That I was Born (ssol) Sat 19 Mar 05 09:31

Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:31:00 PST

I was at one of those shows, and remember everbody around me who wasn't totally immersed in dancing, shaking their heads (did they just say...?). And then we got the joke, serious as the point made was. [Read entire topic]

#5: David Gans (tnf) Fri 18 Mar 05 19:19

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:19:00 PST

Maybe once or twice? [Read entire topic]

#4: David Gans (tnf) Fri 18 Mar 05 19:19

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:19:00 PST

<scribbled by tnf> [Read entire topic]

#3: Marked from the Day That I was Born (ssol) Fri 18 Mar 05 18:37

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 18:37:00 PST

Fascinating. Never caught that angle.

Didn't the band briefly change the lyric in verse three during the Iranian Revolution to:

I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am Been hiding out, in a rock and roll band Shake the hand that shook the hand Of P. T. Barnum and the Shah of Iran [Read entire topic]

#2: american studies (saikung-cwb) Thu 17 Mar 05 18:50

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:50:00 PST

I believe that the line "Share your Wealth"is in reference to Huey Long's "Share the Wealth" program/idea in the 1930's.

Link to "Share the Wealth" speech. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5109/

Link to "Every Man a King" speech http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hueyplongking.htm

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/long/share.html

Other links on Huey Long http://www.ssa.gov/history/longsen.html http://www.sec.state.la.us/60.htm

Randy Newman covered "Every Man a King" on his album "Good Old Boys". and wrote a song on the same album about Long, called "Kingfish" http://www.randynewman.com/tocdiscography/disc_good_old_boys/lyricsgoodoldboys#kingfish

Other GD linkage Weir's participation in the band named "Kingfish". http://www.bay-area-bands.com/bab00069.htm [Read entire topic]

#1: Alex Allan (alexallan) Mon 8 Sep 03 19:10

Mon, 08 Sep 2003 19:10:00 PDT

U.S. Blues Lyrics: Robert Hunter Music: Jerry Garcia

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Red and white, blue suede shoes I'm Uncle Sam, how do you do Gimme five, still alive Ain't no luck, I learned to duck

Check my pulse, it don't change Stay seventy two, come shine or rain Wave the flag, pop the bag Rock the boat, skin the goat

Chorus Wave that flag, wave it wide and high Summertime done come and gone, my oh my

I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am Been hiding out, in a rock and roll band Shake the hand that shook the hand Of P. T. Barnum and Charlie Chan

Shine your shoes, light your fuse Can you use them old U.S. Blues I'll drink your health, share your wealth Run your life, steal your wife

[chorus]

Back to back, chicken shack Son of a gun, better change your act We're all confused, what's to lose You can call this song the United States Blues

[chorus] [Read entire topic]

#0: David Dodd (ddodd) Mon 8 Sep 03 09:44

Mon, 08 Sep 2003 09:44:00 PDT

U.S.Blues (incl. Wave That Flag) w: Hunter m: Garcia AGDL: http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/usblues.html LASF: http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/U1S1BLUE.HTM [Read entire topic]