The WELL: deadsongs.vue.54: Deal

#3: David Dodd (ddodd) Wed 15 Jul 09 11:04

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:04:00 PDT

Posted on behalf of Rob McSweeney:

Deadheads and folklorists, Hello From Seattle.

I heard a possible source for the phrase "Don't you let that deal go down" a while back on NPR. David Dodd sources a folk song with that title in his excellent Annotated Lyrics book, but this may predate or at least parallel that source. The NPR report was about Zora Neale Hurston's work for the WPA recording in Florida. Go to Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections. It is a multiformat ethnographic field collection. Type "deal go down" in the search box and you will get goose bumps.

[note from ddodd: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/afcflwpa.3137b2]

Rob McSweeny RN

Seattle WA

Bio: I play in a Dead cover band called Cheaper Than Therapy. No gigs, no money, just fun. [Read entire topic]

#2: Robin Russell (rrussell8) Thu 26 Feb 04 13:20

Thu, 26 Feb 2004 13:20:00 PST

Couple of small corrections. I believe the chorus should be:

"Watch each card you play and play it slow", rather than

"Watch each card you pay and pay it slow"

and the last verse should be

"Hate to leave you sitting there"

rather than

"Hate to see you sitting there"

"Deal" is a gem of a song which, like "Lazy River Road" and "Cumberland Blues", seems like it might have been written seventy years ago.

The verse has a jazz / blues feel but the chorus is much more rock 'n' roll, demonstrating the wide span of the Grateful Dead's musical interests in one tune. Another key song in building up the Grateful Dean canon, "Deal" revels in contradiction and ambiguous choices.

I regard it as an excellent illustration of the relationship between good song lyrics and good poetry.

Happy Trails [Read entire topic]

#1: Alex Allan (alexallan) Tue 2 Sep 03 18:53

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 18:53:00 PDT

Deal Lyrics: Robert Hunter Music: Jerry Garcia

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Since it costs a lot to win And even more to lose You and me bound to spend some time Wondering what to choose

Chorus Goes to show, you don't ever know Watch each card you pay and pay it slow Wait until that deal come round Don't you let that deal go down, no, no

I've been gambling here abouts For ten good solid years If I told you all that went down It would burn off both your ears

[chorus]

Since you poured the wine for me And tightened up my shoes I hate to see you sitting there Composing lonesome blues

[chorus] Wait until that deal come round Don't you let that deal go down [Read entire topic]

#0: David Dodd (ddodd) Tue 2 Sep 03 15:07

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 15:07:00 PDT

Deal w: Hunter m: Garcia AGDL: http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/deal.html LASF: http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/DEAL.HTM [Read entire topic]