The WELL: deadsongs.vue.58: Dire Wolf

#4: Marked from the Day That I was Born (ssol) Wed 9 Dec 09 07:59

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:59:00 PST

There's also the old term "red-eyed whiskey" that my grandpa used in his drinking days. [Read entire topic]

#3: Robin Russell (rrussell8) Fri 4 Dec 09 09:49

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:49:00 PST

Could be, sloe gin and scotch has been called a red whiskey. Or maybe "red" fitted the rhythm scheme best. [Read entire topic]

#2: David Dodd (ddodd) Thu 3 Dec 09 21:21

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:21:00 PST

Posted on behalf of Matt O'Neill:

David,

I am particularly fond of the song "Dire Wolf" and have enjoyed reading your annotations to it. The section on "Red Whiskey" got me thinking about other possible explanations to the term besides the very eloquent one offered by "David" on your website (which I happen to think is very plausible and even quite possible). I have two ideas, first, "Red Whiskey" could be referring to the mixed drink by that name whose ingredients include: sloe gin, whiskey and lemon juice (the sloe gin gives the drink a red hue due to the gin being flavored with sloe berries - the fruit of the blackthorn - which give off a deep red color). A second possible explanation of the term "Red Whiskey" is that perhaps Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey which is the worlds most common whiskey (a purported favorite of Winston Churchill when mixed with soda - but I digress) could have been the term used to describe "their whiskey" or "a whiskey of quality" or even the band's "favorite whiskey." I would love to know what you think about either idea.

Cheers,

Matt

Matthew C. O'Neill [Read entire topic]

#1: Alex Allan (alexallan) Tue 2 Sep 03 18:57

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 18:57:00 PDT

Dire Wolf Lyrics: Robert Hunter Music: Jerry Garcia

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

In the timbers of Fennario the wolves are running round The winter was so hard and cold, froze ten feet 'neath the ground

Chorus: Don't murder me, I beg of you don't murder me Please don't murder me

I sat down to supper, 'twas a bottle of red whiskey I said my prayers and went to bed, that's the last they saw of me [chorus]

When I awoke, the dire wolf, six hundred pounds of sin Was grinning at my window, all I said was "Come on in" [chorus]

The wolf came in, I got my cards, we sat down for a game I cut my deck to the queen of spades but the cards were all the same [chorus]

In the back-wash of Fennario, the black and bloody mire The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire [chorus] [Read entire topic]

#0: David Dodd (ddodd) Tue 2 Sep 03 15:08

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 15:08:00 PDT

Dire Wolf w: Hunter m: Garcia AGDL: http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/direwolf.html LASF: http://www.whitegum.com/songfile/DIREWOLF.HTM [Read entire topic]