Bob Dylan 1992 30th Anniversary Concert
The moment I heard this Never Ending tour performance of the Grateful Dead’s Black Muddy River from Bob Dylan I knew I had to add it to my music collection. It’s one of the few songs I can listen to on repeat and never grow tired of it. And I mean that most technically, because I have done just that on multiple occasions. I could hardly make out the words when I first heard it and the live audience recording leaves a lot to be desired, but it doesn’t matter – it’s what he does with it. I get lost in this song; it unclogs the senses.
Dylan really does sound like he is walking alone by the Black Muddy River and singing a song of his own, but it sounds like mine too.
This Grateful Dead song is beautifully written.
When the last rose of summer pricks my finger,
And the hot sun chills me to the bone,
When I can’t hear the song for the singer,
And I can’t tell my pillow from a stone,
I will walk alone by the black muddy river,
And sing me a song of my own,
I will walk alone by the black muddy river,
And sing me a song of my own.
Robert Hunter wrote these lyrics as he approached his own mid-point in life. Here’s what he told Rolling Stone in a 1987 interview:
“Black Muddy River is about the perspective of age and making a decision about the necessity of living in spite of a rough time, and the ravages of anything else that’s going to come at you. When I wrote it, I was writing about how I felt about being 45 years old and what I’ve been through. And then when I was done with it, obviously it was for the Dead.”
I’ve listened to the original studio recording from the Grateful Dead, but I prefer Bob’s version. Of course I’m the last person you’d consider impartial when comparing Dylan’s music to other artists. Black Muddy River was released on the Grateful Dead’s 12th studio album In the Dark. It reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Reference:
1. Dead.net – Greatest Stories Ever Told – “Black Muddy River”
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Así si vale la pena disfrutar de una leyenda irrepetible de la música Sus canciones van asociadas, para mí, a mi juventud. Una etapa inolvidable de mi vida y hasta ahora, digo disfrutando esas letras qué eran pura poesía. Saludos
Si…pues es poesia del grupo ‘Grateful Dead’ pero me encanta este version de Bob. Para mi él encontró el epicentro de la cancion. Es lindisma. Me alegro que las canciones de Bob te recuerdan de tu joventud. Saludos amigo.
Pura nostalgia. Hasta hoy en día las disfruto.
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It’s one of the last songs Garcia sang at his last concert with the Dead. Bob puts his own spin on it with his vocals…great song.
Yeh, I read that somewhere about Garcia. The Dead are a band I always wished I heard more of.
The video in this post are 3 different Bob performances of the song. You’ll note just how much he changes and mixes up the lyrics and the melody between each. It seems like he’s making up some words in the Melbourne performance.
Bob is the King of phrasing. He can change dynamic of a song by a certain phrasing of lyrics.
Yeh, it’s no wonder his live performances are much maligned when he experiments/tinkers as much as he does. Who can blame him?
That is why he is not an oldies show and still relevant in 2020…it prolonged his career…to me anyway. It’s something new every time…not always great but sometimes is great.
He also has songs that lend themselves to change… The Stones, McCartney, and others couldn’t do that to their songs.
I think your perspective here about his legacy and fluidity is about one of the most enlightening things I’ve ever read about him.
Thanks Matt. He keeps reinventing himself and it is wonderful. He makes a living on keeping us guessing.
That he does. I so hope he releases another album of originals one day soon.
I know…it’s past time. I’m ready for it.
I somehow doubt it, but you never know.
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