Fare
THEE WELL
It’s John Savlove’s tribute to the Grateful Dead
as sung to Steely Dan’s version of Duke Ellington and Bubber
Miley’s
“East St. Louis Toodle-oo”
Fare thee well
You can’t tell
When upon the wheel we
may meet again
Roll them bones
Sing me home
Ride me on your wagon to
the wind
The barroom scuffle and
the poolhall tiff
While I’m in the corner
working on a riff
Don’t shoot me I’m a
beginner! – one day to be a winner-
I’ll pay you back further
on down the line if
Stagger Lee
Would let me be
The Candy Man and me
make three
Cut my deck to the queen
of spades
But the cards are all
marked everywhere in Chez Hades
You might as well living
in the cold dark hollow coalmines
Tell the queen of diamonds
by the way she shines
There’s nothing better
than a ripple in a creek from
A giant sober footfall
That can put me on the
first train out of my
drunken enchantment with jacks, clubs, kings
stains on the barroom floor that speak of secret things
Half a cup of rock and rye
We’ll all know, bye and bye
girls in scarlet magnificent clothes
with bells on their toes!
If memory serves me well,
we’re sure to meet further on down the road
Provided your wheel does
not light on fire, and you do not explode
Fare thee well
You just can’t tell
Where upon the wheel we’ll
meet again
