Grateful Dean

So many years and so many tears our eyes already cried

From where we were to where we are there’s still a great divide

You contained a piece of something rare as ever heard

You held a stadium within your hands while we waited on each word

The gift was heavier than most gifts that land on all the greats

When you became our heroin, the gift became some weights

A voice that spoke unspeakably in ways one can’t explain

A call that made us wanna be a light on a northbound train

Your voice was made from everything, its sound beyond compare

As masculine as it could be with a thread of femininity there

The sweetness it contained was like some auditory candy

Some notes got finished through your nose like a hearty shot of brandy

That sound was like a hook that pierced my heart and reeled it in

Made from 100 pounds of Saint and 100 pounds of Sin

Your trials and your tragedies were a shovel for your Soul

They made it so much deeper and they made that hole so whole

 

What came through you has not been matched by any who have tried

It’s hard to celebrate the birth of one who already died

I’d like to think that with your passing you were somehow born again

Living somewhere you’re not an idol, just another friend

Where you have all the space you need to get your space together

Not a slave to all your gifts with a community as your tether

I know it’s not my fault that you were wrestling with your devils

They seem to grow accordingly as we move to higher levels

You were just a vessel that the secrets all passed through

It all occurred because you did the thing you were born to do

When a gift is so unique that it brings folks to their maker

As much as some would like to give, they end up being a taker

Today’s a day to celebrate the day your life took flight

Not the day for could’ve, should’ve, maybe and/or might

As Jerry Week begins this year, all ears will lean towards you

Just as they’ve been leaning all the while and through and through

Happy 75th, Garcia!
#Garcia75th
@JerryGarcia

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)