SAN FRANCISC, UNITED STATES – JANUARY 31: Jerry Garcia performing at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco on January 31, 1991. (Photo by Clayton Call/Redferns)

Been looking for The Silver Lining but this one seems all Grey
Nothing’s been the same since the night you went away
The Story Teller makes no choice, that’s what you always said
It’s funny that we all found life amongst the Grateful Dead
The wrinkled eyes of Heaven know this day as if by heart
The loss through years of mourning that has torn our world apart
You’re the one that brought the treasure and grabbed magic from the air
Everyone craved The Golden Eggs but The Goose that left them there
The blistered hands of time still turn the crank that runs The Wheel
The cards all come back empty every time we get The Deal
Mercy wrote a letter, sent to Death by Standard Mail
The message came back, “Sorry but No Mercy is for Sale”
My face is callused from the salted water my Eyes have shed
Trying to recapture moments from the memories in my head
I can’t believe 24 have passed since your Graduation Day
Still broken vans with broken plans like dogs that went astray
Another Summer passes by another Winter near
And there remains the lullaby my ears still long to hear
Your sound is irreplaceable yet we try to turn the page
Where softly grows the silent fire that leads to Tears of Rage
Days are still found dazing in The Days that Lie Between
Thoughts churn in our minds yet we can’t figure out what they mean
To hear a few more notes from you would cure this inward drought
In the spaces in between each one we figured the whole thing out
My thoughts and days are like the style of playing you were usin’
When moments of intense clarity seemed to arise from complete confusion
In my head I see your frame, your chin pinned to your chest
Like you’re looking into your own heart and pulling out what’s best
I vividly hear the music build like champagne when you shake it
You took your time getting to the mic we all wondered if you’d make it
But just as Springtime turns to Heat and Heat then turns to Cold
The only place we find Silver now is where there once was gold
With thoughts of you that never die and no replacement near
We celebrate the life you gave to all of us every year
Your Soulful Sound to Terrapin to Mission in The Rain
We’ll cherish what you gave us, Jerry, until we meet again…

Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)