Ten years ago today, on August 9, 1995

[ET Awful]

Jerry Garcia passed away at Serenity Knolls Chemical Dependency Center of an apparent heart attack, after checking himself in for recovery from a long-time battle with heroin addiction. He died peacefully in his sleep. He was 53.

RIP Jerry



Jerry, my friend,
you've done it again,
even in your silence
the familiar pressure
comes to bear, demanding
I pull words from the air
with only this morning
and part of this afternoon
to compose an ode worthy
of one so particular
about every turn of phrase,
demanding it hit home
in a thousand ways
before making it his own,
and this I can't do alone.
Now that the singer is gone,
where shall I go for the song?

Without your melody and taste
to lend an attitude of grace
a lyric is an orphan thing,
a hive with neither honey's taste
nor power to truely sting.

What choice have I but to dare
and call your muse who thought to rest
out of thin blue air,
that out of the field of shared time
a line or two might chance to shine

As ever when we called,
in hope if not in words
the muse descends.

How should she desert us now?
Scars of battle on her brow,
Beraggled feathers on her wings,
and yet she sings, she sings!

May she bear thee to thy rest,
the ancient bower of flowers
beyond the solitude of days,
the tyrrany of hours-
the wreath of shining laurel
lie upon you shaggy head
bestowing power to play the lyre
to the legions of the dead.

If some part of that music
is heard in deepest dream,
or on some breeze of Summer
a snatch of golden theme,
we'll know you live inside us
with love that never parts
our good old Jack O' Diamonds
became the King of Hearts.

I feel your silent laughter
at sentiment so bold
that dare to step across the line
to tell what must be told,
so I'll just say I love you
which I never said before
and let it go at that old friend,
the rest you may ignore.

Robert Hunter 8/11/95

[ikojo]

1. What a depressing day it was

Miss ya Fat Man!

[ET Awful]

2. Yes it was, but some good came of it

A friend of mine and his ex-wife reunited on that day, their daughter Emily was conceived and they remain happily re-married as of the last time I spoke to him several months ago :).

You know what they say about clouds and silver linings and what-not.

[stlsaxman]

3. I had just gotten in the car from a tour of Sun Studio in Memphis...

when I heard on NPR that he had flown away...

always sorta liked his work (no deadhead by any measure) but have grown to see the genius there and miss him as a result.

This world would have been entirely different with out his presence.

[Rainbowreflect]

4. I've been thinking a lot about Jerry, shows I went to & the fun I had.

In some ways it seems like yesterday & in some ways it seem much longer than 10 years ago.
I miss you Jerry. :loveya:

[sniffa]

5. guvnuh wiLLiam weLd

Lowered the state's fLags to haLf mast.

:bounce:

[Gormy Cuss]

7. A better move than Bill's famous dive into the Charles

Thanks for the reminder. I forgot Weld was a Deadhead. I do remember that the manager of the Boston Garden heard about Jerry when he was at the city clerk's office, paperwork in hand for the permits for the September Dead shows, which were to be the last music shows before the place was torn down.

There were Deadhead debates whether the last encore of the last show in the old Garden would have been "Brokedown Palace" or "Samson and Delilah."

[KitchenWitch]

6. WWJD = What Would Jerry Do?