Grateful Dead Tattoos: December 2009

GD Tattoo #52 The Bear Came By and I Got On

The Bear Came By and I got on.
Thanks Tammy!

Tattoo artist: Jared - Tattootales, New Milford, CT

I really enjoyed seeing this tattoo tonight.

I was unable to find a New Years Day Other One to share with you, so here's one from my birthday in 1972. Very heavy on Phil in the mix, which is sort of a treat for Other One fans.

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1972-10-21.sbd.pset2.91505.flac16

"That's It For The Other One"

Words and music by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Bill Kreutzmann ("That's It For the Other One," composed and written by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Bill Kreutzmann.

(culled from Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics)

["Cryptical Envelopment"]

The other day they waited, the sky was dark and faded,
Solemnly they stated, "He has to die, you know he has to die."
All the children learnin', from books that they were burnin',
Every leaf was turnin', to watch him die, you know he had to die.

The summer sun looked down on him,
His mother could but frown on him,
And all the other sound on him,
He had to die, you know he had to die.

["Quodlibet for tenderfeet": Instrumental]

["The Faster We Go The Rounder We Get: aka part 2]

Spanish lady come to me, she lays on me this rose.
It rainbow spirals round and round,
It trembles and explodes
It left a smoking crater of my mind,
I like to blow away.
But the heat came round and busted me
For smilin on a cloudy day

[Chorus]

Comin', comin', comin' around, comin' around, comin' around in a circle
Comin', comin', comin' around, comin' around, in a circle,
Comin', comin', comin' around, comin' around, in a circle.

Escapin' through the lily fields
I came across an empty space
It trembled and exploded
Left a bus stop in its place
The bus came by and I got on
That's when it all began
There was cowboy Neal
At the wheel
Of a bus to never-ever land

[Chorus]

["We Leave the Castle"]

And when the day had ended, with rainbow colors blended,
Their minds remained unbended,
He had to die, oh, you know he had to die.

GD Tattoo #51 How to make your Day Job "Bearable"

Chris submitted this tattoo located on his left bicep. He says "every day I feel like I'm wearing a tie-dye shirt under my collar and tie." I can relate, as I'm sure many of us can.

Chris had the work done by Juan at Funhouse Tattoos In Vancouver BC.

Thanks Chris!

Many of you know the rumor, "Keep Your Day Job" was removed from rotation by request of the fans. This post is deadicated to all of you hard working heads.

Keep Your Day Job
Maybe you collect or maybe you pay (whether)
Still got to work that eight hour day
Whether you like that job or not
You'd better keep it on ice while you're lining up your long shot

Which is to say, hey hey, keep your day job
Don't give it away, keep your day job, whatever they say
Keep your day job 'till your night job pays.

Steady boys starting that eight day hour
Never underrate that paycheck power
By now you know that the face on your dollar
Got a thumb on its nose and a hand on your collar
With a chance to say, hey hey, keep your day job....

Daddy may drive a V-8 'Vette
Mama may bathe in champagne yet
God bless the child that's got his own stash
Nine to five and a place to crash
which is to say...
Sunday comes forget about work, Ring that bell for whatever it's worth.
If you ask me like I know you won't
I'll tell you what to do what I know that you won't.

Here's the last Day Job, interesting to note that it moves from an encore slot to close the first set for its final performance.

http://www.archive.org/details/gd86-04-04.BeyerM88s.connor.29580.sbeok.flacf

GD Tattoo #50 Dancing Skeleton

This Tattoo was submitted by John and was done by Albert from Lone Wolf in Bellmore, NY. Thanks John!

Why are the Skeletons Dancing? Find out here...

GD Tattoo #49 Side Stealie w Large Lighting Bolt

Right on! User submitted photo #2. Mike sent this in tonight. Damn, That's a lot of lightning!
Tattoo was done by Dan Wulff at Tattoo Faction in North Olmstead, OH.

You just gotta love a tattoo artist named 'Wolf".

Here's a Dire Wolf treat for you, definitely worth a full listen to the whole darned thing!

GD Tattoo #48 Reverse Melt Your Face

Our first unsolicited, reader submitted tattoo. Thanks Brian! This unique reverse melt your face was done by AJ from Totem Tattoo in Shamokin Dam, PA. Looks very nice.

Looking for a tattoo...

http://highvoltagetattoo.com/

I couldn't find any West LA Fadeaway tattoos, so check out Kat's site. Check out West LA Fadeaway at Alpine Valley 1989.

GD Tattoo #47 Blues For Allah Number One

Found Pic, I think it's by Ozzie Perez In Brooklyn. First of a few Blues For Allah

"Blues For Allah"
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing
Lyrics clipped from The Annotated Grateful Dead

Arabian wind
The Needle's Eye is thin
The Ships of State sail on mirage
but drown in sand
in No-Man's Land
where ALLAH does command

What good is spilling
blood? It will not
grow a thing

"TASTE ETERNITY"
the sword sings Blues for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH

They lie where they fall
There's nothing more to say
The desert stars are bright tonight,
let's meet as friends
The flower of Islam
The fruit of Abraham

The thousand stories have
come round to one again
Arabian Night
our gods pursue their fight
What fatal flowers of
darkness spring from
seeds of light

Bird of Paradise - Fly
In white sky
Blues for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH

Let's see with our heart
these things our eyes have seen
and know the truth will still lie
somewhere in between

Under eternity
Under eternity
Under eternity
Blue
Bird of Paradise
Fly
In white sky
Under eternity
Blues
for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH

And just because, here's a link to the archive listings for Blues For Allah. A few studio recordings in there.

GD Tattoo #46 Luke Walton - Because Bill is cool

{"bill walton smiling on a cloudy day" - keyword search result from google i saw today. Just had to share, one of my favorites!}

Found pic of Luke Walton, Los Angeles Laker Forward and son of Bill Walton - (you know him)! Yeah, the pic sucks for our purposes here, but He does have 4 dancing skeletons on his shoulder. Maybe someone out there knows Luke or Bill and can have them send a better picture.

GD Tattoo #45 Cosmic Charlie how do ya do?

Very nice found tattoo. Dancing Bear with nice detail. Found at BME.com

Cosmic Charlie how do you do? Truckin' in style along the avenue.
Dum de dum de doodley do. Go on home your mama's calling you.
Kalico, Kahlia, come tell me the news.
Calamity's waiting for a way to get to her.
Rosy red and electric blue I bought you a paddle for your paper canoe.

Say you'll come back when you can Whenever your airplane happens to land.
Maybe I'll be back here too It all depends on what's with you.
Hung up waiting for a windy day kite one ice since the first of February.
Mama keeps saying that the wind might blow ,
But standing here I say I just don't know.

New ones comin' as the old ones go,
Everything's moving here but much too slow now,
A little bit quicker and we might have time,
To say "How do you do?" before we're left behind.
Calliope wail like a seaside zoo. The very last Grape inquired about you,
It's really very one or two. The first you wanted, the last I knew.

I just wonder if you shouldn't feel,
Less concerned about the deep unreal.
The very first word is "How do you do?",
The last "Go home your mama's callin' you."

Calling you, calling you, calling you, calling you,
Go on home your mama's calling you.

Here's the first cosmic charlie - kind of raw, but done by Mickey and the Hartbeats