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Grateful Dead — Jack-A-Roe
Album: Fallout From The Phil Zone
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 559









Released: 1997
Length: 5:47
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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There was a wealthy merchant, in London he did dwell
He had a beautiful daughter, the truth to you I'll tell
Oh, the truth to you I'll tell

She had sweethearts aplenty, and men of high degree
But none but Jack the sailor, her true love there could be
Oh, her true love there could be

Jackie's gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind
He's left his native country, and his darling girl behind
Oh, his darling girl behind

She went down to a tailor's shop and dressed in mens' array
She climbed on board a vessel to convey herself away
Oh, to convey herself away.

Before you get on board, sir, your name we'd like to know
She smiled all in her countenance, "They call me Jack-A-Roe."
Oh, they call me Jack-A-Roe.

I see your waist is slender, your fingers they are small
Your cheeks too red and rosy to face the cannonball.
Oh, to face the cannonball.

I know my waist is slender, my fingers, they are small
But it would not make me tremble to see ten thousand fall
Oh, to see ten thousand fall.

The wars then being over, she went and looked around
Among the dead and wounded, her darling boy she found
Oh, her darling boy she found.

She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to the town
She sent for a physician who quickly healed his wounds
Oh, who quickly healed his wounds.

This couple, they got married, so well they did agree
This couple, they got married, so why don't you and me
Oh, so why don't you and me?
Comments (38)add comment
 FlatCat wrote:
Why do they play it in a key that's too high for him to sing? I've always found it painful to listen to him straining for the high notes throughout the song. 
 

There is a purpose in everything. 
Posted 4 years ago by Pjesnik    [ Reply ]
They been listening to J.J. Cale.
Posted 5 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
Miss him every day.
Posted 5 years ago by PhishSauce    [ Reply ]
I struggled a bit with the GD until I came to RP. Good jaaaab Bill, good jaaaab!  ;)
Posted 5 years ago by MattRudely    [ Reply ]
 hedgie wrote:

looks like salmon roe/Jerry...awesome!
 

Posted 5 years ago by hedgie    [ Reply ]
 boltonblue242 wrote:

 

Posted 5 years ago by hedgie    [ Reply ]
I love it, but each to his/her own.
Thats Jerry.
Nuff said. 
I hope you are well. 

zenhead wrote:
It's painful listening to him struggle to sing on key.
 
Posted 5 years ago by kazualk9    [ Reply ]
It's painful listening to him struggle to sing on key.
Posted 6 years ago by zenhead    [ Reply ]
 t00lur wrote:
That kind of music should be higher in rotation then FATM for example.
 
The Dead gets played about twice as often as Florence & her machine according to the RP artists' profiles, and that's not counting Jerry's other projects.
Posted 6 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]

Posted 6 years ago by boltonblue242    [ Reply ]
 Mugro wrote:
 This is a very strong version. I like it a lot. Jerry's voice and guitar playing are very good on this one. 

 
Agreed!
Posted 6 years ago by NickDanger    [ Reply ]
 This is a very strong version. I like it a lot. Jerry's voice and guitar playing are very good on this one. 
Posted 6 years ago by Mugro    [ Reply ]
Nice! 
Posted 6 years ago by meuks    [ Reply ]
 aspicer wrote:
Nice...not afraid of a dab of Dead once in a while on RP!

 
I agree totally.
Posted 7 years ago by viktorjuriga318    [ Reply ]
Nice...not afraid of a dab of Dead once in a while on RP!
Posted 7 years ago by aspicer    [ Reply ]
Wow, an actual Dead tune out of the blue!  Been listening to nothing but since the Dead & Co. show in Boulder June 9th.  Sweet!
Posted 7 years ago by buddy    [ Reply ]
Well, this stopped me in my tracks this afternoon!

Thanks for this.  I hadn't heard of this version, or the album for that matter.

Nice! 
Posted 7 years ago by grahamdillabough    [ Reply ]
Stuck at work but THIS made my day.  An unusual take with a more prominent contribution from PHIL.  No wonder it came from The Phil Zone. thanks
Posted 7 years ago by fotd    [ Reply ]
Why do they play it in a key that's too high for him to sing? I've always found it painful to listen to him straining for the high notes throughout the song. 
Posted 8 years ago by FlatCat    [ Reply ]
 idiot_wind wrote:


Real licorice has been known to have "therapeutic" benefit. The applies to this music.     

 
Goody.  I am that rare individual who LIKES licorice. 
Posted 8 years ago by LizK    [ Reply ]
 Webfoot wrote:
Today I'm finding this song "pretty good."  What's wrong with me?  Am I being converted??

 
If you are feeling adventurous, check out a highly rated show or 2 on Archive.org and see. Some of the concerts from the 1970s are really remarkable musical journeys with quite astounding soaring guitar excursions (the streaming from sound board recordings are very high quality). If you enjoy listening to musicians exploring and improvising within a semi-structured format, you just might get drawn in. Sure, their music took over fundamental sections of my mind years ago, but that doesn't mean that I lack the ability to discern the excellent from the good, mediocre, or very off performances. But the highs are really high.
Posted 9 years ago by bam23    [ Reply ]
 DaidyBoy wrote:
Licorice.  An acquired taste, from the look of it.  It is winning me over.

 

Real licorice has been known to have "therapeutic" benefit. The applies to this music.     
Posted 9 years ago by idiot_wind    [ Reply ]
Today I'm finding this song "pretty good."  What's wrong with me?  Am I being converted??
Posted 9 years ago by Webfoot    [ Reply ]
Licorice.  An acquired taste, from the look of it.  It is winning me over.
Posted 9 years ago by DaidyBoy    [ Reply ]
Love it.
Posted 9 years ago by Bobert_ParkCity    [ Reply ]
Nice, nice, nice. 

Great song for dancing.

You all remember, dancing, don't ya?  
Posted 9 years ago by idiot_wind    [ Reply ]
 westslope wrote:
I find most of the GD music to be boring, or simply plain.  Given the cult-like status, what am I missing?  

 

“We're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.”


― Jerry Garcia


Posted 9 years ago by Red_Dragon    [ Reply ]
Thanks for playing such an awesome song!!!!!  Great version, has nice swing to it.
Posted 9 years ago by SurfDoc    [ Reply ]
Jack a Roe live!
Made my morning.
thank you 
Posted 10 years ago by fotd    [ Reply ]
 Leslie wrote:
A much slower tempo than usual. I like it! This is a REALLY old song which dates back to the 1920's or 30's I think.
 
Versions of it go back to 1830, at least according to Wiki.
Posted 10 years ago by gatorade    [ Reply ]
Fabulous! Twirlin' in the kitchen!  {#Jump}
Posted 10 years ago by gatorade    [ Reply ]
Just missed hearing this song{#Doh}   More live Dead please Bill!{#Dance}
Posted 10 years ago by markg063    [ Reply ]
I find most of the GD music to be boring, or simply plain.  Given the cult-like status, what am I missing?  
Posted 10 years ago by westslope    [ Reply ]
Great to hear this! I think it is the first time I have heard live Grateful Dead on RP (long, long time listener).


 Thanks!!!!
Posted 10 years ago by meuks    [ Reply ]
That kind of music should be higher in rotation then FATM for example.
Posted 10 years ago by t00lur    [ Reply ]
Is it great, great, great rock 'n roll?  No.  But I love the fact that there is a span of TWELVE years between the last two comments here.  Speaks a little to the timelessness of the piece...
Posted 10 years ago by Ballzak    [ Reply ]
Love the tone of Jerry's guitar on this one. BTW, "Jack-A-Roe" is mostly likely an English folk song that emigrated to the Appalachians many years ago. Wiki sez the earliest published version, though, is 1917.
Posted 10 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
A much slower tempo than usual. I like it! This is a REALLY old song which dates back to the 1920\'s or 30\'s I think.
Posted 22 years ago by Leslie    [ Reply ]