Black Muddy River

When the last rose of summer pricks my finger
And the hot sun chills me to the bone
When I can't hear the song for the singer
And I can't tell my pillow from a stone

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own

When the last bolt of sunshine hits the mountain
And the stars start to splatter in the sky
When the moon splits the southwest horizon
With the scream of an eagle on the fly

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And listen to the ripples as they moan
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own

Black muddy river
Roll on forever
I don't care how deep or wide
If you got another side
Roll muddy river
Roll muddy river
Black muddy river roll

When it seems like the night will last forever
And there's nothing left to do but count the years
When the strings of my heart start to sever
And stones fall from my eyes instead of tears

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And dream me a dream of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own
And sing me a song of my own

"Black Muddy River"
Musical details:
Key: A
Time signature: Cut time ("Moderately slow, in 2")
Chords used: A, E, Bm, D, Bm7, F#m
Songbook availability:
In The Dark
Anthology, vol. 2
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Recorded on In the Dark.
First live performance: December 15, 1986, at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.
This was the last song played by Jerry Garcia in front of an audience. He did it at the Grateful Dead's last show at Soldier's Field in Chicago on July 5, 1995. It was the first of two encores, the second being Box of Rain.
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