Lyrics: Robert Hunter, (David Crosby)
Music: David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Brian Lesh
Robert Hunter wrote these lyrics to complete what was little more than
the refrain "Gonna let the mountain be my home", developed by Jerry Garcia and David Crosby as part of the
PERRO sessions in 1971.
In his book of lyrics "Box of Rain", Hunter says:
"See notes to Cortical Five. The same situation applies, except the words were written more recently when David Crosby reminded me of this all but forgotten tune he and Garcia worked out around 1970. Crosby's title, sung as a round, constituted the original lyric."The notes to Cortical Five are:
"This piece was written in 1970, to music by Garcia, for an album which never materialized, to be titled Planer Earth Rock & Roll Orchestra--bankrolled by David Crosby--to include Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jerry, David Freiberg, and American Beauty engineer Steve Barncard. They'd just completed Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name album and were having such a good time they wanted to keep recording. The project evaporated under the pressures of the day, but the impetus set the ball rolling for a metamorphosis into Kantner's counter culture classic Blows Against The Empire."For the lyrics from the PERRO sessions, and a different version, completed by Paul Kantner, see The Mountain Song
Built a fortress on a hillFurthur introduced a version in 2010. Brian Lesh explained the origins:
I built a castle in the sky
I built a lean-to in the village down below
A fountain where the land was dead and dry
I built a palace overlooking seven seas
I built a church upon a stone
Gonna let my pleasant pastures go to seed
And let the mountain be my home
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna free my fed up soul to roam
Gonna make the mountain be my home
A monument of marble raised
Against the day I die
And on the capstone just one word
And that one word was "why?"
I rolled away from there half-crazed
I won't go back again
You can have that marble tomb
If that's your taste my friend
Gonna leave my dusty bones
By the path on which they fall
Halfway up some mountain trail
Where the timberline stands tall
Had my fill of history
It's all a murder mystery
Solve it if you care to
Or let it flood on by
Come up where the air is clean and high
A broken-hearted lover seeking for peace
I lay my head upon a stone
The prison down below don't offer no release
I'll let the mountain be my home
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna free my fed up soul to roam
Gonna make the mountain be my home
I heard the golden eagle's
Disappearing cry
Wings of beaten lightning flashed
From skies beyond the sky
God writes testament in stars
Believe no words you read
Until you see what action
Has been mothered by the deed
The mountain makes no promises
A thing I understand
Rather look down from the height
Than up here from the land
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna free my fed up soul to roam
Gonna make the mountain be my home
"It was that same tradition that created the song that Furthur plays, "The Mountain Song". After hearing Blue Light River's song, my mom, Jill, did some research and found lyrics written by Robert Hunter that were meant to be added to David's original composition. Seeing the potential, she brought them to my dad, Phil, and me, and together we came up with a third incarnation of the song. Using David's chorus, my arrangement and music for the verses and Hunter's lyrics, we built a new song that pays homage to and builds upon my song, which in turn was built upon the original."The Furthur version is a slightly truncated version of Hunter's lyrics, with an introductory verse (not in the Hunter lyrics) which features separately in the PERRO sessions as "Walkin' in the Mountain", apparently with words and music by David Crosby:
I went walking out last summerBrian Lesh has played a version with Phil Lesh & Friends that has his original lyrics for the Blue Light River version:
Trying to find a breath of air
I went walking on the mountain
A friend had told me I'd find you there
Built a fortress on a hill
I built a castle in the sky
I built a lean-to in the village down below
A fountain where the land was dead and dry
I built a palace overlooking seven seas
I built a church upon a stone
Gonna let my pleasant pastures go to seed
Gonna let the mountain be my home
Gonna make the mountains be my home
('Cause the sky above me is gold)
Gonna make the mountains be my home
(The river is dark)
Gonna free my soul to roam
(The river is dark, down to the sea)
Gonna make the mountains be my home
('Cause the sky above is gold)
A monument of marble raised
Against the day I die
And on the capstone just one word
And that one word was "why?"
Gonna leave my dusty bones
By the path on which they fall
Halfway up some mountain trail
Where the timberline stands tall
Gonna let the mountains be my home
(I'm going to move)
Gonna let the mountains be my home
(I want to breathe)
Gonna free my soul to roam
(I'm going to move on)
Gonna make the mountains be my home
(I think I put on my saddle and ride)
I heard the golden eagle's
Disappearing cry
Wings of beaten lightning flashed
From skies beyond the sky
God writes testament in stars
Believe no words you read
Until you see what action
Has been mothered by the deed
The mountain makes no promises
A thing I understand
Rather look down from the height
Than up here from the land
Gonna let the mountains be my home
(Such a long time)
Gonna let the mountains be my home
(I want to breathe)
Gonna free my soul to roam
(I'm gonna move mountains)
Gonna make the mountains be my home
(I'm gonna move)
Gonna make the mountains be my home
Just got to breathe
Just got to breathe
Just got to breathe
Just got to breathe
It's a lonely night in the town of princes
And it's a lonely night in the city of kings
'Cause all these kings and all these princes
Ain't got no one to talk to
And their diamond rings
[chorus]
It's a lonely night, here in this city
'Cause no one seems to be around
And all those people
With silver bracelets control
All the whiskey in this towm
[chorus]
Those people who don't understand me
There's nothing to understand
'Cause I found me my whiskey
So go away, I'll put it in the dam
[chorus]