Who Do You Love?

Lyrics: Bo Diddley
Music: Bo Diddley

Pigpen sang a fragment of this a couple of times in Europe in 1972 as part of "Caution":

I walked forty seven miles of barbed wire
I got a cobra snake for a necktie
Got a brand house by the roadside
Made out of rattlesnake hide
Brand new chimney set on top
Made out of a human skull
[And so] woman, come on child
Tell me who do you love?

The only other time the Dead are known to have played this live was as part of a jam with members of the Jefferson Airplane in 1970. There is a tape of them rehearsing this in 1966, but no evidence they played it live then, though that probably just reflects the lack of tapes from that era.

The version rehearsed in 1966 has the fullest lyrics:

I walked forty seven miles of barbed wire
I got a cobra snake for a necktie
I got a brand new house on the roadside
Made out of rattlesnake hide
I got a brand new chimney built on top
Made out of a human skull
Now come on baby let's take a walk
And tell me who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

I rode a line into town
Use a rattlesnake whip
Come on into town
Don't give me no lip
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

The night was dark and the sky was blue
Down the alley the ice wagon flew
Hit a bump and I heard a scream
You should should have heard just what I seen
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

The full Bo Diddley version is similar to Pigpen's 1966 version with a couple of extra verses and a few small variations. I suspect he himself sometimes varied the lyrics, but the version I have is:

I walked forty seven miles of barbed wire
I use a cobra snake for a necktie
I got a brand new house on the roadside
Made from rattlesnake hide
I got a brand new chimney made on top
Made out of a human skull
Now come on take a little walk with me Eileen
And tell me who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Tombstone head and a graveyard mind
Just twenty two and I don't mind dyin'
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

I rode a line into town
Use a rattlesnake whip
Take it easy Eileen
Don't give me no lip
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

The night was dark and the sky was blue
Down the alley the ice wagon flew
Hit a bump and somebody screamed
You should should have heard just what I seen
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Eileen took me by the hand
She said ooh wee baby, you know I understand
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Grateful Dead Recordings
	14 Apr 1972		Europe '72 (note 1)

Notes
(1) included as a bonus track on remastered album, first released as part of the box set The Golden Road (1965-1973)

Bo Diddley's version is available on most collections of his work, and the song has been widely covered by others (QMS, The Band, Santana, Yardbirds, Doors, George Thorogood etc).

Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography