Showboat

Lyrics: Brian Godchaux
Music: Keith & Donna Godchaux

Played by the Keith & Donna Band with Jerry Garcia, and rehearsed by the Grateful Dead, though never played live. Thanks to Brian Godchaux for the lyrics.

Well look what's going down the river now
Big steam whistle gonna blow, man, blow
Look what's going down the river now
Let the wheels stop turning, let the anchors go

Show boat, pretty boat, stop a while
Make a little music for the baby to smile
Show boat, slow boat, you and me
Gonna sail on down to the shiny sea

They go down the fields to the sandy shore
Lay down the plough, leave the milk in the cow
They go down from the fields to the sandy shore
Just to look at what's going down the river now

Master's in the cabin with his head hung low
The tide's been a-turning but the boat won't go
Hit rock bottom, left high and dry
Down in the delta where the river runs high

There's a church on my hill, got a brand new choir
Got a big bell tower and it's burnin' hot fire
The graveyard's empty and the book's been closed
Don't pass the plate, just put down the rose

Down in the pasture, there's a golden cow
She don't give no milk 'cause she don't know how
Grab that heifer by the end of the tail
Then you get out the buckets and bail, bail, bail

The baby's in the cradle rockin' to and fro
Gonna get out the valley so the shadow don't grow
And if that brand new choir don't sing
I'm gonna get that baby a bell to ring

I got a feelin' deep down in my soul
The baby's awake and the bell's gonna toll
And I got a love deep down in my soul
Move out of the way and let the river boat roll