Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir
Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning freeNotes
Dizzy with eternity
Paint it with a skin of sky, brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me
A peaceful place, or so it looks from space
A closer look reveals the human race
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human race
But afraid we may lay our home to waste
There's a fear down here we can't forget
Hasn't got a name just yet
Always awake, always around
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
Now watch as the ball revolves and the night-time falls (note 1)
And again the hunt begins and again the blood wind calls (note 2)
By and by, again, the morning sun will rise
But the darkness never goes from some men's eyes
(Well I know)
It strolls the sidewalk and it rolls the streets
Staking turf, dividing up meat
Nightmare spook, piece of heat
It's you and me, you and me
Click flash blade in ghetto night
Rudy's looking for a fight
Rat cat alley, roll them bones
Need that cash to feed that Jones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
Commissars and pinstripe bosses roll the dice
Anyway they fall, guess who gets to pay the price? (note 3)
Money green, or proletarian gray (note 4)
Selling guns instead of food today (note 5)
So the kids they dance and shake their bones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit's sleeping then the flesh is ink
History's page will be neatly carved in stone
The future's here, we are it, we are on our own
On our own, on our own, we are on our own
If the game is lost, then we're all the same
No one left to place or take the blame
We will leave this place an empty stone
Or that shining ball of blue we call our home
So the kids, they dance, they shake their bones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
Shipping powders back and forth
Singing black goes south and white comes north (note 6)
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing I got mine and you got yours
While the current fashions set the pace
Lose your step, fall out of grace
The radical, he rant and rage
Singing someone got to turn the page
And the rich man in his summer home
Singing just leave well enough alone
But his pants are down, his cover's blown
And the politicians throwing stones
So the kids, they dance, they shake their bones
'Cause it's all too clear we're on our own
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
It's dizzying, the possibilities
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
[Ashes, ashes, all fall down]
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
[Ashes, ashes, all fall down]
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
[Ashes, ashes, all fall down]
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
[Ashes, ashes, all fall down]
[etc]
Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | ||||
20 Sep 1982 | In And Out Of The Garden | ||||
21 Sep 1982 | In And Out Of The Garden | ||||
26 Apr 1983 | Dave's Picks Volume 39 | ||||
2 Sep 1983 | Dave's Picks Volume 27 | ||||
11 Oct 1983 | In And Out Of The Garden | ||||
28 Apr 1985 | Dave's Picks Vol 49 | ||||
studio 1987 | In The Dark (note 10) | ||||
1987 | So Far (video only) | ||||
4 Jul 1987 | In The Dark (note 7) | ||||
12 Jun 1987 | Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set | ||||
26 Jul 1987 | View From The Vault IV (DVD & CD soundtrack) (note 8) | ||||
31 Dec 1987 | Ticket To New Year's (video/DVD only) | ||||
1 Apr 1988 | Road Trips Volume 4, Number 2 | ||||
9 Jul 1989 | Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set | ||||
13 Jul 1989 | RFK Stadium 1989 Box | ||||
9 Oct 1989 | Warlocks Box | ||||
15 Mar 1990 | Terrapin Station (Limited Edition) | ||||
21 Mar 1990 | Spring 1990 (The Other One) | ||||
29 Mar 1990 | Wake Up To Find Out (note 9) | ||||
3 Apr 1990 | Spring 1990 (The Other One) | ||||
8 Jul 1990 | View From The Vault (video/DVD & CD soundtrack) | ||||
20 Sep 1990 | Road Trips Number 2, Volume 1 | ||||
27 Oct 1990 | 30 Trips Around The Sun | ||||
25 Mar 1991 | 30 Days Of The Dead (2018) (note 11) | ||||
16 Jun 1991 | Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set | ||||
20 Jun 1991 | Download Series Vol 11 | ||||
25 Sep 1991 | Dick's Picks Vol 17 | ||||
17 Dec 1992 | Dick's Picks Vol 27 | ||||
5 Jul 2015 | Fare Thee Well (CD and DVD) | ||||
Bob Weir Recordings Recordings | |||||
fall 1988 | Weir/Wasserman: Live | Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman | |||
5 Sep 1989 | Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound | Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman | |||
Other Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | Recorded By | |||
2003 | Thunder And Lightnin' | Dark Star Orchestra | |||
2008 | 30 Years | Jake's Leg | |||
2013 | Yoga Tribute To Grateful Dead Vol 2 | Yoga Pop Ups | |||
2015 | Songs Of Their Own | West End Blend |