Greatest Story Ever Told

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Bob Weir, Mickey Hart

Originally based around a recording of a pump at Mickey Hart's ranch, which explains the title "Pump Song" on Mickey Hart's album Rolling Thunder. When it was first played by the Grateful Dead on 18 February 1971, Weir introduced it "Mickey wants to call this one 'The Pump Man', for reasons of his own". Robert Hunter titled it "Moses" but Weir changed that to "Greatest Story Ever Told".

Moses come riding up on a quasar (note 1)
His spurs was a-jingling, the door was ajar
His buckle was silver, his manner was bold (note 2)
I asked him to come on in out of the cold
His brain was boiling, his reason was spent
Nothing is borrowed, nothing is lent
I asked him for mercy, he gave me a gun
Now and again these things just got to be done

Abraham and Isaac sitting on a fence (note 3)
Get right to work if you have any sense
You know the one thing we need is a left-hand monkey wrench

Gideon come in with his eyes on the floor
Says, "you ain't got a hinge, you can't close the door"
Moses stood up a full six foot ten
Said "you can't close the door when the wall's caved in"
I asked him for water he poured me some wine (note 4)
We finished the bottle then broke into mine
You get what you come for, you're ready to go
And it's one in ten thousand done come for the show

Abraham and Isaac digging on a well (note 3)
Mama come quick with the water witch spell
Cool clear water where you can't never tell

"I didn't put that. I wrote "Moses came riding in on a guitar." Weir didn't want to sing that, and I exchanged "quasar" for "guitar" and he thought "oh, that's great." And subsequently I thought "whoa - wait!" It doesn't fit that song in any way. "Guitar" fits it - it's a wooden image, it has wood in it. You know, wood and metal. And there's fences and stuff like that. It fits the textures that are happening in the song. "Quasar" does not fit it - that comes from outer space."