Keep Rolling By

Lyrics: Traditional arr. Grateful Dead
Music: Traditional arr. Grateful Dead

A previously unknown song on "Birth Of The Dead" on the Rhino box set, from a 1966 concert recording. The notes say it is a traditional song arranged by the Grateful Dead. I wonder about this - it sounds to me very much more like the songs the Dead were writing at that time rather than a cover. For the version in the box set "30 Trips Around The Sun" the 'Chronology of Grateful Dead Compositions' ascribes it simply to "Grateful Dead" though the CD sleeve continues to ascribe it to "Trad. Arr. Garcia/McKernan/Weir/Lesh/Kreutzmann".

The title looks to be picked out from the Pigpen rap at the end.

[Garcia et al sing main verse, Pigpen response in italics]
Oh my darling tell me where I'm bound
(Yesterday was your day of rest)
Now I see too much racing around
(Yesterday you had to beat up your [missus])
I've been here too many times before
(I don't know, I would resist)
I've got to see the other side of your door
(I don't know, no, I've got a call for you)

Whoa-oh, can't you see I got a lot to learn
(I've got to know, no, no, now what's going on)
Oh I don't even have a torch to burn
(I've got to go, have I done you wrong)
Now I can't be found by the wailing wall
(You better stop girl, and take a look around)
Sometimes, you have got to be ten feet tall
(You better stop girl, and see what's going down)

[all together]
{Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday ...
{Summer, winter, spring and fall
{Tick, tick, tick, tick ...

Well I been in your neighbourhood for a long long time
(You say to me, now, that you know it all)
You breed confusion in that [you forge] my life
(You say to me that you know it all)
Years go by while I'm stranded in the cold
(Well you tell me girl, everything's all right)
And the songs I get to sing have all been told
(I find out now, well, late at night)

Well old man on the bus just won't let me ride (note a)
(Yesterday was your day of rest)
As he takes my dime and tells me how to die
(Yesterday now, now, now)
Here's my life, my love, set it up to [???]
(I don't know if you what you say is true)
[???] to say we're gonna really move
(I don't know, I got to, got to talk to you)

[all together]
{Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday ...
{Summer, winter, spring and fall
{Tick, tick, tick, tick ...

[Pigpen rap]
Time goes by, just a little bit, now
You gotta wait, you gotta wait until the time goes by, now
It doesn't matter what you do now
It's gonna keep on going on by
Going by
Going by now
Going by
Going by
Going by
Going by

Well you better
You may find you gotta wait awhile
But you can't wait because the time is right now
If you going to lose it now, you're gonna lose it forever
'Cause time keeps on by
Na, na, na

Whoa-oh it goes on by
Keep on rolling
Keep on rolling
Keep on rolling
Keep on rolling by
Keep on rolling by

Go show your [fingers]
Out your hands
Out your pockets
Out your [bed]
It's going on
Keep on going
Keep on going, babe
Now, now, now, now
Keep on going now
Keep on going by

Well you may want to stop it babe
And you can't turn it around
Well you may want to turn it up babe
But you sure can't turn it down
You gotta slow down a little bit girl
Keep on rolling by
Keep on rolling by
Keep on rolling by
Time keep on going by
Ain't a thing you can do now
Just keep on going with it
And just stay on top of it for a little while
For a little while
Just for a little while
Just for a little while

[Garcia et al]
{Summer, winter, spring and fall
{Tick, tick, tick, tick ...

[Pigpen]
Keep on going by

Time goes by
In the morning you want to go by
And in the evening you want to go by too
Everything's gonna be all right
All right
You know time goes by just a little bit away
Time goes by a little bit away
Some kind of [?] seems a long from all right
[?] well all right
All I want to know is
How you feel in the morning baby
Everything is gonna be all right
Oh come on