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Thoughts on the Popular Lyrics of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow

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Thoughts on the Popular Lyrics of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow Thoughts on the Popular Lyrics of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow Mark Nenadov Introduction The “uninitiated” may be forgiven for not having heard of Robert Hunter (b. 1941) or John Perry Barlow (b. 1947). And yet they are highly significant characters in American popular music of the 1960s and 1970s. Hunter and Barlow wrote the vast majority of the lyrics that The Grateful Dead (TGD) performed. Hunter and Brown might very well be among the best lyricists in post-WWII American popular music, a claim which will sadly not be substantiated in this informal paper. The focus here will be on the motif-driven aspect of the lyrics. A motif is a recurring element that has a symbolical significance. Here it is extended fairly broadly, covering entire classes of imagery grouped based on certain similarities. Every lyricist who produces a substantial body of work will undoubtedly fall back on certain motifs. For instance, if you listen to a lot of David Crosby songs and don‟t notice that there‟s something about him and seafaring, you are likely not paying attention. However, Hunter and Barlow take this to a new level, to the extent that we could say their lyrics are eminently motif-driven. This paper will very briefly explore this motif-driven aspect in their lyrics John Perry Barlow John Perry Barlow was connected to the band through Bob Weir, with whom he attended a prep school in Colorado in the early 1960s. He has made a bit of a name for himself in recent times with his Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, his role with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, and his position on the board of directors for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He also has a chapter in The Libertarian Reader and certainly has some libertarian tendencies, though it would be a mistake to regard him as some sort of doctrinaire libertarian. Barlow‟s life certainly captures a lot of the paradox and mystery surrounding TGD. After all, it‟s not every day that someone serves as a lyricist for a group like the Grateful Dead while working as a cattle rancher and serving as a campaign manager for Dick Cheney. What a long, strange trip, indeed. Robert Hunter Robert Hunter, born Robert Burns, was connected to the band through Jerry Garcia. When TGD was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Hunter was included as the only non-performing member. He wrote the majority of the Band‟s songs and continues to write and perform music. Hunter was there right from the early beginnings of TGD, as well as the early underlining movements which lead to the formation of its initial culture, he was even a volunteer at the early CIA- sponsored MKULTRA experiments along with the famed writer Ken Kesey. The first lyrics Hunter wrote for TGD were actually mailed in from Arizona. Hunter is certainly no slouch when it comes to literary matters, and besides producing poetry of his own, he has published translations of Rainer Maria Rilke‟s poetry. John Perry Barlow’s Motif-Driven Lyrics You can‟t walk very far within Barlow‟s songs without bumping into expansive themes of wonder and awe. In his song writing, he clearly shows himself to be a theology student---he studied theology at a Wesleyan university. There are considerable amounts of Biblical imagery in his writing (“His inheritance was mine…My father favored Esau, Who was eager to obey…Esau holds a blessing; Brother Esau bears a curse. I would say that the blame is mine But I suspect it‟s something worse”). Angels are very prominent (“Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light”). He frequently focuses on epistemic uncertainty and the concept of being a „stranger.‟ For instance, see Feel Like A Stranger or Shade of Grey. Barlow revels in the theatrics of the sky, the sun, the moon, thunder, and lightning. Fire and sight/blindness play a key role in his writing. His earth is very much a theater for action (“Picture a bright blue ball, just spinning, spinnin free, Dizzy with eternity. Paint it with a skin of sky, Brush in some clouds and sea, Call it home for you and me”). Robert Hunter’s Motif-Driven Lyrics Hunter‟s motifs are generally gritty—just like him. They are also subdued and subtle, less primal and more ordinarily human-centric than Barlow‟s writing. Even without any biographical details at hand, it is apparent that Hunter loves history, showing the exact sort of touches that one would expect form a student of history. One should not be surprised when specific years in the past are referenced. Hunter appears to be a keen observer of human behaviour, especially as it relates to the ups and downs of a simple and hard life (“Since it cost a lot to win and even more to lose You and me bound to spend some time wondering what to choose”). Within that general category, there is a focus on poverty and dejection (see Black Peter or Wharf Rat), card games/gambling (“Sitting plush with a royal flush Aces back to back”), working class people (“Gotta go down to the Cumberland Mine That‟s where I mainly spend my time”), and working the land (“Gone are the days when the ox fall down he‟d take up the yoke and plow the fields around”). When Hunter writes about natural settings, for instance birds (“wondering where the nuthatch winters”), the weather (“Maybe the sun is shining…or rain is falling from a heavy sky”), or rivers (“Black muddy river roll on forever”), his imagery tends to be a bit more glum and written from an obviously and consciously finite and limited perspective. There is none of the metaphysical awe that one finds in Barlow‟s writings. Hunter‟s natural setting is more a backdrop than a subject of wonder in and of itself. Conclusion Of course, some of the broad sketches above are generalizations which should not be taken too far. It should also be clear to the reader that this is not a comprehensive index of motifs. Nevertheless, this analysis gives an accurate primer on the motif-driven nature of the lyrics, as well as giving some illustrations to that effect. Hunter and Barlow are very different lyricists, but, as talented song writers, they shared a reliance on motifs. In writing for TGD, their songs fit together and provided a balance that could not have been present individually. Barlow and Hunter are the unsung heroes of TGD, perhaps even approaching the stature of bards. Their lyrics are truly popular lyrics—not in any sense high-brow—and yet they have their own sense of sophistication. The sheer length and depth of the 400+ page The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics by David Dodd certainly bears that out. .
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