"It's an obsession but it's pleasin'..."

The Annotated "Lazy Lightnin'"/"Supplication"

An installment in The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics.
By David Dodd
Library, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (The opinions expressed are those of the author, not of the University of Colorado.) Copyright notice; © 1995,1996, David Dodd
"Lazy Lightnin'"/"Supplication"
Words by John Perry Barlow; music by Bob Weir
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission

Lyrics omitted. The annotations below are reproduced by permission of David Dodd; the song lyrics themselves are copyrighted and are not reproduced here. Read them at the official source: dead.net/songs.

"Lazy Lightnin'"

 Written in Mill Valley, California, October, 1975.

Recorded on

First performance: June 3, 1976, at the Paramount Theater, Portlant, Oregon. "Lazy Lightnin'"/"Supplication" appeared in the first set, following "They Love Each Other" and preceding "Candyman". Other firsts in the show:

"Lazy Lightnin'"/"Supplication" was played fairly often through the early 80's, but was dropped from the repertoire in 1984. They were always played as a pair.

The song is in a seven meter, like "Estimated Prophet." This being Weir's 49th birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to add the song, as 7 x 7 is 49. Happy birthday, Bob!

lightnin'

A frequent motif in Grateful Dead lyrics. It's interesting that that other thunder and lightning song, "The Wheel," also appeared for the first time in a Grateful Dead show at the 6/3/76 concert.

reason

Always an interesting topic in Grateful Dead songs, from "Dark Star" to "Playing in the Band".

supplication

This note from a reader:
Subject: Supplication
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 09:29:31 +0059 (EDT)
From: rob@birdie.nodc.noaa.gov

David,
got the following reference from this link: http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/data/1191.html#supplication

Maybe you'd find it intersting, maybe not.

-Rob.

The First Hypertext Edition of
The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

THE DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE BY E. COBHAM BREWER
FROM THE NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION OF 1894

Supplication This word has greatly changed its original meaning. The Romans used it for a thanksgiving after a signal victory (Livy, iii. 63). (``His rebus gestis, supplicatio a senatu decreta est'' [Caesar: Bell. Gall., ii.].) The word means the act of folding the knees (sub-plico ). We now use the word for begging or entreating something.

Keywords: @lightning, @thunder, @reason
DeadBase code: [LAZY], [SUPP]
First posted: October 16, 1996 (Bob Weir's 49th birthday!)
Last revised: May 16, 1997