Box of Rain

It occurred to me that while my blog's name has meaning to me, it probably does not to most other people.

Box of Rain is the name of a song by the Grateful Dead. Phil Lesh wrote the music when his father was dying of cancer. He presented a tape with the melody, chords, and phrasings, to Robert Hunter, who penned the lyrics. For a lot of deadheads (myself included), this song is one we come to in times of sadness. (As a side note, I am also a gospel fan, so this is far from the only song I come to in such times.)

There is an annotated version of the lyrics on David Dodd's Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics site. Also published on that page is an email exchange between Hunter and a fan in which the fan asks what he meant by the phrase "box of rain." Hunter's response was:

well, I don't like to do this, since it encourages others to ask about what I had in mind when I wrote a song, and mostly you'd need to have my mind to understand even approximately what I had in it. By "box of rain," I meant the world we live on, but "ball" of rain didn't have the right ring to my ear, so box it became, and I don't know who put it there.

So, the song is one I find to be of comfort; further, it has several specific lyrics that have seemed especially apt to me of late (see italicized lines below). And, ultimately, this blog provides a bit of a glimpse into the box of rain P and I live on. Hence the name.

Lyrics:

Look out of any window
any morning, any evening, any day

Maybe the sun is shining

birds are winging or

rain is falling from a heavy sky -

What do you want me to do,

to do for you to see you through?
this is all a dream we dreamed
one afternoon long ago

Walk out of any doorway

feel your way, feel your way

like the day before

Maybe you'll find direction

around some corner

where it's been waiting to meet you -

What do you want me to do,

to watch for you while you're sleeping?

Well please don't be surprised

when you find me dreaming too

Look into any eyes

you find by you, you can see

clear through to another day

I know it's been seen before

through other eyes on other days
while going home --

What do you want me to do,

to do for you to see you through?

It's all a dream we dreamed

one afternoon long ago

Walk into splintered sunlight

Inch your way through dead dreams

to another land
Maybe you're tired and broken

Your tongue is twisted

with words half spoken

and thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do

to do for you to see you through

A box of rain will ease the pain

and love will see you through

Just a box of rain -

wind and water -

Believe it if you need it,

if you don't just pass it on

Sun and shower -

Wind and rain -

in and out the window

like a moth before a flame

It's just a box of rain

I don't know who put it there

Believe it if you need it

or leave it if you dare

But it's just a box of rain
or a ribbon for your hair

Such a long long time to be gone
and a short time to be there