Looks Like Rain

Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir

Played regularly by the Grateful Dead and more recently by Bob Weir with Rob Wasserman and with Ratdog

I woke today, and felt your side of bed
The covers were still warm where you'd been layin'
You were gone, my heart was filled with dread
You might not be sleeping here again

It's all right, 'cause I love you
And that's not gonna change
Run me round, make me hurt again and again
But I'll still sing you love songs
Written in the letters of your name
And brave the storm to come
For it surely looks like rain

Did you ever waken to the sound of street cats making love
And guess from their cries you were listening to a fight
Well you know, hate's just the last thing they're thinking of
They're only trying to make it through the night

I only want to hold you, I don't want to tie you down
Or fence you in the lines I might have drawn
It's just that I have gotten used to having you around
My landscape would be empty if you were gone

It's all right, 'cause I love you
And that's not gonna change
Run me round, make me hurt again and again
But I'll still sing you love songs
Written in the letters of your name
And brave the storm to come
For it surely looks like rain
Bob Weir inevitably ended the song with an ad lib extension. This is what he sang on "Ace":
Whoa, looks like rain
Turning grey and it surely looks like rain
Whoa, surely looks like rain
Oh, looks like rain
Whole world turning grey and it looks like rain
Oh, looks like rain
Oh, here comes the rain
Turning grey and it looks like rain
Grateful Dead Recordings
     Date Album
     28 Mar 1972 Dick's Picks Vol 30
      8 Apr 1972 Europe '72 (note 2)
     26 Feb 1973 Dick's Picks Vol 28
     19 Oct 1973 Dick's Picks Vol 19
     10 Nov 1973 Winterland 1973 - The Complete Recordings
     18 Jun 1976 Download Series Vol 4
      9 Oct 1976 Dick's Picks Vol 33
     31 Dec 1976 Live At The Cow Palace
     30 Apr 1977 Download Series Vol 1
     19 May 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 29
      3 Sep 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 15
      5 Nov 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 34
     29 Dec 1977 Dick's Picks Vol 10
      3 Feb 1978 Dick's Picks Vol 18
     11 May 1978 Dick's Picks Vol 25
     26 Dec 1979 Dick's Picks Vol 5
     16 May 1980 Go To Nassau
      6 May 1981 Dick's Picks Vol 13
     24 Jul 1987 View From The Vault IV (DVD & CD soundtrack)
      4 Jul 1989 Truckin' Up To Buffalo (DVD & CD soundtrack)
     28 Mar 1990 Without A Net
     16 Sep 1990 Dick's Picks Vol 9

Recordings from dead.net Tapers Section
 
Bob Weir Recordings
     Date Album Recorded By
     studio 1972 Ace Bob Weir (note 1)
      fall 1988 Weir/Wasserman Live Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman

"The Dead" Concert Recordings

Ratdog Live CD Series

Notes
(1) also on the compilation Weir Here: The Best Of Bob Weir
(2) included as a bonus track on remastered album, first released as part of the box set The Golden Road (1965-1973)


Futher Information
For an online discussion of the lyrics to this song see the deadsongs.vue conference on The Well.
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For information on references in the lyrics see David Dodd's Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics
For online chords and TAB see www.rukind.com
For sheet music, see:
          Grateful Dead Anthology Volume 2 (piano arrangement)
          Without A Net Songbook (piano arrangement)

 


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