GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Episode: American Beauty 50, Episode 8: Till The Morning Comes / To Lay Me Down
Date: November 26, 2020
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Special Guest: Donna Jean Godchaux McKay

Episode Overview

This episode of the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast dives deep into two emotionally distinct songs associated with American Beauty: the upbeat “Till The Morning Comes” (track eight from the album) and the hauntingly beautiful outtake “To Lay Me Down.” The podcast explores their creation, rare live performances, studio insights, and the emotional context of that era. A highlight is Donna Jean Godchaux McKay’s moving account of her first Grateful Dead concert, giving listeners both a musical and personal view of this historic period.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Album’s Outliers: “Till The Morning Comes” & “To Lay Me Down”

• Unique Album Cuts
  • Both songs stand out: “Till The Morning Comes” is a burst of optimism among somber tracks, while “To Lay Me Down” is revered as a poignant ballad that didn’t make the main album but became a beloved staple in other contexts.
  • “Till The Morning Comes” was not a common presence in live Dead sets—only a handful of documented performances.
    • Stephen Malkmus: "[Some Dead songs] you never really hear… and those songs began to have an appeal as these… B sides you get a kick out of because they were just a little strange and they’re almost like one-offs." (04:00)
  • “To Lay Me Down,” though not on the official album, has resonated with fans and musicians over decades, frequently popping up in acoustic sets and solo endeavors by Jerry Garcia.

Arranging “Till The Morning Comes”: Studio Stories

• Songwriting & Arrangement Process
  • Early arrangements developed in the studio, with the band openly working out kinks, intros, and outros.
    • Narrator: “Just like at live shows, the band used the studio to fine tune arrangements, write new intros, and work out endings. All part of a never-ending process and flow of music making.” (07:34)
  • Stephen Barncard (engineer): Detailed the meticulous process for recording stacked vocals and capturing Phil Lesh’s unique bass tones, noting the dead’s preparation and skill.
    • “We started with the track, we did all the vocals separately… they were as easy to work with as Crosby, Stills and Nash doing three part stuff.” (11:17)
• Production Choices
  • Absence of notorious Dead sound men (“Bear” Owsley and Dan Healy) and how it shaped the session’s vibe (12:10).
  • Mickey Hart (drummer) contributed glockenspiel, but wasn’t central to most American Beauty tracks.

Thematic and Lyric Critique

• Reception of the Lyrics

  • “Till The Morning Comes” is sometimes considered awkward or dated lyrically, particularly a line described as “sexist” by lyricist Robert Hunter himself.
    • Narrator: “In his online journal, Robert Hunter… admitted: ‘On the other hand, Till The Morning Comes is sexist, though no one ever seemed to notice it but me.’” (13:19)

• Musical Placement & Legacy

  • The hosts and guests analyze why “Till The Morning Comes” was never fully embraced as a live Dead staple:
    • Its tightly-packed arrangement, lack of a jam or solo section, and “specific-to-its-era” lyrics possibly contributed to its brief lifespan in the repertoire.
    • Gary Lambert: “It had some nice little tricky changes… but it didn’t really seem that organic. And maybe they just didn’t think it had enough substance to stand as a song.” (32:54)

Historic Context: October 4, 1970, at Winterland

• A Legendary Night
  • The Dead performed at Winterland alongside Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and New Riders of the Purple Sage, in a show notable for one of the first quadraphonic broadcasts.
    • Bob Weir: “You have quadraphonic sound… This is the first quadraphonic broadcast from Winterland.” (17:06)
  • The event was tinged with emotional intensity—both Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh had recently lost parents, and news of Janis Joplin’s death shocked the audience mid-concert.
    • Donna Jean Godchaux McKay (as interviewer): “I understand Janis Joplin has just been found dead in Hollywood. Wow.” (20:56)

Guest Highlight: Donna Jean Godchaux McKay’s First Dead Show

• Donna Jean’s Origin Story
  • Shares her journey from Alabama to California, her skepticism (and eventual awe) of the Dead’s reputation and music upon her arrival.
    • Donna Jean: “I said, ‘These guys don’t know how to play music… you have to be on drugs to listen to this music and think that it’s good.’” (26:00)
  • Her transformative experience at her first show—a “super magical night”—left her “absolutely blown away.”
    • “I kept saying to myself, ‘How do they do that? How do they do that?’ …I said, ‘When I sing again, it’s going to be with that band.’” (29:21)
  • This moment connected her both with the Dead (and eventually Keith Godchaux), entwining love and music in her life’s narrative.

“To Lay Me Down”: Hunter’s and Garcia’s Magic

• Song Genesis & Poetic Roots

  • Narrator shares Hunter’s inspiration for the song during a luminous afternoon in Hampstead Heath, England, and recounts how quickly Garcia set it to music.
    • The lyrics evoke a pastoral, dreamy sadness—“The images for To Lay Me Down were inspired at Hampstead Heath…the day before lying on the grass and clover on a day of swallow-tailed clouds.” (39:22)
  • The podcast explores its path from demo (piano-led by Jerry) to brief acoustic set mainstay and eventual inclusion in Garcia’s solo canon and heartfelt Dead performances.

• Musicianship & Enduring Appeal

  • Musicians like Billy Strings reflect on the song’s emotional power and presence in live sets.
    • Billy Strings: “It’s so slow and so whispery and soft the way that Jerry would sing it… such magic that they had as songwriters… totally timeless stuff.” (47:16)

• Performance History

  • Traces its journey: briefly in 1970, shelved, revived in 1973/74, disappearing again, and later returning for the Dead’s 1980 acoustic run and regular appearances in Garcia’s sets.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Studio Approach & Song Challenges

  • Stephen Barncard (engineer): “Once we did that session… I’d won the respect, and that gave me great power to be able to… micro tune it so it would do the phasing thing… It was so much fun and so easy to do this record.” (11:47)
  • Gary Lambert (on “Till The Morning Comes”): “It seemed like a song that was never going to open up into anything else. …Maybe they just didn’t think it had enough substance just to stand as a song.” (32:54)
  • Bob Weir (on guitars): “For acoustic guitar, I had a big Guild F50… recorded real well… It had good balance. And Steve (Barncard) was real good with his mic selection and placement.” (14:32)

• On Live Experience & Life Change

  • Donna Jean Godchaux McKay: “I was absolutely blown away by what the Grateful Dead did… when I sing again, it’s going to be with that band.” (29:21)
  • Billy Strings (on “To Lay Me Down” in Dead Ahead): “They end that song and then they go into fucking To Lay Me Down… so soft and sensitive… That magic that they had as songwriters… timeless.” (47:16)

• On Song Legacy

  • David Lemieux: “To me, it’s hard for me to visualize [To Lay Me Down] on [American Beauty] only because it’s such a perfect album as it is. …Likewise, Jerry’s first solo record is so perfect as it is.” (43:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Studio Development and Arrangement of “Till the Morning Comes”: 06:00–13:00
• Discussion of Problematic Lyric & Live Reception: 13:00–16:00; 32:20–33:40
• Winterland October 4, 1970—Historic Context & Donna Jean’s Story:
  • Quadraphonic Concert Atmosphere: 17:06–19:30
  • Janis Joplin’s Passing Announced: 20:56
  • Donna Jean’s First Impressions & Deadhead Origin Story: 23:03–31:30
• “To Lay Me Down”—Hunter’s Inspiration and Song’s Arc: 39:14–46:00
• Musicians and Fans on “To Lay Me Down” (Billy Strings, David Lemieux): 46:32–51:00

Additional Notes

• The episode provides a rich behind-the-scenes look at American Beauty, contextualizing even its lesser-known songs as vital to the Dead’s larger narrative.
• Donna Jean’s vivid storytelling is a highlight, marrying the mythos of the band with real-life transformation.
• The detailed discussion of studio techniques, instrumental choices, and the band’s creative flexibility is particularly engrossing for music fans.
• “To Lay Me Down” emerges as a central emotional touchstone, signifying personal loss and gentle hope—qualities that continue to bind Deadheads and new listeners alike.

Summary prepared for those committed and curious alike—suitable for anyone seeking the full story behind “Till The Morning Comes” and “To Lay Me Down.”