Blues Image – Ride Captain Ride

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  General Comment:agree with mrmikeob - jerry's birthday was this week and this song is about him. it has one of the most curious lyrics: "As a storm was blowin' out on the peaceful sea" I think it is a reference to Bertha - "dressed myself in green, I went down unto the sea" The Dead (storm blowin') were testing God (peaceful sea) and wanted others to join them on the trip.
  

  Flag lightningkeyson August 03, 2011   Link

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    Mr. Keys: I actually bought the LP, "Open" because of this song. Had a couple decent tunes, esp an instrumental called "Fugue You" ;-] that led right into a cover of the old blues standard "Parchman Farm," but nothing near as good as this one-hit classic

    Flag mrmikeobon November 07, 2011  
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  Song Meaning:I always thought it was about Jerry Garcia, aka Capt Trips, ergo references to SF, and lyrics in the chorus ("upon your mystery ship, be amazed at the friends you're having on your trip," "on your way to a world that others might have missed"); also line in verse: "we're callin' everyone to ride along/to another shore/we can laugh our lives away/and be free once more" - all of it could certainly be about LSD experience. Not sure how lyrics can apply to Pueblo situation?
  
  I might be wrong, just my 2 cents

  Flag mrmikeobon July 23, 2011   Link

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  Song Meaning:There were seventy-three keys on Mike Pinera's Rhodes (electric) piano.

  Flag georgewehrwellon March 01, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:HarleyRider is correct.seventy three keys on the piano.refer to wikipedia.google for the meaning of any song.Twas brilley the slivey cove.

  Flag ohmson February 14, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:The whole "too busy watchin' those old raindrops fall" part references BJ Thomas' version of Burt Bacharach's song "Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head," another single from 1970.

  Flag ferret111on January 19, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I though it was about big gay al's big gay boatride

  Flag dougquaidon September 06, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:The song was inspired by the number of keys on Pinera's Rhodes piano:
  So I say, "Okay, I need a first word." And what came into my head was 73. I liked the rhythm, and I went, "73 men sailed in, from the San Francisco Bay." ... The song sort of just wrote itself from there.[1]
  —Mike Pinera

  Flag HarleyRideron September 03, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:PS: The US Pueblo had a crew of 83 men (one was killed in the incident). This song references 73 men.
  
  So I'm none the wiser about this song's meaning. I'ts really bugging me cause it's such a great sounding tune.
  
  Please Mr Mike Panera could you explain..........

  Flag chrisb1on July 13, 2008   Link

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    Although threre were 83 men aboard the U.S.S. Pueblo I beleive that there were 73 military and 10 civilian crewmwmbers

    Flag twinpjbon November 13, 2009  
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  General Comment:I was thinking the song was set in the 1800's in the gold rush or earlier era..... no particular reason for that line of thought.
  
  However the above explanation is plausible as the song was written about 1968-1969 ie. immediatekly after the event described.

  Flag chrisb1on July 13, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:I believe this song is about the USS Pueblo. This was an American Navy ship manned by communications technicians with secret equipment. the ship was stationed very near the coast of North Korea in 1968 and was monitoring communications from the North Korean military. The captain of the ship Lloyd Bucher was not a communications technician and he war odered to a certain location and when the ship was attacked by the North Koreans he and his crew were abandoned by the U S Navy. They were held as POWs for almost a year.

  Flag yarluapon July 10, 2007   Link

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