Sugar Magnolia blossom's blooming
Head's all empty and I don't care
Saw my baby down by the river
Knew she'd have to come up soon for air

Sweet blossom come on under the willow
We can have high times if you'll abide
We can discover the wonders of nature
Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside

She's got everything delightful
She's got everything I need
Takes the wheel when I'm seeing double
Pays my ticket when I speed

She come skimming through rays of violet
She can wade in a drop of dew
She don't come and I don't follow
Waits backstage while I sing to you

She can dance a Cajun rhythm
Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive
She's a summer love in the spring, fall and winter
She can make happy any man alive

Sugar magnolia
Ringin' that blue bell
Caught up in sunlight
Come on out singing
I'll walk you in the sunshine
Come on honey, come along with me

She's got everything delightful
She's got everything I need
A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight
Crazy in the sunlight yes indeed

Sometimes when the cuckoo's crying
When the moon is halfway down
Sometimes when the night is dying
I take me out and I wander round
I wander round

Sunshine daydream
Walking through the tall trees
Going where the wind goes
Blooming like a red rose
Breathing more freely
Light out singing
I'll walk you in the morning sunshine
Sunshine daydream
Walk you in the sunshine



Lyrics submitted by itsmyownmind

Track duration: 03:17

"Next Time You See Me" as written by Earl Forest, William G. Harvey

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Sugar Magnolia song meanings
Add your thoughts

45 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:Magnolia Thunderpussy was the stage name of a burlesque performer in San Francisco in the late 60's. She operated a couple of restaurants, one of which was in the Haight district. This restaurant did delivery service to the Haight area, including erotic desserts, and was popular with the counter culture community, who not surprisingly often had the late night munchies. The Grateful Dead wrote this song for and about her. The restaurant is still open on the corner of Haight and Masonic streets, but is now simply called Magnolia.
    Flag pete1027on December 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hippies. This is the Dead. They're singing about free love and turning on. Or sex and drugs, in today's Vernacular. Very sexual and innocent at the same time. And jeez, every dead song seems to talk about the light, right? Lets break it down line by line:

    Sugar Magnolia blossom's blooming (sex)
    Head's all empty and I don't care (drugs)
    Saw my baby down by the river
    Knew she'd have to come up soon for air

    Sweet blossom come on under the willow (attracted to you)
    We can have high times if you'll abide (drugs)
    We can discover the wonders of nature (sex)
    Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside (sex cont.)

    She's got everything delightful (sex)
    She's got everything I need (sex)
    Takes the wheel when I'm seeing double (drugs)
    Pays my ticket when I speed (awww, that's sweet)

    She come skimming through rays of violet
    She can wade in a drop of dew (K, got me on this one)
    She don't come and I don't follow (it was called FREE love for a reason)
    Waits backstage while I sing to you (but, hey, she still waits for him)

    She can dance a Cajun rhythm
    Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive
    She's a summer love in the spring, fall and winter
    She can make happy any man alive (sounds like she's pretty cool)

    Sugar magnolia
    Ringin' that blue bell
    Caught up in sunlight
    Come on out singing
    I'll walk you in the sunshine
    Come on honey, come along with me (yea... this is all about sex)

    She's got everything delightful
    She's got everything I need (more sex)
    A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight
    Crazy in the sunlight yes indeed

    Sometimes when the cuckoo's crying
    When the moon is halfway down
    Sometimes when the night is dying
    I take me out and I wander round
    I wander round (its late at night, guessing he's gonna party w/ the boys)

    Sunshine daydream
    Walk you the tall trees
    Going where the wind goes
    Blooming like a red rose
    Breathing more freely
    Light out singing
    I'll walk you in the morning sunshine
    Sunshine daydream
    Walk you in the sunshine (but he comes back to her in the morning)
    Flag fugitiveinkbloton May 25, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Hey guys! Maybe it's about doing drugs with a girl you love! That's an amazing feeling, can't beat it. Running around in the hills, y'all should try it. Long Live the Dead.
    Flag suavewazooon January 01, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:To all of you who think the dead is just about pot and acid, go F*ck yourselves. This is a beautiful song (Check it out on Europe '72, absolutely beautiful.) I may only be 16 and have never been blessed to see em with jerry but even I know they were about more than just dope. Sure, there was pot, and alot of it, sure there was alotta acid. but not everything has to be about drugs. This (while no doubt does contain drug refrences,) song conjurs up images of carefree summer days spent with a beautiful girl, and as "Sugar_Magnolia" said, ""Its about a girl who has yet to reach self actualization but she is coming around and will soon get there, but he seess her as a beautiful person who still brings light to everyones day even though she doesnt yet realize who she is."" So thank you to all those who know that music from the 60's and 70's goes deeper than a buncha pot smokin acid droppin long haird hippies and can have a deeper more beautiful meaning
    Flag jkstrawon June 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:deadhead22 has such an excellent point. they wouldnt have written this and intended it to be the cause of people fighting especially on the internet.

    but I read this was the breaking point in the relationship between Weir and Hunter but I can't figure out why. Someone said it was because Weir replaced one of Hunter's lines with "Jumps like a willys in a 4 wheel drive"

    Is that supposed to mean something? Why would Hunter be so mad
    Flag bottlerocket88on June 03, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i've got it on good authority that this song is about Candace Brightman, the Dead's Lighting Designer. She was one of the more responsible crew members (takes the wheel when i'm seeing double, pays my ticket when i speed). She's from the south (dance a cajun rhythm), often the only place for the lighting board in the old theaters was backstage (waits backstage while i sing to you), and (i know this personally) she has a soft spot in her heart for purple light (she comes skimmin though rays of violet). not to mention the 15 other references to light.
    Flag punker1589on March 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:z22 you retard, open your mind a bit. The Dead loved to smoke pot, in fact they probably did just about every day. Why wouldn't they write song about it? Yea i do agree that this could be about a girl, but there is a definite possibility it's about weed and i'll prove it here line by fucking line. Tell me if these don't make perfect sense without even stretching your imagination (I'm going to assume you have at least smoked weed before and that might be a stretch right there):

    1) Blossoms blooming
    Marijuana buds = flowers blossoming (the bud actually is a flower that blossoms)

    2) Head's all empty and I don't care
    Effects of pot (don't care about shit, empty/light headed)

    3) Saw my baby down by the river
    Idk about where you live but in my town everyone smokes by the river, if you go there on a summer day you're bound to find someone smoking

    6) We can have high times if you'll abide
    Obvious

    7-8) We can discover the wonders of nature rolling in the rushes down by the riverside
    Weed makes me appreciate nature a ton more and I tend to do stupid fun shit like rolling down grass hills

    9-10)She's got everything delightful She's got everything I need
    Being high is very delightful and sometimes seems like all that matters

    11) Takes the wheel when I'm seeing double
    Like danknuggz said people who are on coke (or drunk, in my experience) smoke pot to calm down and focus on the road, I always drive slower while high mostly b/c of paranoia or just thinking I'm going really really fast lol

    12)Pays my ticket when I speed
    Sell some weed = quick money

    13-16) She come skimming through rays of violet She can wade in a drop of dew She don't come and I don't follow Waits backstage while I sing to you
    This verse doesn't really give any distinct clues although it's a beautiful verse. The last line (Waits backstage while I sing to you) could be interpreted as pot

    17-18) She can dance a Cajun rhythm Jump like a Willys in four wheel drive
    Feelings/experiences induced by smoking weed, also things it makes you want to do

    19) She's a summer love in the spring, fall and winter
    Have you ever smoked weed, any season, gone outside, and felt like it is the most beautiful summer day? :D

    20) She can make happy any man alive
    Alright this is getting way too deep into it, but the word can suggest that She currently has the ability to make anyone happy - there is no "could" which implies possessiveness. Meaning She is the love of Bob's life as well as anyone else who enjoys her sweet fumes

    (21-30)Sugar magnolia
    Ringin' that blue bell
    Caught up in sunlight
    Come on out singing
    I'll walk you in the sunshine
    Come on honey, come along with me

    She's got everything delightful
    She's got everything I need
    A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight
    Crazy in the sunlight yes indeed

    Yea this one is about going outside while high as well, breeze in the pines, crazy in the sunlight, etc.

    (31-35)Sometimes when the cuckoo's crying
    When the moon is halfway down
    Sometimes when the night is dying
    I take me out and I wander round
    I wander round

    He smokes weed anytime of the day and goes out and wanders - who hasn't taken many a late night/ early morning stoned walk and just wandered? Who out of pot smokers at least.

    (36)Sunshine daydream
    Daydreaming in the sunshine pretty obvious as well

    37) Walk you the tall trees
    Kind of a stretch but tall weed plants I guess, probably just a line about nature and beauty

    38)Going where the wind goes
    Smoke travels with the wind, weed makes you do things on a whim and do what you feel

    39)Blooming like a red rose
    Buds again

    40) Breathing more freely
    Effects of weed, at times a breath of fresh air

    41) Light out singing
    I sing a lot while high (and in general but more when high lol)

    Sunshine daydream....

    Anyways its a beautiful song that doesn't need all this analysis but still... I think you ppl should open your minds to multiple interpretations as it could be about both. The Dead are fucking great

    Flag saggyjoneson November 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:my dog is named for this song, no lie we call her maggie but her name is sugar magnolia.
    Flag rosewind26on October 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Sweet blossom come on under the willow - you don´t ask weed to join you, either you have it with you or not-
    We can have high times if you'll abide... and this phrase is supposed to be about LOVE *lol*

    The song is about BOTH a girl he likes AND Marijuana. Why is it so hard to understand that deep poetic lyrics can have different meanings at the very same time..

    I dont get it why people are offended/pretending to be moral when there is discussion of a Grateful-song. It was the 60´s ffs!

    It´s just as awesome anyway..
    Flag MidgetWrestleron May 22, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:To Sugar Magnolia: This song is about a woman fully herself. That's why Bobby is enamored. She has everything delightful. This song came from an area in Boulder Canyon. Sugar Loaf Rd and Magnolia Rd.
    Flag sugmag11on April 03, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain