What's In A Song, Vol. 1
Many songs are written to be taken at face value with no alternate meaning except what the artists are trying to say, but some songs have that much deeper meaning that one may or may not realize after listening to it.
Today we will explore my favorite song and its not-so-subtle meanings.
Author’s Note: These are my opinions and are not considered fact by the group or other Dead Heads.
Song: Franklin’s Tower
Album: Blues for Allah, 1975
I will start off with my favorite Grateful Dead song that I have listened to countless times (especially on my favorite album, Buffalo 1977). To me this song means a lot more than the words lead on and that is where the genius lies.
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The song opens with up with these lyrics, so lets take a look at them closer,
In another time's forgotten space
Your eyes looked from your mother's face
These words are very similar to a Van Morrison song titled, Astral Weeks, that was released in 1968. Not saying they copied the song, but the similarities are too close not to say they aren’t related. Either way, it is one heck of an opening for my favorite song.
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Finishing out the first version we have,
May the four winds blow you safely home.
Is this in reference to Ancient Greek mythology and the four winds that located in the Tower of Winds in Athens? Very possibly as they helped guide sailors such as Jason and the Argonauts on their quest to find the Golden Fleece and the wayward Trojan War hero, Odysseus, as he sailed aimlessly for 10 years until he was allowed back home after angering the God of the sea, Poseidon.
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The song’s chorus lines are a little more open to interpretation and can mean a wide variety of things but lets take a look anyhow,
Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew
This in my mind means, shake off the cobwebs and go on with the day. Usually dew is associated with the morning and when the warmth of the sun dispels the cold night before. This process ultimately creates dew on the grass.
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We open the second verse with the lyrics,
In Franklin's tower, there hangs a bell
It can ring, turn night to day
It can ring like fire when you lose your way
Knowing a bit about English medieval history, I can only wonder if they are referring to ‘Franklin’s Tower’ as one that was owned by a ‘Franklin’. Franklins were landowners by birth-right, but they were not necessarily of noble birth. In most cases they were wealthy enough to have wide tracts of land (queue the Monty Python joke) and this could involve a tower. Towers in the medieval period usually contained a bell or in some cases it stood as a watch where they burned bright to warn the area of an impending attack or some form of danger, or they could help a lost person find their way home.
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This next verse is where things can get a bit murky, but let me try to explain my thoughts,
God save the child that rings that bell
It may have one good ring, baby, you can't tell
One watch by night, one watch by day
This could mean that the person is trying to ward off death by ringing the bell by summoning God in their time of salvation. Quite possibly also the Shakespeare play, Macbeth when Lady Macbeth commits the murder of King Duncan (that summons thee to heaven or to hell). Quite possibly I am overthinking this verse but would love to hear what you think on it (feel free to leave comments below).
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The middle part of the last verse before the extended chorus,
Like four lean hounds, the lighthouse keep
Is this in relation to the E.E. Cummings poem? This is the only thing I could think of as Garcia and the band enjoyed a lot of poetry. Cummings explains the golden dawn in his poem, and Hunter (the writer of the song mentions, rolling away the dew), so it quite possibly a connection there. Other than that, I am not sure how it relates the rest of the song, but the idea works in my own head (probably until I listen to the song another 100 times).
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Now that I have dissected the song and tried to find meaning in the words of my favorite Grateful Dead song, I think I deserve a relaxing beverage while I spin the amazing live album this is on. Coming in at close to 15 minutes, it could quite possibly be one of the most amazing live songs ever produced. It definitely ranks up there with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall.
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