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The Blackest Diamond (for Jerry)

from Live in Iowa by Dave Stagner

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about

I'm a huge Jerry Garcia fan, and I had a dream about Jerry Garcia's music. In my dream, Jerry hadn't died, but had gotten sober and healthy and lived to a ripe old age, and continued to make great music. And in the dream, I was trying to learn one of his songs from a record - a record he never made, of course. I woke up remembering the A section chords, the melody, and a few scraps of lyrics, including "the shadow of the diamond" and "the heart of the blackest diamond". I made up the B section chords in a Jerry Garcia harmonic style.

The song references Chuang-Tzu, the great Chinese Taoist philosopher.

"Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things."

lyrics

There are dreams too true for this world
Dreams are more than right or wrong
And I dreamed of Jerry's music
And I tried to learn his song
In my dream he was still with us
He got better, he grew old
And he sang of the blackest diamond
Told a story never told

There are songs too true for this world
Songs no taper can record
And all I learned was this simple rhythm
All I remembered were these simple chords
Dawg's mandolin, and Hunter's lyrics
Pedal steel and sweet guitar
And a choir like fallen angels
And Jerry's voice like a falling star

There is love too true for this world
Love as pure as time is long
Love beyond mere understanding
Not a million souls, not a million songs
Chuang-Tzu's butterfly plays this love song
Sings the lyrics I can't see
The words I sing are just a shadow
My heart's a mystery even to me

There are truths too true for this world
We call them fantasy, we call them lies
The truth we know is not the true truth
Our greatest wisdom never wise
In the shadow of the diamond
Shines a light we'll never see
And in the heart of the blackest diamond
Sings the song that sets us free

credits

from Live in Iowa, released July 5, 2023

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Dave Stagner Minneapolis, Minnesota

I am a guitarist, songwriter, recording engineer, and musical polymath based in Minneapolis.

I have played in countless bands over the years, most notably the Feng Shui Ninjas, Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters, and Al Amarja.

All recordings produced at Extraterrestrial Highway, my home studio. I love living in the future! ... more

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