Happy Birthday Phil !!!

Today is Phil Lesh's 67th birthday !!!

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Phil is responsible for two of my top 10 favorite Grateful Dead songs, "Box Of Rain"(probably my favorite Dead tune, correction, favorite tune, period-ever) and 'Unbroken Chain". Plus, one that I think is greatly underrated-"Pride Of Cucamonga"

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These songs always succeed at lifting my spirits and putting a wide wide grin on my face.

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My personal favorite Phil moment of all time: In 2001, I think it was, My Special Lady and I went to see Phil Lesh and Friends when they were touring with Bob Dylan. We saw them at one of the more than 500 Theaters in the U.S. named the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater-this one was in Orange County, CA.

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Dylan played first, and was pretty good(played a weird singalong,anthemic rock version of "Blowin' In The Wind" that i must say I didn't love).

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Phil and Friends came out, and kicked things off with an instrumental jam that was really cookin'- about 6 or 7 minutes into it, I hear this woman behind us ask her companion,"Um...Phil Lesh sings, right ?" She was clearly terrified that she was going to be subjected to 2 hours of hippies noodling around. It was too funny. Even funnier to think of all the "We Want Phil" and "Let Phil Sing" chants that you would hear at Dead shows. I think it was an interview with Bob Weir that I once read, where he was asked about those chants ,and he said that it's not like the band wouldn't let him sing or anything. They love it when he sings too. I'm afraid I'm not doing it justice, but it was pretty funny.

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I remember a t-shirt that I saw occasionally-It was a picture of a dollar bill(I'm not sure what the denomination was) with Phil's picture in the middle, and underneath it the words-"In Phil We Trust". Amen to that.

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Happy Birthday Phil, and here's to many more.

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Box Of Rain- Hunter/Lesh

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Look out of any window

any morning, any evening, any day

Maybe the sun is shining

birds are winging or

rain is falling from a heavy sky -

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What do you want me to do,

to do for you to see you through?

This is all a dream we dreamed

one afternoon long ago

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Walk out of any doorway

feel your way, feel your way

like the day before

Maybe you'll find direction

around some corner

where it's been waiting to meet you -

What do you want me to do,

to watch for you while you're sleeping?

Well please don't be surprised

when you find me dreaming too

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Look into any eyes

you find by you, you can see

clear through to another day

I know it's been seen before

through other eyes on other days

while going home -

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What do you want me to do,

to do for you to see you through?

It's all a dream we dreamed

one afternoon long ago

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Walk into splintered sunlight

Inch your way through dead dreams

to another land

Maybe you're tired and broken

Your tongue is twisted

with words half spoken

and thoughts unclear

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What do you want me to do

to do for you to see you through

A box of rain will ease the pain

and love will see you through

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Just a box of rain -

wind and water -

Believe it if you need it,

if you don't just pass it on

Sun and shower -

Wind and rain -

in and out the window

like a moth before a flame

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It's just a box of rain

I don't know who put it there

Believe it if you need it

or leave it if you dare

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But it's just a box of rain

or a ribbon for your hair

Such a long long time to be gone

and a short time to be there