Grateful Dead - Mr. Charlie 5-03-72

Olympia Theatre - Paris, France - May 3, 1972
My favorite Mr. Charlie
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Ron McKernan
I take a little powder
I take a little salt
I put it in my shotgun
and I go walking out
Chuba-chuba
Wooley-booley
Looking high
Looking low
Gonna scare you up and shoot you
Cause Mr. Charlie told me so
I won't take you life
Won't even take a limb
Just unload my shotgun
and take a little skin
Chuba-chuba
Wooley-booley
Looking high
Looking low
Gonna scare you up and shoot you
Cause Mr. Charlie told me so
Well you take a silver dollar
Take a silver dime
Mix em both together
in some alligator wine
I can hear the drums
Voo-doo all night long
Mr. Charlie tellin me
I can't do nothin wrong
Chuba-chuba
Wooley-booley
Looking high
Looking low
Gonna scare you up and shoot you
Cause Mr. Charlie told me so
Now Mr. Charlie told me
Thought you'd like to know
Give you a little warning
before I let you go
Chuba-chuba
Wooley-booley
Lookin high
Lookin low
Gonna scare you up and shoot you
Cause Mr. Charlie told me so

[@GeorgieKid]

I can only imagine seeing these guys play in this era…amazing ❤️

[@anthonycongiunti4421]

1 of my favorite songs RIP Ron "Pigpen"

[@justinchaste]

His funky tunes balanced out the band's sound in a unique way that other SF "acid bands" couldn't offer...I sat in total awe as 18 yr kid, up front, Fillmore East, May 1971, as Pig came out, early in set, with acoustic guitar and stool....Lights out authentic blues...Band lost an edge when Pig drank his way out of band...

[@DrMitchMedina]

I think that I was at the late show, and missed that.

[@stevewilliam3924]

katie mae's a good girl....

[@direwolf6234]

think your date is off... last dead show at fillmore east was april 71 so you may mean may 1970...

[@deadreckoning6288]

Well said. The Dead had many eras but the Pig era was maybe the best. Wish I could have seen them back in those days.

[@Anthony-yf6ek]

1 of my favorite songs from the Pig pen era

[@oscaryeager5030]

You and literally every single person that ever heard it there capn obvious lol, just drunk taker easy

[@Kingfish179]

Jerry's intro line to his solo is so incredibly dirty.

[@glueforall]

Wonderful solo period. My favorite out of many many Charlie solos!

[@michaelsteding7720]

Loved all of Pigpens songs. He gave them that funky edge.

[@deadreckoning6288]

💀👍

[@medshow3]

Has become one of my 'dailys'. Thx

[@medshow3]

Seriously ! Along with The Stranger (or Two Souls if you prefer )

[@poolmanio]

awesome. thanks for posting. a cup of coffee and a little pig in the morning to get me going. doesn't get much better

[@XxBL4kC47Xx]

50TH ANNIVERSERY 5-3-22 WOOOOO!!!!!

[@lizziesangi1602]

Hunter shows are so cool, the Garcia and Hunter shows were so outrageous, "Promontory Rider, Territory Ranger", was in one awesome show!!. You hear Hunter sing his tunes with his intonations, his intentions so different from when the Band plays them, Man I could listen to them forever!!

[@juansurfcity1605]

as I hit 70 yrs, so glad i've got memories of the dead with pig pen, from '67on, until he couldn't go any more...

[@jerryme2100]

You're on the right track!!!! Pig pen was instrumental in the founding of the band!

[@comeertens9256]

I love this song. Pig was just the guy to do it and he did it fabulous. I live in Holland, so I had only two changes to see the Dead and the first one was (with Pigpen) in their first European tour in 1972. I’m much older now, but I remember Pig’s doing Mr Charlie and of course It hurts me too.

[@oscaryeager5030]

Holy fuck you weren't really there were you??

[@dustydiciurcio137]

O God DAYUMMMM😳🎸good ole' GRATEFUL'S Mr.CHARLIE always git's the🥳Goin'👍🍻🌲🎈🚀🙏✝️✌🐊🍷🌌

[@Wayzor_]

The is the Mr. Charlie I think of when I think of this song.

[@BlissedMiss1]

I can hear the drums voodoo all night long

[@Ryan-xq3kl]

no apologies

[@oscaryeager5030]

So goddamn fucking good holy shit Ron! Thanks brother, Pigpen, cool as the other side of the fuckin pillow!

[@marcflynn2973]

Now kids that there is the GRATEFUL DEAD! R.I.P Pigpen & Captain Trips!!

[@vandervieiran]

porra pigpen voce vive no meu coração, porque voce era foda tocando e cantando. i love youuu

[@pizzacatthegreat559]

Epic

[@RalphMaijala]

Lotta people felt like the Dead were just Pigs back up band. Sometimes I do too.

[@nampy08]

In the day, in the day, Pig was the man, absolutely.

[@lizziesangi1602]

....and you never heard Jerry and Pig play off each other?? If you did, that thought could never enter your head.

[@RalphMaijala]

Lizzie Sangi I think you are taking my comment way too seriously. But not everyone is a fan of things the exact same way, or for the same reasons. Wouldn't that be boring?

[@lizziesangi1602]

Actually, iz jz factual.

[@nampy08]

In the first years, say 4, Pig led the way, Garcia admitted he wasn't looking to sing. Eventually Garcia's songwriting, and personality put him in the forefront. He became the non-leader.

[@victorwong9622]

TIGHT!!!

[@acboyd741]

awesome....

[@justinm.5391]

Pigpen was fucking amazing.. so sad he had to go at such an early age.

[@garrettwilliams7979]

27 club but he gets left out of the famous group, Hendrix Joplin, Kobain etc. or is it 28 either way you know what I’m talking about

[@gregagnello7828]

Jerry only gets that tone with the strat!

[@blakewhittington4336]

greg agnello Never understood why people that want the jerry tone just dont buy a strat and a Fender reverb amp. I would go for 72 Jerry myself

[@ClueSign]

@@blakewhittington4336 Exactamente.

[@exquisitearc8498]

His strat tone is always my favorite

[@jstantino]

I’m fucking addicted to it

[@seanmoorer2078]

long live Pig!

[@lawrencefass9778]

MR. CHARLIE TOLD ME SO

[@bmiller025]

A marvelous recording! I recently got a new dog, named him Charlie of all things, and this song has been bouncing around in my head ever since. Don't think I have heard it in more than ten years. Decided to track down the song, and found this! Better than the version on Europe '72!

[@benzuckerman]

I agree - this is a much better version.

[@dougjones7219]

I named a cat Mr. Charlie, he lived 21 years

[@ChoctawNawtic4]

Happy Bday Pigpen!!!

[@lizziesangi1602]

Good!!!

[@sarahkubley7074]

Mind collendor!

[@russmcintee4192]

Lookin high 😋😜

[@baracksucks1]

funk funk funk.....funk...funk...

[@floydj2018]

baracksucks1 so funky you can smell it

Awesome 👏

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

Thank You :) QC

[@nampy08]

ok, Pigpen played harmonica, organ, and percussion (congas,etc). Was considered the front man in the early days. Garcia and Hunter co-wrote, Hunter also worked with Weir and Lesh. Weir's main lyricist was Barlow. The beauty of the Dead was they all played off each other. Seemed to be some confusion in the earlier posts.

[@ja.3038]

hunter definitely did not like working with bobby

[@happyirish65]

I am Mr. Charlie. Looking high

[@CadillacL]

Learning some new Dead songs:)

[@lizziesangi1602]

Pig did not drink his way out of the band. he wz The Grateful Dead 'till the end. Jerry and Pig started the band.Jerry & Pig played off each other like they were talking to each other, between the guitar & the drums. Pig only had a 4 piece drum set, harmonikie & beat up organ. When you listened to the drums and then saw t he set

[@lizziesangi1602]

***** Wz just listening to Pigpen - what? a day or two ago - singing and playing the harp, solo, on recorded living room stuff. I really enjoyed it, the harp wz excellent! The lyrics are something that only he can get off "car's in the driveway, turn your headlights way down low" Alligator, Mr Charlie love Alligator iz always pertinent Thanks. RIP

[@sharonryan8920]

Saweeet!!!

[@carolinevanberkel1]

Mr Charlie told me zzzzzzzooooooooooooooo!!!

[@irvinginglethorpe]

Over the years this has become one of my favorite Dead songs....Manson perhaps?

[@irvinginglethorpe]

+Bruce Bodenhofer Mr. Charlie I used to think was Charlie Manson-scare you up and shoot you.Mr. Charlie told them so.

[@lizziesangi1602]

***** That might well be so

[@lizziesangi1602]

***** ? Where did you get this from?

[@lizziesangi1602]

Don't let your imagination run away with yourself

[@michaelmaio9823]

+xHeavyWeaponsGamerx totally correct this song is about shooting heroin. they used to refer to a needle as a shotgun. ..

[@geedus71]

Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggg

[@Noblesavage77]

Hot Damn🤘🔥

[@gusto1776]

Mr Charlie told me soooo!

[@danielrose6649]

this songs about Charlie

[@StandingBear1956]

That's MISTER Charlie.

[@seanmcd72]

Isn't it about shooting speedballs?

[@charlieib8033]

im charlie

[@CadillacL]

R.i.p. Pig.

[@TheJobybenson]

Choopa chubah

[@ryan-xm5nt]

i keep reading that pigpen didn't die of alcohol poisoning, or cirrhosis, he actually died from a hemorrhage in his intestines from severe chrons disease, i don't know how much truth is to that..

[@DrMitchMedina]

"McKernan's alcohol abuse had begun to affect his health by his mid twenties.[15] By the early 1970s, he also began to experience symptoms of congenital primary biliary cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease which was unrelated to his use of alcohol." From Wikipedia article on Ron McKernan.

[@Mrbeahz1]

Mr. Charlie and Miz Ann.

[@jackstraw]

Caution;do not step on tracks.

[@dannieoffield5012]

Okay, D.Heads! Someone needs to say it! #1 Singer - Jerry, by himself, it was perfect. Sometimes, with someone else, it wasn't. Piggy, was incredible (#2) .. Jerry was right. GD was Pig's Blues Band.....Mr. Charlie, 1972 ...

[@miguelpolino983]

pigpen lives

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

:) QC

[@floydj2018]

better than the disc xersion one of my friends said mr charlie told me so", and i quit listening to it, phil jammin too

[@floydj2018]

Floyd J oh well, a little misspell should be a v and a can't in there some where

[@stevebolton9017]

Pigpen sings better then Donna

[@krisdemars1355]

Critics ⬆️🦴👂sheesh