ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 "'Throwing Stones' and 'Esau,' which is an allegory about what happened to members of our generation, where one brother went off and fought a war and one brother stayed home and more or less minded the store, and then the subsequent events and developments of that. There's a real specific biblical allegory in that story. I think Barlow and I might try to rework it so it's not quite so obscure. Without damaging the imagery, it might have a little more punch if it were a little bit easier to understand. I don't know--maybe it's better to let it roll around the subconscious and let it ring bells or not if people are open or not." - Bob Weir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 Esau The children agitated within Rebecca” (Genesis 25:22). When Rebecca stood near synagogues and houses of study, Jacob would strugggle to come forth; and when she passed by temples of idol worship, Esau would push to come forth (Bereishit Rabbah 63:6). Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel said: “No man ever honored his fathers as I honored my fathers; but I found that Esau honored his father even more than I honored mine” (Devarim Rabbah 1:15). Just as the Divine Name rested upon Jacob, so should it have rested upon Esau. Esau was worthy of producing kings, and Jacob priests. But all of these gifts were taken away from Esau when he sold his birthright to Jacob (Midrash Shir HaShirim, Ed. Buber 18). Not a small part of attaining maturity is the recognition that no life, no personality, is completely pure and good. We search for paradigms of goodness and purity - first in our families and later in our religious heritage - and learn, if we are discerning, that even our greatest models of existence are flawed, imperfect. Internalizing this, we may as well be inspired to examine its converse: that is, no life, no personality, is completely impure and evil. Esau is a figure, not unlike Ishmael, who begs for a gentle touch of a loving hand. From birth he has received the opposite. Attacked pre-natally at the “heel” by his soon to be more favored twin brother, Jacob, he unconsciously develops an “Achilles complex,” striving to win over his family through the physical arts of war and hunting, rather than through the use of his intellect. Perhaps no narrative in Jewish history better defines the Jewish preference of “brain over brawn” than the Jacob-Esau struggle. The younger brother constantly outstrips his older, more athletic sibling, reminding Esau of his physical vulnerability when set against Jacob’s superior mental acuity. The contest for parental favor, for filial and national inheritance, is constantly waged between the two. The Greeks called this competition agon, and for Esau, the final agony is unfortunately immortalized. His descendants include the greatest enemies of the Jewish people: the evil Amalek, Haman, and the Roman Empire. And yet there are extremely intimate, loving moments in Esau’s life. He is loved by his father, Isaac, for his physical prowess. And he returns that love. The rabbis of the Midrash both see and expound upon it. And deep down, underlying all the fear and anxiety that surround his ultimate meeting with Jacob (where the idea of fratricide is most certainly premeditated), Esau is looking for love, and for a change, not “in all the wrong places.” At their reunion, despite a lifetime of divergent beliefs and practices, “Esau runs toward Jacob, embraces him, falls upon his neck, and kisses him; then the two brothers weep” (Genesis 33:4). Dots over every letter of the Hebrew word Vayyishakehu (“And he kissed him”) point to hidden textual allusions. Although it is an immutable rule that Esau hates Jacob, and that everyone hates Esau, our commentator Rashi suggests that this is a moment of merciful sincerity. Esau has truly embraced Jacob with all his heart. In the process of evaluating, and perhaps, reevaulating, Esau’s inimical legacy, might this not be a good verse with which to begin? ------------------------------------------------------------- Here's everytime that the Grateful Dead Played "My Brother Esau"(except monday shows) 03-25-83 Compton Terrace Amphitheatre, Tempe, Az. 03-26-83 Aladdin Theatre, Las Vegas, Nv. 03-27-83 Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, Ca. 03-29-83 Warfield Theater, San Francisco, Ca. 03-30-83 Warfield Theater, San Francisco, Ca. 03-31-83 Warfield Theater, San Francisco, Ca. 04-09-83 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va. 04-10-83 Coliseum, W.V. University, Morgantown, W.V. 04-13-83 Patrick Gym, UVM, Burlington, Vt. 04-15-83 Community War Memorial, Rochester, N.Y. 04-16-83 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, N.J. 04-17-83 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, N.J. 04-20-83 Providence Civic Center, Providence, R.I. 04-22-83 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Ct. 04-26-83 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. 05-14-83 Greek Theatre, U. of California, Berkeley, Ca. 06-22-83 City Island, Harrisburg, Pa. 06-25-83 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, Mn. 07-30-83 County Fairgrounds, Ventura, Ca. 08-20-83 Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, Ca. 08-27-83 Seattle Center Memorial Coliseum, Seattle, Wa. 08-30-83 Silva Hall, Hult Center, Eugene, Or. 09-04-83 Park West Ski Resort, Park West, Ut. 09-07-83 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Co. 09-10-83 Downs of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M. 09-13-83 Manor Downs, Austin, Tx. 10-09-83 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C. 10-12-83 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. 10-21-83 The Centrum, Worcester, Ma. 12-31-83 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, Ca. 03-29-84 Marin County Veterans Auditorium, San Rafael, Ca. 04-01-84 Marin County Veterans Auditorium, San Rafael, Ca. 04-07-84 Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, Ca. 04-14-84 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va. 04-17-84 Niagara Falls Civic Center, Niagara Falls, N.Y. 04-20-84 Civic Convention Hall Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pa. 04-24-84 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Ct. 04-27-84 Providence Civic Center, Providence, R.I. 06-10-84 Cal Expo Amphitheatre, Sacramento, Ca. 06-13-84 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Co. 06-23-84 City Island, Harrisburg, Pa. 06-27-84 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Md. 06-30-84 Indianapolis Sports Center, Indianapolis, In. 07-03-84 Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, Mo. 07-07-84 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wi. 07-15-84 Greek Theatre, U. of California, Berkeley, Ca. 07-22-84 County Fairgrounds, Ventura, Ca. 10-05-84 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, N.C. 10-09-84 The Centrum, Worcester, Ma. 10-14-84 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Ct. 10-17-84 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, N.J. 10-20-84 Carrier Dome, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. 10-28-84 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, Ca. 12-29-84 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, Ca. 02-19-85 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, Ca. 03-22-85 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va. 03-29-85 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y. 04-04-85 Providence Civic Center, Providence, R.I. 04-27-85 Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, Ca. 06-16-85 Greek Theatre, U. of California, Berkeley, Ca. 07-14-85 County Fairgrounds, Ventura, Ca. 08-31-85 Manor Downs, Austin, Tx. 09-07-85 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Co. 09-12-85 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, Ca. 11-02-85 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Va. 11-08-85 Community War Memorial, Rochester, N.Y. 11-20-85 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, Ca. 05-11-86 Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, Ca. 06-26-86 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Mn. 07-04-86 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y. 12-30-86 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, Ca. 01-28-87 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, Ca. 03-26-87 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Ct. 04-09-87 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Il. 05-09-87 Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, Ca. 06-12-87 County Fairgrounds, Ventura, Ca. 06-20-87 Greek Theatre, U. of California, Berkeley, Ca. 06-27-87 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wi. 07-02-87 Silver Stadium, Rochester, N.Y. 07-07-87 Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Va. 07-10-87 John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, Pa. 07-24-87 Oakland Coliseum Stadium, Oakland, Ca. 08-12-87 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Co. 08-18-87 Compton Terrace Amphitheatre, Chandler, Az. 08-22-87 Calaveras County Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, Ca. 09-16-87 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. 09-20-87 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. 09-24-87 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. 10-03-87 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, Ca. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are all the monday performances of "My Brother Esau"(not included in the above dates) 04-25-83 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. 06-20-83 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Md. 10-17-83 Olympic Center, Lake Placid, N.Y. 10-31-83 Marin County Veterans Auditorium, San Rafael, Ca. 04-30-84 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y. 05-07-84 Silva Hall, Hult Center, Eugene, Or. 06-24-85 River Bend Music Center, Cincinnati, Oh. 07-01-85 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Md. 10-28-85 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Ga. 12-30-85 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, Ca. 03-24-86 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. 03-31-86 Providence Civic Center, Providence, R.I. 04-21-86 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, Ca. 12-15-86 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, Ca. 09-07-87 Providence Civic Center, Providence, R.I. ------------------------------------------------------- Here's the lyrics to "My Brother Esau" Words by John Perry Barlow; music by Bob Weir My brother Esau killed a hunter Back in 1969 And before the killing was done, His inheritance was mine. But his birthright was a wand to wave Before a weary band. Esau gave me sleeplessness And a piece of moral land. My father favored Esau, Who was eager to obey All the bloody wild commandments The Old Man shot his way. But all this favor ended When my brother failed at war. He staggered home And found me in the door. [Chorus:] Esau skates on mirrors anymore... He meets his pale reflection at the door. Yet sometimes at night I dream He's still that hairy man, Shadowboxing the Apocalypse And wandering the land. Shadowboxing the Apocalypse And wandering the land. Esau holds a blessing; Brother Esau bears a curse. I would say that the blame is mine But I suspect it's something worse. The more my brother looks like me, The less I understand The silent war that bloodied both our hands. Sometimes at night, I think I understand. It's brother to brother and it's man to man And it's face to face and it's hand to hand... We shadowdance the silent war within. The shadowdance, it never ends... Never ends, never ends. Shadowboxing the Apocalypse, yet again... Yet again. Shadowboxing the Apocalypse, And wandering the land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 WOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 guess I know what I will be burning tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phunhaver Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 All I know is Esau should be checking his mail. Things are not looking as good as they may seem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 hey burned a show tonight with Brother Esau... thanks... just a little note-- I have had on 4 occasions tonight-- failed attempts to send me a virus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 ......yeah, Weir was a real light-weight eh??? (GREAT tune) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 quote: Originally posted by Phunhaver: All I know is Esau should be checking his mail. Things are not looking as good as they may seem. Mail checked...nothing there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted February 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 first time I heard that song, last night-- downloaded it --- 9/7/83... love it, but then again, maybe I was biased!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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