Grateful Dead Music Forum

Well... is it a love song?

I have no doubt that it is. It's kind of a funny love song...

ive always looked at it as free form poetry with no real exact meaning as a whole...each line probably means something different to hunter. what it means to you is well... what it means i guess

Humor at the expense of Brent.

Regarding "Chinacat", Hunter wrote in his Book "Box of Rain' something like "In all my years nobody ever approached me to the meaning of this song, It's good to know some things are universally understood". Don't question it, just go with it.

Yeah Ive never really tried to analyze this song's meaning. I always just took it how the guy above me did. Free form Hippie-esque poetry. Damn good poetry too if i say so myself

Add another vote for poetry---and what a poem it is.

I keep going in circles when looking at the lyrics--

Comic book colors on a violin river
crying Leonardo words
from out a silk trombone

Hunter certainly has a way with words.

yeah cool poem even if there was no music with it. i personally like the line

A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle,
To a double-E waterfall over my back.
(sometimes i hear.. over my mind, lol)

just prefect little line.

anyway I'd enjoy it if you explained your thought about it being a love song confusions_prince

I think it was one of the first lyrics he wrote for Jerry. Taking that time frame into account it kind of sounds like Beat poetry on acid instead of benzedrine!

I seem to remember an interview with Hunter where he said something about having an afternoon with his cat laying on his chest, and the cat taking him " out to Jupiter and beyond", or something along those lines. And the lyrics are a reflection of the journey.

Really, you shouldn't do acid with your cat.....

this song basically is a play on words to move your mind

like most of Hunters stuff it is meant to make you think about it...like a piece of fine art.

have you ever really looked at a jackson pollock? pretty basic stuff but it will mean something different to everyone.

Hunter has accomplished his goal with this song, and lets the listens be the judge of what it means..

no wrong, no right.

this song is great, i hate to play it though because i cant get the words down, always a mumble in there.. just too much going on to remember

this song is great, great imagery overall, if only i could remember the words when i play it

woah dont know why that happened, i didnt press submit on that first one???sorryyy

edit

I always enjoyed the fact that one of the Dead's smoothest rolling, easy on the ears tunes does not rhyme.
Another one that sounds so naturally melodic that you don't question is Ripple. Jerry really finds the true rythym for the words. If somebody handed me the China Cat lyrics and told me to make it a song I wouldn't have known what to do. I certainly wouldn't sing it around the house

Might be a little off subject, but I figured, ya know, since we're on the subject...