Me and my uncle went riding down
South Colorado, West Texas bound
We stopped over in Santa Fe
That being the point just about halfway
And you know it was the hottest part of the day
I took the horses up to the stall
Went to the barroom, ordered drinks for all
Three days in the saddle, you know my body hurt
It being summer, I took off my shirt
And I tried to wash off some of that dusty dirt
West Texas cowboys, they’s all around
With liquor and money, they’re loaded down
So soon after payday, you know it seemed a shame
You know my uncle, he starts a friendly game
High-low-jacks and the winner take the hand
My uncle starts winning, cowboys got sore
One of them called him, and then two more
Accused him of cheating, well no it couldn’t be
I know my uncle, he’s as honest as me
And I’m as honest as a Denver man can be
One of them cowboys, he starts to draw
Well I shot him down, Lord, he never saw
Shot me another, hot damn he won’t grow old
In the confusion my uncle grabbed the gold
And we hightailed it down to Mexico
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
I love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, I grabbed that gold
And I left his dead ass there by the side of the road
Words and music by John Phillips
Recording: Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) (October 1971)
First documented performance: November 29, 1966, at the Matrix in San Francisco. Played throughout the band’s career, capturing the place as the most-performed song, cover or original, in their repertoire.
From the liner notes to John Phillips’s Phillips 66 album:
John often used to tell the story behind “Me and My Uncle.” Years ago he began receiving publishing royalties from a song on a Judy Collins record with which he was unfamiliar. It was titled “Me and My Uncle.” He called Judy to let her know of the mistake because he hadn’t written any such song. She laughed and told him that about a year before, in Arizona after one of her concerts, they had a “Tequila” night back at the hotel with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and a few others. They were running a blank cassette and John proceeded to write “Me and My Uncle” on the spot. The next day, John woke up to the tequila sunrise with no recollection of the songwriting incident. Judy kept the cassette from that evening and then, without informing John, recorded the song for her own record. Over the years the song was recorded by several people, and eventually became a standard of the Grateful Dead. John used to joke that, little by little, with each royalty check, the memory of writing the song would come back to him.
According to Bob Weir, he learned this John Phillips–penned tune from “a hippie named Curly Jim,” who I can only assume is Curly Jim Cook, onetime member of the Bar Area band A.B. Skhy. Phillips is best known as the leader and chief songwriter for the L.A.-based The Mamas and Papas. Judy Collins recorded a slower version of the song on a mid-sixties live album The Judy Collins Concert, and that may well be where Weir got it from. (Jackson: Goin’ Down the Road) 94