Some folks trust to reason
Others trust to might1
I don’t trust to nothing
But I know it come out right
Say it once again now
Oh, I hope you understand
When it’s done and over
Lord, a man is just a man
Chorus:
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land
Some folks look for answers
Others look for fights
Some folks up in treetops
Just look to see the sights2
I can tell your future
Look what’s in your hand
But I can’t stop for nothing
I’m just playing in the band
Standing on a tower
World at my command
You just keep a-turning
While I’m playing in the band
If a man among you
Got no sin upon his hand
Let him cast a stone at me3
For playing in the band
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land4
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land
Words by Robert Hunter
Music by Bob Weir and Mickey Hart
The principle of “might makes right” has its origins in the thought of Plato (Republic I.xii) and Seneca (Hercules Furens).
On Rolling Thunder, Weir sings this line as “others trust to sight.”
On Ace, Weir sings: “Just lookin’ for their kites.”
A reference to the New Testament passage, John 8, in which Jesus, in his sermon on the Mount of Olives, explicates the principle “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.” Specifically, this is a reference to verse 7, in which Jesus says to a gathered crowd that has brought him a woman found in adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” The principle is also elaborated in the version of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7:1–5, a reference also echoed in “Throwing Stones.”
On Ace, Weir sings this line the final time as “Daybreak while I’m playing in the band.” He also sings the line “Playing, like a wave upon the sand” on this album.
Studio recording: Ace (May 1972).
First performance: February 18, 1971, at the Capitol Center in Port Chester, New York. The song remained in the repertoire thereafter.
The tune is also known as “The Main Ten,” and is so listed on Hart’s Rolling Thunder because of its ten-beat meter.