Cosmic Charlie

Cosmic Charlie is the Dead poking fun at some of their own (psychedelically challenged) fans... The thing is, when you are trippin' on acid a lot, you tend to get "concerned about the deep unreal" a little too much. And you don't pay enough attention to the basics and the nitty gritty of daily life. I grew up in the 70's and I remember guys that had blown their minds with too much acid. And had kinda lost their grip on reality. Fit the description of "Cosmic Charlie" perfectly. We used to call these folks "burn outs" because something in their brain got fried... The ones I remember were very dependent on family members to take care of them as otherwise they would have ended up homeless. So think about a "space cadet" acid head that took it too far "out there" and has lost his or her grip on consensual reality and then some of these lyrics start to make sense, like:

"Go on home your mama's calling you." - Childlike and dependent.
Rosy red and electric blue I bought you a paddle for your paper canoe - Living in fantasy land.
Say you'll come back when you can, whenever your airplane happens to land - Flying high in the chemical skies? You ever coming back down? Maybe I'll be back here, too. It all depends on what's with you. - I'll be here whenever you come down from your cosmic acid trip...

Then there's that incredibly classic line: "I just wonder if you shouldn't feel, Less concerned about the deep unreal". - Having tripped on acid a couple hundred times, I can tell you that when you are on a STRONG psychedelic kick, you become VERY concerned about the deep unreal and NOT very concerned about basic day to day survival issues, like even food and shelter become secondary....

The very first word is "How do you do?", The last "Go home your mama's callin' you." Calling you, calling you, calling you, calling you, Go on home your mama's calling you.

• This last section is like they're singing to the person that's taken too much acid "Just relax man, you'll be allright" go on back to a space of safety (home), addressing the Cosmic Acid tripper like if they are a child. (If you've ever been with someone who is tripping heavily on acid, they ARE vulnerable like a child....

Anyone who's done A LOT of psychedelics will understand this song. However, it's not something I recommend (other than in moderation). You gotta be VERY strong to handle messing with your psyche that heavily... Hope this helps....

My favorite grateful dead song by far... The live track on the remade American Beauty CD is intense! I am puzzled by the hidden messages in this song, however, I do notice the emphasis on "home" which can be seen in many other GD songs as well. My favorite line is, "I just wonder if you shouldn't feel, less concerned about the deep unreal." Can someone offer their feedback, please?

The remade Aoxomoxoa CD rather.

Jerry kills the slide in this song.

I love the Dead and was particularly enchanted with this song since my early teens, which was BEFORE I did any psychedelics. Didn't end up like Charlie though, just enjoyed the beautiful song. Then my first child was born on the first of February (a windy day in New York City), and I sang this to her as a lullaby.

The song was written about my friend,Charlie. He used to hang out with them.

1st off - the lyrics quoted above are wrong, the most obvious being that it's not "Cat on I ?" it's "Kite on Ice since the 1st of February". 2nd - though the actual meaning of the song often depends on it's context within the set, the most common meaning I've experienced is one of being frustrated with the SLOW process of change and the people and circumstances that are blocking the way. Sometimes it seems like Cosmic Charlie might be the hope of reincarnation allowing us to "come back this way again" to witness the change we hope for now, like a realization that the BIG change we visualized at the start can not be achieved within our current life times, but "maybe I'll be back here too, it all depends on what's with you.... New ones coming as the old ones go, and everything is moving much too slowly. A little bit quicker and we might have time to say "how do you do" before the end of time." This song is ultimately about the COSMIC wheel turning, about the evolution of consciousness, the transition between MAJOR paradigms of belief in a constant process of growth, and how LONG the process takes when you look at it from a human point of view.