*
Click on the ‘Play’ button above to hear the song as you read the lyrics via the links below. If the player doesn’t start straight away, wait and then press the ‘Play’ button again.
*
Robert Hunter is from the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 by ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) that is the 4th and last album in the series of albums about those celebrities, actors, artists, writers, poets, songwriters and musicians that have stayed at the iconic New York through the years or have a strong connection to the hotel.
*
Read the just published Jamsphere magazine review our album HERE
*
download the track Robert Hunter on Bandcamp HERE
*
You can download the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 at download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
*
Watch the Robert Hunter video promo on YouTube HERE
*
Robert Hunter lyrics
He was named after his great grand daddy, Robert Burns the Scottish poet
Scottish Robbie not only wrote poems but also wrote lyrics, if you didn’t know it
Robert’s father deserted him and left him alone
His mother couldn’t cope and put him in a foster home
He started to write in the loneliness of the night
His mother remarried and his stepfather whose surname he took, showed him how to write
Robert played the trumpet at Uni but life was hard
After he had left he went and joined the National Guard
He then became a guinea-pig as the C.I.A. fed him L.S.D.
And soon after he became heavily addicted to Speed
A mutual friend introduced him to Gerry, they became friends fast
They started performing as Bob and Jerry in a band playing Bluegrass
In 65 The Grateful Dead were formed but their songs were dull by far
In 67 Robert joined them and wrote lyrics for their hit Dark Star
Robert never performed live with them in the band
Their songs became a landscape for psychedelic dixieland
Box of Rain, Alligator Moon
Writing words to all those memorable tunes
He had written their hit Stella Blue at The Chelsea
The band had performed on Chelsea’s roof, below stayed the poor and the wealthy
Robert had written 90 songs with Gerry and the Grateful Dead
Some of those songs you can’t get outta your head
Gerry was Robert’s ventriloquist with guitar in his 4 fingered hand
Dead-Head’s followed them from gig to gig across the land
They sold more records than anyone else
But Gerry’s addiction was affecting his performance and health
Gerry became more dependent and disconnected
The band’s output and their relationship became affected
Gerry died at Betty Ford’s in 95
With him The Grateful Dead had all but died
Box of Rain, Alligator Moon
Writing words to all those memorable tunes
Robert wrote with many others you know
Including Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby and Elvis Costello
On Dylan’s Beyond Here Lies Nothing songs, he co-wrote all but one
He also wrote songs on Down in The Groove and Tempest, but soon he too would be gone
He had almost died from an infection of the spine
And for the next 6 years he lived on borrowed time
To pay his hospital bills he had to tour
It was near the end, and he couldn’t take much more
He’d been married in 82
And had stayed faithful and true
No-one knows what’ll be their fate
Robert passed away at home aged just 78
Box of Rain, Alligator Moon
He’d written words to all those memorable tunes
They later inducted him into the Halls of Fame
As we listen to the songs we remember his name
May we forever remember the good times
As Robert’s great grand daddy once wrote, for Auld Langs Sine, for Auld Langs Sine
Box of Rain, Alligator Moon
Writing words to all those memorable tunes
Box of Rain, Alligator Moon
Writing words to all those memorable tunes
Music composed and performed by Paul Odiase BMI No. 1252265 (Switzerland)
Song lyrics by Paul Robert Thomas PRS No. 497904008 (London)
PRS Tunecode 875781KR
ISRC: US5UL2560086
*
*
“Robert Hunter” is a poignant homage to the lyricist behind The Grateful Dead, celebrating a life defined by words, melodies, and resilience. The song traces Hunter’s journey from his challenging childhood — marked by loss and foster care — to his rise as one of rock’s most gifted and poetic voices. Drawing inspiration from his namesake, Robert Burns, Hunter channeled both hardship and imagination into lyrics that became the backbone of psychedelic rock’s most enduring classics.
The lyrics chronicle his collaborations with Jerry Garcia, his unforgettable contributions to songs like Box of Rain, Alligator Moon, and Stella Blue, and his broader work with legends including Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby, and Elvis Costello. Through it all, Hunter’s story is one of creative perseverance, navigating addiction, illness, and the pressures of fame while leaving an indelible mark on music history.
Refrains such as “Box of Rain, Alligator Moon / Writing words to all those memorable tunes” echo as both celebration and elegy, emphasizing the power of lyrics to endure beyond the life of the lyricist. The song honors Hunter as a visionary poet whose words painted landscapes for generations of Deadheads and music lovers alike, reminding listeners that while the man may be gone, his songs continue to resonate in the hearts of all who hear them.
No comments