Jack Straw

The Grateful Dead

November 1, 1972

Fans have heard The Grateful Dead play Jack Straw live 128 times, from 1971 to 1980. It turns up about once every 13 shows. Its longest break was 2 years, 6 months, between October 1974 and May 1977. The song is in its longest break yet right now. At its hottest it showed up at 7 shows in a row, from February 1973 to March 1973.

It has been played at 75 different venues in 61 cities across 5 countries. Its most frequent stop is Winterland Arena (19 times). It turned up on 4 tours, most often on Summer Tour 1974 (9 shows).

It usually lands in the first set (110 of 127 performances with a known set). It has opened the second set 4 times. Across the 90 performances with a recorded time, it averages 5:23. The longest known version ran 9:07 (Jul 26, 1972), and the shortest 4:22 (Aug 12, 1972). It most often follows Sugaree (11 times) and leads into Tennessee Jed (16 times).

Fans heard it live 27 years, 3 months before it was released on The Strange Remain (1999).

Across all 11 bands on the site, Jack Straw has been played live 685 times, from 1971 to 2026. It turns up about once every 9.9 shows. Other bands account for 557 plays beyond The Grateful Dead, led by Dark Star Orchestra with 206. It appeared in 4 of the last 25 shows across all bands. That is down from 8 in the 25 shows before.

It has been played at 401 different venues in 234 cities across 9 countries. Its most frequent stop is Terrapin Crossroads (41 times).

Across the 91 performances with a recorded time, it averages 5:25. The longest known version ran 9:07 (Jul 26, 1972), and the shortest 4:22 (Aug 12, 1972).

Latest performances

Lyrics

We can share the women
We can share the wine
We can share what we got of yours
'Cause we done shared all of mine

Keep a rolling
Just a mile to go
Keep on rolling, my old buddy
You're moving much too slow

I just jumped the watchman
Right outside the fence
Took his ring, four bucks in change
Now ain't that heaven sent?

Hurts my ears to listen, Shannon
Burns my eyes to see
Cut down a man in cold blood, Shannon
Might as well be me

We used to play for silver
Now we play for life
One's for sport and one's for blood
At the point of a knife
Now the die is shaken
Now the die must fall
There ain't a winner in this game
Who don't go home with all
Not with all...

Leaving Texas
Fourth day of July
Sun so hot, clouds so low
The eagles filled the sky

Catch the Detroit Lightning
Out of Santa Fe
Great Northern out of Cheyenne
From sea to shining sea

Gotta get to Tulsa
First train we can ride
Got to settle one old score
And one small point of pride...

Ain't no place a man can hide, Shannon
Keep him from the sun
Ain't no bed will give us rest, man,
You keep us on the run

Jack Straw from Wichita
Cut his buddy down
Dug for him a shallow grave
And layed his body down

Half a mile from Tucson
By the morning light
One man gone and another to go
My old buddy you're moving much too slow

We can share the women
we can share the wine...

Guitar chords & tabs

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Chord diagrams

Song Insights and Contributions

Curated notes, live performance stats, release history, and moderated member contributions. Longer impressions belong in Comments.

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“Why' look in bed this morning,
Children you find that your brothers and sisters are gone.
I said death don't have no mercy in this land.
Death will go in any family in this land.”
— Death Don’t Have No Mercy by The Grateful Dead

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