• https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-born-cross-eyed
    Greatest Stories Ever Told - “Born Cross-Eyed”

    By David Dodd

    Here’s the plan—each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact—a truly subjective thing. Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time—and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems. (I’ll consider requests for particular songs—just private message me!)

    “Born Cross-Eyed”

    Expecting to find all kinds of strange time signature and key changes, I opened up my copy of The Grateful Dead Anthology to page 21, “Born Cross-Eyed,” words and music by Bob Weir.

    And there is strangeness in the music, for sure, but it is cleverly disguised as a quarter-note triplet rhythm against a steady four-four. Although it is possible that whoever notated the piece simply chose to represent it that way, because whenever the time signature changes from 4/4 to 2/4, it’s notated as a quarter note triplet over the two beats: in other words, really moving into 3/8 or 3/4 time.

    It remains in two sharps throughout (supposedly the key of D), but other than that, it really displays nothing of the characteristics of a piece in the key of D.

    Everything about the arrangement is stretched to the limits of weirdness. The opening rests on the downbeat, followed by the sforzando and decay of the opening chord. The odd accidentals forcing the chord to a C major, and then on to an E major, despite being ostensibly in D. The countervoicings on the second verse, singing in dupal time versus the triple time of the main melody. The plethora of odd chords and voicings.

    Where the heck did this thing come from, I have always wondered? And looking at the music more closely, I wonder it even more. (Although in some ways I have a pretty good idea of “where” it came from. I think I’ve been there.) It’s always been enigmatic to me as a listener. I am really kind of daunted by the idea of ever actually playing it with a band. It’s typical of the complex music that always flowed from the brain of Bob Weir—even when he was 20 years old, as he was when he likely wrote this song.

    There are only a few recorded live performances, according to DeadBase X, but I have learned to be cautious when it comes to relying on DeadBase for stats on early songs. They all date from the first few months of 1968, and 13 performances are listed, beginning with the January 17 show at Eagle’s Auditorium in Seattle, Washington, and ending with the final one on April 3 at Winterland in San Francisco.

    Its recording history has a twist or two. It was released on Anthem of the Sun, and also as the B side of the “Dark Star” single. The single version is virtually the same as the album version, except for an extended bit of feedback beginning at 2:03 and going till the end of the track at 2:55 or so. (The fade at the end goes on for quite awhile—I think you’d need better equipment than mine to know exactly when it’s over....) And Alex Allan’s indispensable Grateful Dead Lyric and Song Finder tells me that the single had a mono mix, where Anthem was in stereo (although it was remixed in the mid-70s, which was the LP I bought, so that the original mix sounds strange to me).

    Anthem of the Sun was released in July 1968. The single was released in April. Confusingly, the single credits The Grateful Dead as the songwriters, while the Anthem label and the Anthology state it’s a Bob Weir song all the way. Guess they fixed that mistake on the album release.

    OK. So, that pause you get hear and there throughout the song? One of those pauses, and I suspect it’s the one right before “My how lovely you are, my dear...” was the place where Weir famously asked for the sound of “thick air” in the silence of the pause. Or maybe it was right before the big final chord came crashing down. Either way, that was the last straw for the harried studio producer Dave Hassinger, who reportedly stormed out of the studio shouting “Thick air! He wants thick air!”

    The studio performance is a virtuoso demonstration in many ways. As noted, the sheer rhythmic complexity is stunning, but the playing overall is tight and complex. And then there’s a point where Phil Lesh breaks out the trumpet on a proto “Spanish Jam” of just six bars! Just insane.

    The big draw here for me is definitely the music—the sheer exhilarating forward motion of it (a sense of motion also captured in “The Other One” during Weir’s part). The words are just fun, it seems to me.

    First, the title itself. I’m fairly certain that Weir was “born cross-eyed,” or with some sort of not-quite straight-ahead parallax in his vision. I’m sure there’s a medically correct term (as well as a more politically correct one, since “cross-eyed” seems pejorative to me....) for Weir’s optical alignment. I’ve read interviews with Weir in which he indicates that he is dyslexic. So it would appear to be a self-reference.

    The song opens with a statement of déjà-vu. “Seems like I’ve been here before...” although it was fuzzy then, and it’s still obscure. And later: “think I’ll come back here again, every now and then.” So it’s a place he can get to on purpose, it sounds like. Hmmm.

    Though there are a couple of literary or song references in the song, I somehow can’t see them as being really germane to the any “meaning” one might ascribe. I mean—“sweet by-and-by”—sure, it’s a phrase used in a song, or in a number of songs (whether or not the song being referenced is any particular one), but does it mean anything because of that? Same with “about the time the sun rises west”—a stock phrase meaning: never. And what is the ball game? And who is he singing to, actually?

    In other words, a very complex, almost unplayable, and either very obscure or very evident in its meaning, and therefore not a great candidate for sustained presence in the repertoire.

    But one thing is certain: this piece is all about the band being in the “transportation business,” as opposed to the entertainment business. I’d love to hear where this piece, or others from this era, has taken you. Maybe to a place you might get back to every now and then...?

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    Jay’sMom
    6 years 2 months ago
    Born Cross Eyed
    Born Cross Eyed was my son’s favorite Dead song. He used it as his email address. He was a talented musician and went to every Dead concert, Further, etc. he could. He understood the music. He met both Phil and Bobby when they were each doing book signings in NJ. And when he passed away on Christmas 2016, one year ago, we had special cards made up with his photo on the front and the Born Crosseyed lyrics on the back. It was unfortunately an OD. But he will always be remembered, not only for the great person he was, but one of the very greatest Dead fans!
  • Default Avatar
    Jay’sMom
    6 years 2 months ago
    Born Cross Eyed
    Born Cross Eyed was my son’s favorite Dead song. He used it as his email address. He was a talented musician and went to every Dead concert, Further, etc. he could. He understood the music. He met both Phil and Bobby when they were each doing book signings in NJ. And when he passed away on Christmas 2016, one year ago, we had special cards made up with his photo on the front and the Born Crosseyed lyrics on the back. It was unfortunately an OD. But he will always be remembered, not only for the great person he was, but one of the very greatest Dead fans!
  • darkstar
    10 years 9 months ago
    Bobby Is Plugged in Backwards
    I recall reading and hearing Bobby say he is dyslexic. At the 9/24/94 Grateful Dead/Phil & Friends show, Jerry quips that Bobby is plugged in backwards.
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14 years 11 months

By David Dodd

Here’s the plan—each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact—a truly subjective thing. Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time—and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems. (I’ll consider requests for particular songs—just private message me!)

“Born Cross-Eyed”

Expecting to find all kinds of strange time signature and key changes, I opened up my copy of The Grateful Dead Anthology to page 21, “Born Cross-Eyed,” words and music by Bob Weir.

And there is strangeness in the music, for sure, but it is cleverly disguised as a quarter-note triplet rhythm against a steady four-four. Although it is possible that whoever notated the piece simply chose to represent it that way, because whenever the time signature changes from 4/4 to 2/4, it’s notated as a quarter note triplet over the two beats: in other words, really moving into 3/8 or 3/4 time.

It remains in two sharps throughout (supposedly the key of D), but other than that, it really displays nothing of the characteristics of a piece in the key of D.

Everything about the arrangement is stretched to the limits of weirdness. The opening rests on the downbeat, followed by the sforzando and decay of the opening chord. The odd accidentals forcing the chord to a C major, and then on to an E major, despite being ostensibly in D. The countervoicings on the second verse, singing in dupal time versus the triple time of the main melody. The plethora of odd chords and voicings.

Where the heck did this thing come from, I have always wondered? And looking at the music more closely, I wonder it even more. (Although in some ways I have a pretty good idea of “where” it came from. I think I’ve been there.) It’s always been enigmatic to me as a listener. I am really kind of daunted by the idea of ever actually playing it with a band. It’s typical of the complex music that always flowed from the brain of Bob Weir—even when he was 20 years old, as he was when he likely wrote this song.

There are only a few recorded live performances, according to DeadBase X, but I have learned to be cautious when it comes to relying on DeadBase for stats on early songs. They all date from the first few months of 1968, and 13 performances are listed, beginning with the January 17 show at Eagle’s Auditorium in Seattle, Washington, and ending with the final one on April 3 at Winterland in San Francisco.

Its recording history has a twist or two. It was released on Anthem of the Sun, and also as the B side of the “Dark Star” single. The single version is virtually the same as the album version, except for an extended bit of feedback beginning at 2:03 and going till the end of the track at 2:55 or so. (The fade at the end goes on for quite awhile—I think you’d need better equipment than mine to know exactly when it’s over....) And Alex Allan’s indispensable Grateful Dead Lyric and Song Finder tells me that the single had a mono mix, where Anthem was in stereo (although it was remixed in the mid-70s, which was the LP I bought, so that the original mix sounds strange to me).

Anthem of the Sun was released in July 1968. The single was released in April. Confusingly, the single credits The Grateful Dead as the songwriters, while the Anthem label and the Anthology state it’s a Bob Weir song all the way. Guess they fixed that mistake on the album release.

OK. So, that pause you get hear and there throughout the song? One of those pauses, and I suspect it’s the one right before “My how lovely you are, my dear...” was the place where Weir famously asked for the sound of “thick air” in the silence of the pause. Or maybe it was right before the big final chord came crashing down. Either way, that was the last straw for the harried studio producer Dave Hassinger, who reportedly stormed out of the studio shouting “Thick air! He wants thick air!”

The studio performance is a virtuoso demonstration in many ways. As noted, the sheer rhythmic complexity is stunning, but the playing overall is tight and complex. And then there’s a point where Phil Lesh breaks out the trumpet on a proto “Spanish Jam” of just six bars! Just insane.

The big draw here for me is definitely the music—the sheer exhilarating forward motion of it (a sense of motion also captured in “The Other One” during Weir’s part). The words are just fun, it seems to me.

First, the title itself. I’m fairly certain that Weir was “born cross-eyed,” or with some sort of not-quite straight-ahead parallax in his vision. I’m sure there’s a medically correct term (as well as a more politically correct one, since “cross-eyed” seems pejorative to me....) for Weir’s optical alignment. I’ve read interviews with Weir in which he indicates that he is dyslexic. So it would appear to be a self-reference.

The song opens with a statement of déjà-vu. “Seems like I’ve been here before...” although it was fuzzy then, and it’s still obscure. And later: “think I’ll come back here again, every now and then.” So it’s a place he can get to on purpose, it sounds like. Hmmm.

Though there are a couple of literary or song references in the song, I somehow can’t see them as being really germane to the any “meaning” one might ascribe. I mean—“sweet by-and-by”—sure, it’s a phrase used in a song, or in a number of songs (whether or not the song being referenced is any particular one), but does it mean anything because of that? Same with “about the time the sun rises west”—a stock phrase meaning: never. And what is the ball game? And who is he singing to, actually?

In other words, a very complex, almost unplayable, and either very obscure or very evident in its meaning, and therefore not a great candidate for sustained presence in the repertoire.

But one thing is certain: this piece is all about the band being in the “transportation business,” as opposed to the entertainment business. I’d love to hear where this piece, or others from this era, has taken you. Maybe to a place you might get back to every now and then...?

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Expecting to find all kinds of strange time signature and key changes, I opened up my copy of The Grateful Dead Anthology to page 21, “Born Cross-Eyed,” words and music by Bob Weir.

And there is strangeness in the music, for sure, but it is cleverly disguised as a quarter-note triplet rhythm against a steady four-four. Although it is possible that whoever notated the piece simply chose to represent it that way, because whenever the time signature changes from 4/4 to 2/4, it’s notated as a quarter note triplet over the two beats: in other words, really moving into 3/8 or 3/4 time.

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The first Grateful Dead album I listened to. My brother turned me on to Anthem of the Sun in fall of 1968. I love Phil's trumpet work at the end of the song. The lyrics have a 60s cliché style. I love it. Speaking of Bob Weir being born cross eyed and dyslexic his fingers are double jointed. No shit, he showed that to me and a friend at the "Old and in the Way"(he did not play) show at Keystone Berkeley in July of 1973. It was FREAKY but as the bumper sticker said, "when the going gets strange Weir turns pro". All due respect, love ya Bobby. " Sweet bye and bye , Bye and bye.... "comin' around in a circle"

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One of my all-time favorites..... If you could distill acid into a two-minute song, this is it. I used to fantasize about them busting this out in the 80's.... Finally got to see most of the boys play it--and Bob sing it!--on New Year's '03 (my only New Year's show), along with some other long-wished-for gems of that era (High Green Chilly Winds, Mountains of the Moon). I know we're supposed to prefer the original, extra-trippy mix to Anthem, but the one improvement on the remix (the vinyl I first heard) was the big, phat chord to end Born Cross-Eyed, which isn't on the old (or the cd) mix. Love the cut-in of sonic feedback on the single version, too......did anyone else happen upon that exact feedback segment on Dick's 22/ King's Beach Bowl? I was grinning ear to ear when I heard that. Once in awhile the time-door to the mysterious, only glimpsed past opens wider and you get to stay a little longer.... That's what I love about releases like Dave's 6 (the bonus show 12/21/69 especially). Anyway......... Born Cross-Eyed. Acid-rock classic. They played it for so short a span that it really does take you straight to, and only to, their rawest moment of psychedelic exploration. No rolling, mellow '73 versions of this tune..! Takes me back to my first year of immersing in the Dead, our friend Steve popped Anthem on one "sunny" afternoon after a long wander in the meadow, and....instantly canonical.
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Bub Weird really broke the mold on this one. Jerry must have been a very democratic mood the day he agreed to put this piece of music on their album. And also the 'B' side of Dark Star. I have always loved this tune. I never get tired of it. Imagine if it became hugely popular instead of Dark Star? We'd all be drooling over 45 minute versions of it on the Europe 72 tour. But it was never meant to be, Jerry was the star of this unit. Can't comment on the time signatures and such as I'm not a musician but the lyrics are an obvious allegory of an acid trip, now that acid had become illegal. The music outdoes the strangeness of the words. Hence the famous freakout of the producer Hassinger. (Who, it was originally related, seemed to be asking no one in particular, in disbelief, about "thick air" as he walked out of the studio - not doing a full-blown mad freakout). How this ever got produced in a studio is beyond me. Another reason to thank Phil & Bob for Furthur is that you get to hear this from time to time when it comes up on the Furthur juke. You want to know how bizarre this song is? Lash together the last lines of each verse: Bye and bye Bye and bye Every now and then From time to time By and by By and by Special thanks for this one, Bob, and glad to hear you're feeling better. And thanks to Mr. Dodd for reproducing the cover of the single in color. It seems to be from the same series of photos (n Napa?) that the back side of the album Aoxomxoa had in black & white. To this day my favorite group photos of the band.
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this is the one that truly got me on the bus-I bought the first album upon its release-yeah I am that old-and enjoyed it but it wasn't the highlight to me of the "San Francisco" sound and scene as it was developing to me-i was more in the Airplane camp at that point(and Quicksilver Messenger Service) although there was a nagging something about the Dead-esp. "Morning Dew" and "Viola Lee Blues". When Anthem came out that sort of opened my little brain at that time to the possibilities and this "song" was certainly one of the "weir"dest. The rest is history as they say. Aoxomoxoa was certainly the icing on the cake.
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on a tunebox the morning after partying all night on the Rose Parade route in Pasadena 82-83. Pre-recorded cassette of Anthem of the Sun. Yummy. I also recall the end chord on another occasion... "Think I'll come back here again every now and then, from time to time." HA. I've never left. Thank you for the single artwork. AND...On the CD version I have of Anthem, there is no end chord. Guess what I plan to listen to this weekend?
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Hey, I thought this song was about me, if I listen to the lyrics, it's not. It's still a good, but different, song and I like it, no matter what audio mix or live performance you're listening to, it appeals to me. I picked this as my dead.net screen name because I really was born with an inverted "lazy" eye, so that's the reason I use borncrosseyed56 as my name. "56" refers to the year of my birth. Great story, Dave, Thanks!Joel.
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After reading this post I realized that the order of the Grateful Dead albums that I purchased are almost in chronologic order...Its hard to remember the exact order but I know that I had Workingman's Dead, Aoxomoxoa, and Anthem of the Sun first (besides SITC). I remember my buddy who helped me get into the GD really liked Born Cross-Eyed. I never hated it, but it really takes me back thinking about him getting down to this song. I should probably mention that I started collecting Grateful Dead albums in 1995. For anyone listening to the band since the 60's probably got most of the albums in chronological order...obviously.
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14 years 3 months
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Is what I have listed as the first known performance. It's hard to say with DeadBase as David said. The list does look like album work. Certainly not a live performance in a studio...
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16 years 4 months
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The biggest disappointment for me, it that on most of all the live versions available, the tape runs out. Usually, at the beginning of the song.
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Grateful Dead playing Chuck Berry is far from my favorite thing they do but the "Around and Around" from May 11th is killer! And the Brokedown Palace with Keith on organ...priceless!
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Born Cross-Eyed reminds me of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. It has the same kind of weirded out innocence and playfulness. It was never destined to be one of the most covered Grateful Dead songs, that is for sure.

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For anyone interested in such things, RE: the single version of Born Cross-Eyed, found on the What A Long Strange Trip It's Been compilation, and as a hidden track on the remastered Anthem cd ~ The live feedback jam that breaks in and fades out at the end can be found in full here: Dick's Picks 22 (Lake Tahoe 2/23 & 24/68), the last song on disc 2--"Feedback," you guessed it--starting around 38 seconds in or so. From there, it's quickly unmistakable.
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Thanks all who have pointed out all the various factoids surrounding this song. And I am very glad for the versions that have appeared post-GD. This is a fun one to hear live.
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I recall reading and hearing Bobby say he is dyslexic. At the 9/24/94 Grateful Dead/Phil & Friends show, Jerry quips that Bobby is plugged in backwards.
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Born Cross Eyed was my son’s favorite Dead song. He used it as his email address. He was a talented musician and went to every Dead concert, Further, etc. he could. He understood the music. He met both Phil and Bobby when they were each doing book signings in NJ. And when he passed away on Christmas 2016, one year ago, we had special cards made up with his photo on the front and the Born Crosseyed lyrics on the back. It was unfortunately an OD. But he will always be remembered, not only for the great person he was, but one of the very greatest Dead fans!
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6 years 2 months
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Born Cross Eyed was my son’s favorite Dead song. He used it as his email address. He was a talented musician and went to every Dead concert, Further, etc. he could. He understood the music. He met both Phil and Bobby when they were each doing book signings in NJ. And when he passed away on Christmas 2016, one year ago, we had special cards made up with his photo on the front and the Born Crosseyed lyrics on the back. It was unfortunately an OD. But he will always be remembered, not only for the great person he was, but one of the very greatest Dead fans!