{"id":6285,"date":"2026-10-13T15:24:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=6285"},"modified":"2026-10-13T15:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:24:49","slug":"the-emotional-grateful-dead-song-phil-lesh-penned-for-his-dying-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-emotional-grateful-dead-song-phil-lesh-penned-for-his-dying-father\/","title":{"rendered":"The Emotional Grateful Dead Song Phil Lesh Penned for His Dying Father"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Grateful Dead<\/a> bassist Phil Lesh had been driving daily to visit his father, who was dying of cancer. On these trips to the hospital and later to a nursing home, Lesh started humming a tune that soon became a Grateful Dead classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sent the idea in a fully formed arrangement to Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who couldn\u2019t write the words fast enough. Hunter sent back \u201cBox Of Rain\u201d, which Lesh rehearsed while driving to visit his father. It remains his signature vocal feature with the band. More importantly, it evolved into a kind of rootsy hymn during his father\u2019s last days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Dream We Dreamed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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