Fire on the Mountain

Grateful Dead

About Fire on the Mountain

"Fire on the Mountain" is a song by the Grateful Dead. It was written by lyricist Robert Hunter and composed by drummer Mickey Hart. It was commercially released on the album Shakedown Street in November 1978. An earlier instrumental version titled "Happiness is Drumming" appeared in 1976 on Mickey Hart's album Diga with the Diga Rhythm Band. Prior to the Dead recording, the song premiered at a concert on March 18, 1977 in San Francisco. It would often be paired with "Scarlet Begonias" during live performances, producing lengthy musical excursions. The paired songs were soon nicknamed "Scarlet Fire". One notable performance of the paired "Scarlet Begonias"/"Fire On The Mountain", at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on May 8, 1977, lasted for a total of 25 minutes and 50 seconds."Fire on the Mountain" was performed in concert by the Grateful Dead 253 times between 1977 and 1995. It appears on numerous Grateful Dead albums. An outtake of the song appeared as a bonus track on the 2004 reissue of Terrapin Station. 


Year:
2003
12:53
80 
#1

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?
Get up, get out, get out of the door
Your playin' cold music on the barroom floor
Drowned in your laughter and dead to the core.
There's a dragon with matches that's loose on the town
Takes a whole pail of water just to cool him down.

Fire! fire on the mountain!
Almost ablaze still you don't feel the heat
It takes all you got just to stay on the beat.
You say it's a livin', we all gotta eat
But you're here alone, there's no one to compete.
If mercy's a business, i wish it for you
More than just ashes when your dreams come true.

Fire! fire on the mountain!
Long distance runner, what you holdin' out for?
Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door.
The flame from your stage has now spread to the floor
You gave all you had. why you want to give more?
The more that you give, the more it will take
To the thin line beyond which you really can't fake.

Fire! fire on the mountain!

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com


Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long musical improvisation. "Their music," writes Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists." These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world." They were ranked 57th in the issue The Greatest Artists of all Time by Rolling Stone magazine. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their Barton Hall Concert at Cor… more »

10 fans

Written by: Michael S. Hart, Robert C. Christie Hunter

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


11 facts about this song

Song Evolution
"Fire on the Mountain" by Grateful Dead initially began as a Mickey Hart solo song. It first appeared on his 1972 album, "Rolling Thunder."
Production Details
In its early stages, the song had no words. It was Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead's primary lyricist, who later added lyrics to it.
Performance Launch
"Fire on the Mountain" was first performed live by Grateful Dead in 1976.
Frequent Appearances
Since its first live performance, "Fire on the Mountain" started to regularly appear in Grateful Dead's sets.
Pairing with Another Track
Often when performed live, "Fire on the Mountain" was paired with another Grateful Dead song, "Scarlet Begonias," in a medley referred to as "Scarlet/Fire."
Album Inclusion
The studio version of "Fire on the Mountain" appeared on the "Shakedown Street" album, which Grateful Dead released in 1978.
Legacy
Despite not being a commercial hit, the song gained cult popularity over the years, becoming one of the staples of Grateful Dead's live shows.
Cover Versions
Many artists have covered "Fire on the Mountain," and it has gained its own following independent of Grateful Dead's fanbase due to its catchy beat and profound lyrics.
References in Popular Culture
The song, specifically its refrain, "Fire! Fire on the Mountain!" was referenced in popular culture, including Stephen King's novel "The Stand."
Song Renditions
Besides Grateful Dead's version, Mickey Hart also recorded an instrumental version for his album, "Fire on the Mountain: Mickey Hart's Mystery Box," in 1996.
Mickey Hart's Perspective
According to Mickey Hart, the song came to him in a dream where he saw a mountain in flames during a thunderstorm. He woke up and immediately started composing the tune that would eventually become "Fire on the Mountain."

Discuss the Fire on the Mountain Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Fire on the Mountain Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6587676/Grateful+Dead/Fire+on+the+Mountain>.

    Missing lyrics by Grateful Dead?

    Know any other songs by Grateful Dead? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    Fire on the Mountain

    4.3M
    18,967     914

    more tracks from the album

    Dick's Picks Volume 29: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA,

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    Who wrote a number of songs for their debut album about love and break ups?
    A Olivia Rodrigo
    B Ava Max
    C John Legend
    D Anne Marie

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Grateful Dead tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!

    Movies soundtrack

    Fire on the Mountain

    »