When Robert Hunter passed away last September, Grateful Dead fans worldwide mourned. Hunter was the lyrical genius behind many of the Dead’s most beloved songs including “Lady With A Fan”/”Terrapin Station”, “Friend of the Devil”, “Brown Eyed Women”, “Eyes of the World”, “Casey Jones”, “Brokedown Palace”, and many, many more.
While his exploits as Jerry Garcia‘s songwriting partner have been widely noted, Hunter was not just the lyrical mind behind so many Grateful Dead classics. Following Garcia’s death in 1995, Hunter wrote material with several musicians including David Nelson, a longtime collaborator with both Garcia and Hunter.
Over the years, Hunter and Nelson worked together quite often. Nelson’s band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, used many of Hunter’s lyrics on several albums. In fact, Hunter even came up with the name “Riders of the Purple Sage” before Nelson added “New.” While many of the lyrics did end up on studio releases, some did not.
“Movin’ Right Along” was one of those songs. Though it was recorded in 2016 with the David Nelson Band and has been played live consistently by the band, the song never made it onto an album. In the months following Hunter’s death, Nelson listened to the song and realized its relevance to current events. Paying homage to the iconic lyricist, the David Nelson Band recently shared the 2016 recording of “Movin’ Right Along”.
Related: Remembering Grateful Dead Lyricist Robert Hunter With Some Of His Finest Lines
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nelson explained his reasoning for releasing the song. “It impressed me how timely it was. It fits in with what’s happening now,” Nelson explained with regard to the current conflict in the Middle East. “‘Loaded my gun and went to war/Movin’ right along/I shot left and I shot right, now listen to my song.’ Boy, that just stunned me in terms of how current it was.”
Listen to the unheard Robert Hunter lyrics in “Movin’ Right Along” by the David Nelson Band below.
David Nelson Band – “Movin’ Right Along”
[Video: David Nelson Band]
Fans looking for an opportunity to hear the newly released song live can catch the David Nelson Band on tour this spring. They currently have dates scheduled in California and Hawaii through April. Head to their official website for more information.
[H/TÂ Rolling Stone]