"Ripple," the Greatful Dead

First, thanks so much for this fascinating concept. I've never heard such an eclectic collection of great music anywhere, and each song played seems astonishingly right for the theme.

Although I'm a very avid classical music enthusiast and WQXR listener, my tastes spread far beyond the classics, and I admit to being a bit of a "Deadhead." The song "Ripple" is my favorite Grateful Dead song for several reasons, and I'll explain what is, for me, its 9/11 connection.

Until recently, I lived in Jersey City with one of my best-ever friends, Scotty - who has to be one of the world's biggest "Deadheads," and whose favorite Dead song was "Ripple". Over the course of attending concerts and listening to records with Scotty, this song eventually became my favorite Dead song as well. I even performed a version of the song on stage a few years ago at a round-robin at Peoples Music Network, a folk music festival upstate, near Woodstock.

Scotty was dating a girl named Mitsy for about three years. Mitsy had been a 9/11 survivor; she had just happened to be on her way to the observation deck on that fateful day. (I happened to have jury duty on the same day, but that's quite another story.) She emerged unharmed physically but had a host of emotional issues that required treatment and understanding. Getting to know Mitsy over time gave me an empathy and an understanding for 9/11 survivors, along with their familes and friends, that I otherwise would have missed. I consider myself most fortunate to have the opportunity to know her and am pleased to report that she has made a great deal of progress towards overcoming the painful emotional scars incurred on that tragic day.

Whenever I hear "Ripple," I think of Scott and Mitsy, and I know that it will alway leads my mind back to the events of 9/11.

Like all Jerry Garcia-Robert Hunter compositions, the lyrics are a bit rambling and can be taken to mean many things to many people. But I think the imagery conveyed in the chorus, "Ripple in still water / Where there is no pebble tosseed, nor wind to blow" certainly conveys both the uncanny calm of that now infamous morning, and can also refer to the soon-to-be opened reflecting pools. The latter theme can also be found in the lyric, "Let it be known there is a fountain / That was not made by the hands of men."

The lyric, "There is a road, no simple highway/ Between the dawn and the dark of night/ And if you go no one may follow/ That path is for your steps alone" speaks to the loneliness and isolation we all face from time to time, but must be particularly acute in 9/11 survivors.

Finally, musically speaking, "Ripple" has got to be one of the most peaceful songs I know of. It's a testament to the greatness of the song that it can invoke imagery both terribly painful and almost blissfully peaceful.

So that's my request. I never thought I'd hear the Grateful Dead on any stream associated with WQXR, but it seems quite appropriate, and certainly qualifies as classic (if not classical) music.

Thank you very much.

Rick Libert
Union City, Indiana

Rick Libert