I’ve spent an enormous amount of time in the past week listening to the Grateful Dead’s song Box of Rain. It is one of the few songs both written and sung by bassist Phil Lesh who passed away a week ago. Lesh, of course, wrote the music. It was the amazing Robert Hunter who wrote the lyrics.
The story is that Lesh was driving back and forth to visit his dad who was dying of cancer and he came up with the music on the drive, shared it with Hunter and Hunter wrote the lyrics as a song Phil could sing to his dying father.
Hunter later said “If ever a lyric ‘wrote itself,’ this did—as fast as the pen would pull.”
And the song feels like that. Not to belittle the obvious and amazing genius of both Lesh and Hunter, but this song feels like it was pulled from a holy place.
Because what is more holy than being there for someone who is preparing to pass from this world into whatever comes next?
In another twist of divine intervention, it ended up being the last song ever played in concert by the band, on July 9, 1995 (just before Jerry died). Thus, the last words sung by the Grateful Dead were, “Such a long, long time to be gone, and such a short time to be there.”
I love that Phil sang Box of Rain instead of Bobby or Jerry. Phil with his highly imperfect vocals.
It is a song that begs to be sung imperfectly.
Because when we are with someone facing such pain and difficulty, the best we can offer is imperfection. It is all we have.
After quickly establishing the setting, the song humbly asks “What do you want me to do; to do for you to see you through?” It asks that honest, humble, and loving question four more times before the end of the song.
So just as the singing is imperfect, the words are also unsure. We don’t know what is the right thing to do for someone who is on a very difficult path- a path that is all their own. We can guess what they would want. We can guess what we would want. We can ask.
But when it comes right down to it, all we can do is give what we have. And what we have is our company. What we have is our presence.
Phil can sit by his dying dad. I can sit by my dying mother-in-law, as I did just eight months ago. I can sit by mom as she gets her cancer treatments every three weeks, as I do right now. And I can sit by her in three weeks when we find out if any of this worked or it there will be a different kind of sitting to do, much sooner than I want.
So yes, Box of Rain speaks to me not only because Phil just left us but also because it has been such a part of my life in the last year.
But it isn’t just the time that I spent with my mother and mother-in-law and the time we see coming soon with my father-in-law.
It is also the time I spend with all of you. And the time you spend with me.
Because the end of life is not the only challenge we face, even if it is the most dramatic.
Together, you and me, we have faced awful struggles in the past eight years.
And Box of Rain also speaks to me about what we have been through during this time and what an amazing, difficult, flawed, and fortunate thing it has been for me to write these GNR for the last 8 years and to be in here in community with all of you.
I have been giving you, every week, my best, imperfect, and always out of tune Box of Rain. And you have been giving it right back.
And, it occurs to me that, in a way, we may soon see the end of this particular struggle.
When I write to you again in a week, I hope and pray — and have every reason to believe -- that Kamala Harris will have been elected the new President of the United States of America.
Of course, we can’t know anything for sure. Anything can happen. I have no crystal ball.
But there is reason to think that the next time we see one another, things will be very different. Although we will have not defeated Trumpism, we may very well have defeated trump.
He won’t run again.
And though there will still be struggles and dangers — please don’t think that I am ignoring that -- that particular awful man will no longer be the threat that he was.
And that is something. That is something huge.
So, coming up on this momentous election makes me think about all of us and what we have done here and what this has meant to me. What it has meant to me to deliver this Box of Rain — this box of optimism and love and fellowship — in the vague hopes that this imperfect and highly flawed offering will mean something and will make your journey just a little easier and just a little less lonely.
I think of all of you here at the start of the song:
Look out of any window
Any morning, any evening, any day
Maybe the sun is shining
Birds are winging or rain is falling from a heavy sky.
It reminds me of all of us — each in a different town, city, or village; sitting in our homes or cars or workplaces, each of our days and lives different, each of our places different, our weather different...
but all of us here together.
What do you want me to do
To do for you to see you through?
For this is all a dream we dreamed
One afternoon long ago
And this plea, that I feel so deep inside me. What could I do, all these years, to make you feel just a little better? How can I see you through this hard time we all face together? What do you want me to do? How can we save one another?
For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago.
Walk out of any doorway
Feel your way, feel your way like the day before
Maybe you’ll find direction
Around some corner where it’s been waiting to meet you
What do you want me to do
To watch for you while you’re sleeping?
Then please don’t be surprised
When you find me dreaming too
And there we are, feeling our way through a difficult and often heartbreaking eight years. Maybe we’ll find direction? Around some corner where it’s been waiting to meet you.
Maybe, together, we can feel our way through difficult times.
And when you read my words don’t be surprised to find me reading with you. Because whatever I have given you, you have given me back X1000
Look into any eyes you find by you
You can see clear through to another day
Maybe it’s been seen before through other eyes
On other days while going home
What do you want me to do
To do for you to see you through?
It’s all a dream we dreamed
One afternoon long ago
Look into any eyes — and other person — those eyes can help you see to one more day.
That is what we are all here for. To find the eyes of another who can give us the community and encouragement to keep going. You have all done that for me. Time and time again.
Together — we have gone though this together — the dream we have dreamed.
Walk into splintered sunlight
Inch your way through dead dreams to another land
Maybe you’re tired and broken
Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken
And thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do
To do for you to see you through?
Maybe you’re tired and broken. Thoughts unclear. Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken.
We all have been, right? Broken. Tired.
But together.
Wanting to help one another.
Helping one another.
A box of rain will ease the pain
And love will see you through
Just a box of rain, wind and water
Believe it if you need it
If you don’t, just pass it on
Sun and shower, wind and rain
In and out the window
Like a moth before a flame
And here it is — the hope! What we give one another! A Box of Rain. A world with all of us together.
I have these words for you. I’ve had them so many times. And you can take them or leave them. It is up to you.
And you offer words too. To me. To one another. More precious than gold.
Remember — a box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through.
And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there
And that, for me, is what I have tried to give you these last years.
A Box of Rain.
Imperfect and frequently out of tune, but full of love.
It’s just a box of rain or a ribbon for your hair.
Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there.
.
I love you all so much.
And this, although it might read like it, is a not a goodbye.
Win or lose, I’ll be here next Saturday. I’m betting to celebrate, but, if need be, to commiserate and regroup.
But because I am banking on celebrate, and because Phil just passed, and because my brain and body are full of this song, I wanted to use it to celebrate what we have done here in 8 years. The Box of Rain we have created -— all of us together — and the home that we share.
I am so lucky and so proud to be in this with all of you.
As you read this, I am in PA facilitating canvassers. If you haven’t found ways to do all you can in these all important last days before the election, go here and find something:
go.kamalaharris.com
or go here to make calls from your home:
go.kamalaharris.com/calls
Do it right now. We’ll wait.
You will remember, for the rest of your life, what you do right now to help us win.
Because, with your help:
We Can Win!!!!!
As Simon Rosenberg says, we haven’t won yet, but we are winning.
For us football fans, two minutes left on the clock and we have the ball.
In other words, it is in our hands. We are the ones with the great candidates. We are the ones with the ground game. We are the ones with the enthusiasm. We have everything we need to execute this flawlessly.
We can win this.
You don’t want to be like Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. In last week’s game against the Washington Commanders, he was taunting the Washington Commanders crowd at the end of the game, just seconds before the team gave up a last-second Hail Mary touchdown, leading to a stunning 18-15 loss. Instead of having his head in the game, he was being a jackass and he not only missed the start of the play but he was the one who tipped the ball that allowed Jayden Daniels to complete a 52-yard hail Mary on the final play of the game.
Don’t be Tyrique Stevenson. (apologies to Bears fans for opening this wound. Love, a Bills fan — been there, felt that).
We work, and we work hard until the final vote is counted.
Until Madam President is sworn in.
What can you do?
Vote. Make sure people you know vote (and vote for her).
Log into go.kamalaharris.com and find something that fits with your skillset in these last few days.
You will remember what you did (or didn’t do) on these last few days for the rest of your life.
You will tell your grandchildren what you did to save democracy.
From a PA volunteer coordinator:
The awe inspiring part is that there are literally millions of us, in a huge energized and networked movement, coming together with the clear intention of preserving and creating a brighter and more secure future. Some are ground warriors knocking on doors, or communicators talking to family and acquaintances, or supporters baking cookies for local headquarters. This is our finest moment!
Do you need some optimism to motivate you? Are you here looking for a Box of Rain filled with optimism? Here is is (click each link if you want more info):
Twenty-five reasons for optimism.
- The vice president could not be doing more to make her case to the American people.
- Donald Trump’s Racist NYC Rally Was Political Suicide
- Trump’s Puerto Rico fallout is ‘spreading like wildfire’ in Pennsylvania
- Kamala Harris' Crowd Size Crushes Previous Record With Ellipse Speech
- Nikki Haley: Trump’s ‘Overly Masculine’ Campaign Is Blowing It
- Kamala Harris’ D.C. Crowd Dwarfs What Trump Had on Jan. 6
- Dems see signs for optimism in gender gap in early vote
- Republicans lose back-to-back rulings in swing state lawsuits
- America’s economy just achieved the rare feat of a soft landing
- Private sector added twice as many jobs as expected in October
- The Blowout No One Sees Coming
- Voter enthusiasm is high, with Democrats more enthusiastic than Republicans
- Harris is the future. Trump is the past. And on Election Day, American voters will embrace that change.
- LeBron Invokes Civil Rights Struggle While Endorsing Harris
- Trump’s Access Hollywood tape recirculates on TikTok as Gen Z hear shocking comments for the first time
- Trump Allies Issue Warning That He Could Lose Critical Battleground State
- Trump lagging in early vote with seniors in Pennsylvania, a red flag for GOP
- Harris has forged a powerful united front against Trumpism.
- The Democratic Party is strong and united. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in such good shape.
- Harris and the Democratic Party have the stronger ground game, by far
- The Democratic Party has the superior candidates down ballot.
- Harris has the superior vice-presidential candidate and a strong stable of charismatic surrogates pulling in huge crowds of their own in all seven swing states. Trump has nothing like this.
- Harris Aides Quietly Grow More Bullish on Defeating Trump
- Trump needs this group to turn out. So far, they haven't
25. and finally this from Jennifer Rubin
I also remain optimistic about any post-election fight. Republicans’ pre-election litigations have consistently failed. Unlike 2020, voters in 2024 can rely on a reformed Electoral Count Act to provide further protection against a coup (e.g., empowering governers to issue the certification, raising the threshold for challenges in Congress). In addition, the Justice Department and local law enforcement are prepared for any violence (on Election Day and on Jan. 6, 2025). And certification refusal is not the magic bullet MAGA Republicans imagine.
Despite Republican disinformation, the election system is safe, secure and accurate. And outside the swamplands of right-wing media, Republicans cannot overturn results in court without replete evidence of widespread fraud.
Americans need to retain perspective, muster up patience, let the vote counting proceed, avoid bestowing MAGA legal challenges credibility they do not deserve and insist on bipartisan recognition of the winner. We can do this, America.
Let’s do this!
Go to go.kamalaharris.com if you need ideas for these last days.
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
