Song of the Day: And We Bid You Goodnight

And We Bid You Goodnight by the Grateful Dead. This song was played numerous times by the Grateful Dead to end their shows in the late 60’s and early 70’s and then revived again in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I’m not able to find too much info about the song but it seems to have originated from part of a hymal song call The Christian’s Goodnight which was written as a poem in 1871 and music was added in 1886, andthen through the years morphed into a folk/bluegrass tune. Hymnist Sarah Doudney, who wrote the original poem in 1871, is credited as the lyricist on the Dead’s website and gospel singer and composer Ira Sankey is credited with the music behind the tune. Pretty cool that back in the day the Grateful Dead was closing out their shows with an acapella tune that was about 100 years old.

Thanny