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Alligator
Composer: Ron McKernan / Phil Lesh / Robert Hunter
Alligator was the first song released by the Grateful Dead to include lyrics by Robert Hunter. He spoke about sending them the lyrics in an interview:
I moved out to New Mexico to be an artist about the time the Dead really started. I wrote Alligator and China Cat Sunflower, and I knew they had a rock 'n' roll band so I mailed them up.
The notes for the song in Box Of Rain: Lyrics 1965-1993 include;
Pigpen added lyrics of his own to Alligator and I've presented it here with his turns of phrase intact.
Alligator was probably first performed by the Grateful Dead in January 1967. It was then played fairly regularly through to the early months of 1970. After the Spring of 1970 the song was performed a couple of times in the Summer of 1970, once in the Fall of that year and, for the final time, in April 1971.

Grateful Dead

info Anthem Of The Sun, 1968
info The Sound of Today and Tomorrow, Various Artists, 1969
info The Grateful Dead / Anthem Of The Sun, 1976?
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 4, 1996
info Best Of The Grateful Dead Hour, 2000
info Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Grateful Dead, 2000
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 22, 2001
info The Golden Road (1965-1973), 2001
info Anthem Of The Sun, 2003 expanded CD (inc an extra version)
info Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings, 2005
info Fillmore West 1969: Compilation, 2005
info Two From The Vault, 2006 (expanded edition)
info Road Trips: Vol 2, No 2: Feb 14, 1968, Carousel Ballroom, 2009
info Road Trips: Vol 4, No 1: Big Rock Pow Wow 69, 2010
info Complete Studio Albums Collection, 2013
info Complete Live Rarities Collection, 2013
info Dave's Picks Vol 10: Los Angeles, 12/12/69, 2014
info 30 Trips Around The Sun Box Set, 2015
info Shrine Exp. Hall, Los Angeles, CA 11/10/1967, 2016
info Anthem Of The Sun (50th An. Deluxe Ed.), 2018
info Dave's Picks Bonus CD 2019
info Aoxomoxoa (50th Anniv. Edition), 2019
info Fillmore West 1969: Feb 28th, 2019
info Fillmore West 1969: March 2nd, 2023

The Dead

info Columbia, MD, June 18, 2003
info Vernon, NY, June 29, 2003
info Morrison, CO, July 11, 2003
info George, WA, September 21, 2003
info Morrison, CO, June 16, 2004
info Salt Lake City, UT, June 29, 2004
info Hartford, CT, August 3, 2004
info Camden, NJ, August 7, 2004
info Dead '09: Worcester, MA April 19, 2009
info Dead '09: Philadelphia, PA, May 1, 2009

Phil Lesh & Friends

info May 28, 2016, Port Chester, NY, 2016

  
Other recordings

info Songs Of Their Own, Various Artists, 2015
info Lane Plays Dead, Lane Steinberg, 2021

Furthur

info Feb 17, 2010, Buffalo, NY
info Feb 26, 2010, Uncasville, CT
info Mar 6, 2010, Denver, CO
info May 29, 2010, Angels Camp, CA
info July 3, 2010, Herkimer, NY
info July 11, 2010, Philadelphia, PA
info July 29, 2010, New York, NY
info September 21, 2010, Los Angeles, CA
info November 12, 2010, Chicago, IL
info November 19, 2010, Worcester, MA
info December 31, 2010, San Francisco, CA
info March 6, 2011, Boston, MA
info March 17, 2011, Fairfax, VA
info March 26, 2011, New York, NY
info July 28, 2011, Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
info Sept 28, 2011, West Valley City, UT
info Nov 11, 2011, Syracuse, NY
info April 9, 2012, New York, NY
info April 20, 2012, Live Oak
info July 14, 2012, Brooklyn, NY
info September 23, 2012, Morrison, CO
info October 4, 2012, Las Vegas, NV
info April 21, 2013, Port Chester, NY
info July 18, 2013, Boston, MA
  album cover

album cover

album cover