Home
Terrapin Station
Composer: Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter

Terrapin Station was first performed by the Grateful Dead in February 1977. In total the Grateful Dead played the song over 300 times between 1977 and 1995.

The Terrapin Suite that appears on the original album is part 1 of the full Terrapin Station suite. On the album Terrapin Station is split into 7 parts: Lady With A Fan; Terrapin Station; Terrapin; Terrapin Transit; At A Siding; Terrapin Flyer and Refrain. In performance the Grateful Dead generally played Lady With A Fan and Terrapin Station as a single entity and this is usually simply described as Terrapin Station on setlists. Recordings below include those of the full part 1, the Lady With A Fan > Terrapin Station pairing and performances of just one of the parts.

In an interview in 1991 Garcia spoke about song writing and, briefly, Terrapin;

Well I don't write them [songs] unless I absolutely have to. I don't wake up in the morning and say 'Jeez, I feel great today. I think I'll write a song.' I mean, anything is more interesting to me than writing a song. It's like, 'I think I'd like to write a song .... No, I guess I better go feed the cat first.' You know what I mean? It's like pulling teeth. I don't enjoy it a bit.

I don't think I've ever actually written from inspiration, actually had a song just go bing! I only recall that happening to me twice; once was with Terrapin and the other was Wharf Rat. I mean that's twice in a lifetime of writing.

In an open letter to Garcia written in 1996, a year after Garcia's death, Robert Hunter wrote:
Terrapin. Shame about the record, but the concert piece, the first night it was played, took me about as close as I ever expect to get to feeling certain we were doing what we were put here to do.


Grateful Dead

info Terrapin Station, 1977
info Single (Dancing In The Streets / Terrapin Station), Grateful Dead, 1977
info Single (Passenger / Terrapin Station), Grateful Dead, 1977
info Arista World Pop, Various Artists, 1977?
info So Far, 1987 (Lady With A Fan)
info Max Weinberg Presents: Let There Be Drums, Vol. 3, Various Artists, 1994 (Terrapin Flyer only)
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 3, 1995
info Dozin' At The Knick, 1996
info The Arista Years, 1996
info Ticket to New Year's, 1996
info Terrapin Station (Limited Edition), 1997
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 10, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 15, 1999
info So Many Roads (1965-1995), 1999
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 17, 2000
info View From The Vault, 2000
info View From The Vault (DVD), 2000
info Best Of The Grateful Dead Hour, 2000
info View From The Vault III, 2002
info View From The Vault III (DVD), 2002
info View From The Vault IV, 2003
info View From The Vault IV (DVD), 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 29, 2003
info The Closing of Winterland, 2003
info The Closing of Winterland (DVD), 2003
info Beyond Description, 2004
info Truckin' Up To Buffalo, 2005
info Truckin' Up To Buffalo (DVD), July 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Vol. 1: 4/30/77, 2005
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 1: Fall 1979, 2007
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 2: October 1977, 2008
info Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978: Bonus CD, 2008
info Road Trips Download: Philadelphia, Nov 6, 1979, 2008
info To Terrapin: Hartford '77, 2009
info Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings, 2009
info Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings Bonus CD, 2009
info Road Trips: Vol 3, Number 1: Oakland Dec 28, 1979, 2009
info Road Trips: Vol 3, Number 4: Penn State/Cornell, 1980, 2010
info Road Trips: Vol 4, Number 2: April Fool's '88, 2011
info Road Trips: Vol 4, No. 4: Spectrum 4.6.82, 2011
info Spring 1990 (box set), 2012
info May 1977 (box set), 2013
info Dave's Picks Vol 7: Normal, 4/24/78, 2013
info Complete Studio Albums Collection, 2013
info Dave's Picks Vol 12: Hamilton, 11/4/77, 2014
info The Best Of The Grateful Dead, 2015
info 30 Trips Around The Sun Box Set, 2015
info Capitol Theatre, 4/25/77, 2016
info July 1978 Complete, 2016
info Red Rocks: 7/8/78, 2016
info May 1977: Get Shown the Light, 2017
info Dave's Picks Vol 23: Eugene, 1/22/78, 2017
info July 12 & 13, 1989, Washington, DC, 2017
info Dave's Picks Vol 29: San Bernardino, 2/26/77, 2019
info Dave's Picks Vol 31: Chicago, 12/3/79, 2019
info Singles Collection, Vol. 13: Dancing In The Streets / Terrapin Station, 2000
info Singles Collection, Vol. 14: Passenger / Terrapin Station, 2000
info Dave's Picks Vol 35: Philadelphia, 4/20/1984, 2020
info The Story Of The Grateful Dead, 2020
info Dave's Picks Vol 37: Williamsburg, 4/15/1978, 2021
info Dave's Picks Vol 40 Deer Creek, 7/18&19/90, 2021
info Dave's Picks Vol 41: Baltimore, 5/26/77, 2022
info In and Out of the Garden: '81, '82, '83, 2022
info Boston 5/7/77, 2023
info Dave's Picks Vol 47 St. Louis, 12/9/79, 2023

Fare Thee Well shows 2015

info Fare Thee Well July 3, 4 & 5 2015 Complete Box, 2015
info Fare Thee Well July 5, 2015

Bruce Hornsby (usually just Lady With A Fan)

info Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Various Artists, 1996
info Furthur More, Various Artists, 1997
info Here Come The Noisemakers, 2000
info July 11, 2002, Salt Lake City, UT
info July 21, 2002, Kalamazoo, MI
info October 15, 2004, Portsmouth VA

Other recordings

info Play Terrapin Station, Mudkats, 1996
info Deadbeats Acoustic, Deadbeats, 1996
info Pickin' On The Grateful Dead, Various Artists, 1997 (Lady With A Fan)
info Terrapin, Joe Gallant and Illuminati, 1999
info Long Strange Trip: Swingin' and Pickin' on the Grateful Dead, Various Artists, 2001 (Lady With A Fan)
info Solo Acoustic, David Gans, 2001
info Great Sky River, Jazz Is Dead, 2001
info Live At The Powerhouse, David Gans, 2003
info Thunder And Lightnin', Dark Star Orchestra, 2003
info 06/11/05, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, TN, Gov't Mule, 2005
info 07/01/05, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, Gov't Mule, 2005
info 10/21/05, The Warfield, San Francisco, CA
info 11/18/05, The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, Gov't Mule, 2005
info 12/31/05, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, Gov't Mule, 2005
info Release The Medicine, Sylvia Bagge, 2006
info Piano Impressions, Lore Constantine, 2006
info Seeing Spots, Paradise Island, 2006
info 04/15/06, Wanee Festival, Live Oak, FL, Gov't Mule, 2006
info 06/04/06, Mountain Jam, Hunter, NY, Gov't Mule, 2006
info Blue Light Cheap Hotel, Wake The Dead, 2007
info Ithaca 30 Years Later, Dark Star Orchestra, 2008
info 05/02/08, The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Gov't Mule, 2008
info 08/01/08, Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA, Gov't Mule, 2008
info House Concert, Club Meg, Missoula, MT, September 4, 2010, David Gans, 2010
info 08/01/10, Riverfront Park, Cocoa, FL, Gov't Mule, 2010
info Blottopia XII, Day 1, Mr. Blotto, 2011
info Cruise Tunes: Zebra Bar, 01.06.2011, David Gans, 2011
info Solo Electric: Janice and Al's House, Boca Raton: 01.10.2011, David Gans, 2011
info The Stage Stop, Rollinsville, CO March 26, 2011, David Gans, 2011
info March 10, 2012, San Francisco, CA, Railroad Earth, 2012
info Keys, Keller Williams, 2013
info Harpin' On The Dead, Anela Lauren, 2013
info Songs Of Their Own, Various Artists, 2015
info It's a Hand-Me-Down, David Gans, 2015
info 4/17/15, Morrison, CO, Disco Biscuits, 2015
info On The Road: June 27, 2015, Rothbury, MI, String Cheese Incident, 2015
info On The Road: Travelogue Summer 2015, String Cheese Incident, 2015
info September 18, 2015, Morrison, CO, Railroad Earth, 2015
info Day Of The Dead, Various Artists (Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear and The National), 2016
info Better Left Unsung, Holly Bowling, 2016
info Songs To Fill The Air, Various Artists (Anthony Pasquarosa), 2016
info Plays Dead, Sabertooth, 2019
info Alone Together, Vol 5, Holly Bowling, 2020
info From The Archives 12/4/19, Golden Gate Wingmen, 2020
info Jerry's Smilin, Damiŕ Timoner, 2020
info Live At Brooklyn Bowl, Night 3, Grateful Shred, 2020
info Alive And Grateful, Bert Keely & Friends, 2021
info Circle Back, Bert Keely / FOB, 2021
info The Wilderness Sessions Vol. 9: Breckenridge, Holly Bowling, 2021

 
Robert Hunter

info Jack O'Roses, Robert Hunter, 1980

The Dead

info Columbia, MD, June 18, 2003
info Holmdel, NJ, June 25, 2003
info St. Louis, MO, July 2, 2003
info Morrison, CO, July 11, 2003
info Indianapolis, IN, August 5, 2003
info Wantagh, NY, August 10, 2003
info San Francisco, CA, February 9, 2004
info Morrison, CO, June 19, 2004
info George, WA, July 3, 2004
info Boston, MA, July 30, 2004
info Camden, NJ, August 7, 2004
info Wantagh, NY, August 14, 2004
info Dead '09: Worcester, MA April 18, 2009
info Dead '09: E. Rutherford, NJ, April 29, 2009
info Dead '09: Mountain View, CA, May 14, 2009

Furthur

info Dec 13, 2009, Asbury Park, NJ
info Dec 30, 2009, San Francisco, CA
info Feb 5, 2010, Miami, FL
info Feb 15, 2010, Bethlehem, PA
info Feb 22, 2010, Newark, DE
info Mar 5, 2010, Denver, CO
info May 30, 2010, Angels Camp, CA
info June 26, 2010, Brooklyn, NY
info July 3, 2010, Herkimer, NY
info July 9, 2010, Masontown, WV
info July 30, 2010, Bridgeport, CT
info August 14, 2010, San Francisco, CA
info September 17, 2010, Eugene, OR
info September 25, 2010, Morrison, CO
info November 13, 2010, Chicago, IL
info November 20, 2010, New York, NY
info December 31, 2010, San Francisco, CA
info February 12, 2011, Broomfield, CO
info March 10, 2011, New York, NY
info March 17, 2011, Fairfax, VA
info March 26, 2011, New York, NY
info July 15, 2011, Masontown, WV
info July 24, 2011, Holmdel, NJ
info July 31, 2011, Alpharetta, GA
info Sept 28, 2011, West Valley City, UT
info Oct 5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA
info Nov 6, 2011, Amherst, MA
info Nov 13, 2011, Buffalo, NY
info Nov 21, 2011, Indianapolis, IN
info Dec 31, 2011, San Francisco, CA
info April 7, 2012, Wallingford, CT
info April 17, 2012, New York, NY
info July 10, 2012, Alpharetta, GA
info July 15, 2012, Bethel, NY
info September 25, 2012, Seattle, WA
info September 30, 2012, Mountain View, CA
info October 2, 2012, San Diego, CA
info January 18, 2013, Mill Valley, CA
info April 21, 2013, Port Chester, NY
info July 14, 2013, Cooperstown, NY
info Sept 8, 2013, Arrington, VA
info Sept 19, 2013, Morrison, CO
info Sept 27, 2013, Berkeley, CA
info Oct 5, 2013, Los Angeles, CA

Dead & Company

info Manchester, TN, 12 June, 2016
info Bristow, VA, 23 June, 2016
info Boulder, CO, 02 July, 2016
info Boston, MA, 15 July, 2016
info Mountain View, CA, 30 July, 2016
info Los Angeles, CA, 1 Jun, 2017
info Atlanta, GA, 13 Jun, 2017
info Saratoga Springs, NY, 20 Jun, 2017
info Chicago, IL, 30 Jun, 2017
info New York, NY, 12 Nov, 2017
info Washington, DC, 21 Nov, 2017
info Charlotte, NC, 28 Nov, 2017
info Riviera Maya, MX, 18 Feb, 2018
info Orlando, FL, 27 Feb, 2018
info Noblesville, IN, 6 Jun, 2018
info New York, NY, 15 Jun, 2018
info George, WA, 29 Jun, 2018
info Boulder, CO, 13 July, 2018
info Arrington, VA, 26 Aug, 2018
info Riviera Maya, MX, 17 Jan, 2019
info Hollywood, CA, 3 Jun, 2019
info George, WA, 8 Jun, 2019
info Chicago, IL, 15 Jun, 2019
info New York, NY, 23 Jun, 2019
info Atlanta, GA, 29 Jun, 2019
info Boulder, CO, 5 Jul, 2019
info New York, NY, 10 Oct, 2019
info Hampton, VA, 8 Nov, 2019
info Cancún, MX, 19 Jan, 2020
info Philadelphia, PA, Aug 21, 2021
info Mansfield, MA, Sep 3, 2021
info St. Louis, MO, Sep 13, 2021
info Charlotte, NC, Oct 11, 2021
info Morrison, CO, Oct 20, 2021
info Los Angeles, CA, Oct 31, 2021
info Mountain View, CA, June 14, 2022
info Boulder, CO, June 18, 2022
info Noblesville, IN, June 28, 2022
info Bristow, VA, July 8, 2022
info New York, NY, July 15, 2022
info Riviera Cancún, Mexico, Jan 16, 2023
info Los Angeles, CA, May 20, 2023
info Atlanta, GA, May 28, 2023
info Chicago, IL, June 9, 2023
info Saratoga Springs, NY, June 17, 2023
info Boston, MA, June 24, 2023
info Boulder, CO, July 1, 2023
info San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2023

Ratdog

info Raleigh NC: October 14, 2003
info Boston MA: October 18, 2003
info Baltimore MD: October 20, 2003
info Poughkeepsie NY: October 26, 2003
info Chicago IL: November 3, 2003
info Chicago IL: November 4, 2003
info St. Louis MO: November 15, 2003
info Little Rock AR: November 19, 2003
info Phoenix AZ, February 28, 2004
info Seattle WA, March 8, 2004
info Syracuse NY, March 20, 2004
info Washington, March 30, 2004
info St. Louis MO, September 16, 2004
info Las Vegas NV, February 6, 2005
info Madison WI, March 29, 2005
info Verona NY, April 8, 2005
info Providence RI, April 20, 2005
info Johnson City NY, May 1, 2005
info Columbus, OH, June 8, 2005
info Terra Alta, WV, August 5, 2005
info Terra Alta, WV, August 6, 2005
info Erie, PA, October 28, 2005
info Frederick, MD, November 8, 2005
info Boca Raton, FL, November 19, 2005
info Philadelphia, PA, March 25, 2006
info Santa Margarita, CA, June 24, 2006
info Milwaukee, WI, July 6, 2006
info Hampton Beach, NH, August 24, 2006
info Buffalo NY, October 28, 2006
info Newark, NJ, November 11, 2006
info St. Petersburg FL, November 17, 2006
info Las Vegas NV, February 11, 2007
info Peekskill NY, March 6, 2007
info Jim Thorpe PA, March 16, 2007
info Lincoln RI, July 11, 2007
info Jim Thorpe PA, March 17, 2007
info Detroit Lakes MN, July 21, 2007
info Morrison CO, July 24, 2007
info Bushkill PA, August 18, 2007
info Darien Center NY, August 19, 2007
info Albany, NY, November 3, 2007
info Jacksonville, FL, November 14, 2007
info Syracuse, NY, WI, March 29, 2008
info Charleston, SC, April 11, 2008
info Hunter, NY, June 1, 2008
info Murphys, CA, June 27, 2008
info Hiram, ME, August 10, 2008
info Hartford, CT, August 20, 2008
info Washington, DC, November 6, 2008
info Fort Myers, FL, November 21, 2008
info San Francisco, CA, December 31, 2008
info Negril, Jamaica, January 29, 2009
info Jim Thorpe, PA, July 15, 2009
info Jacksonville, OR, August 21, 2009
info Salt Lake City, UT, August 29, 2009
info Denver, CO, August 31, 2009
info New York, NY, October 22, 2009
info Upper Darby, PA, February 15, 2014
info Westbury, NY, February 22, 2014
info Chicago, IL, March 7, 2014
info Atlanta, GA, March 16, 2014
info Hunter Mountain, NY, June 6, 2014
info Asbury Park, NJ, June 8, 2014

Bob Weir & Wolf Bros

info Live In Colorado, Vol. 2, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, 2022

Phil Lesh & Friends

info Instant Live: June 24, 2006, Orlando, FL, 2006
info Instant Live: June 30, 2006, Camden, NJ, 2006
info Instant Live: July 11, 2006, Scranton, PA, 2006
info Instant Live: July 19, 2006, Kansas City, MO, 2006
info April 2, 2014, Port Chester, NY, 2014
info April 10, 2014, Port Chester, NY, 2014
info October 18, 2014, Las Vegas, NV, 2014
info November 15, 2014, Port Chester, NY, 2014
info November 28, 2014, Port Chester, NY, 2014
info December 29, 2014: The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, PhilRAD, 2014
info March 15, 2015, Port Chester, NY, 2015
info November 6, 2015, Port Chester, NY, 2015
info March 15, 2016, Port Chester, NY, 2016
info May 28, 2016, Port Chester, NY, 2016
info August 27, 2016, Arrington, VA, 2016
info October 29, 2016, Port Chester, NY, 2016
info March 15, 2017, Port Chester, NY, 2017
info May 27, 2017, Port Chester, NY, 2017

Bill Kreutzmann

info 7/13/21, Morrison, CO, Billy & The Kids, 2021

Other Dead related

info Move Me Brightly performance/documentary, 2013

  album cover

album cover

album cover

album cover

album cover

album cover

album cover