Katie Cruel

Song composer(s)

Traditional

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

No Dead related recordings entered

Other Recordings

Katie Cruel
Songs of Courting and Romance : Peggy Seeger (1955)
Many Sides Of Sandy Paton : Sandy Paton (1959)
Traveller's Choice : Common Ground (1984)
You Don't Knock : Neskowin School Singers (198?)
In My Own Time : Karen Dalton (19??)
Comet : Cordelia's Dad (1995)
Voices : Herdman, Hills, Mangsen (19??)

I Know Where I'm Going
English Folk Songs : Audrey Coppard (1956)
My Eyes Have Seen : Odetta (1959)
Weavers at Carnegie Hall : The Weavers (195?)
Irish Love Songs : Patrick Galvin (195?)
Irish Folk Songs for Women, Vol. 2 : Lori Holland (1960)
Belafonte Returns To Carnegie : Harry Belafonte (1960)
Traditional Songs of Ireland : Bobby & Peg Clancy (196?)
Anthology of American Folk Songs : Barbara Dane (196?)
Original Soho Skiffle Group : Soho Skiffle Group (196?)
Simple Gifts : Winifred Smith (196?)
Close to the Bone : Robbie O'Connell (1982)
Best of : The Highwaymen (1996)

Performance History

Played by an unnamed bluegrass band with Garcia on banjo at an unknown venue in Burlingame in January 1962.

Not performed by the Grateful Dead. Occurs only on pre-Dead tapes featuring future members of the dead.

Notes

Also known as I Know Where I'm Going and possibly as The Leeboy's Lassie. The chorus is shared with I Know Where I'm Going but the verses of the latter are often different from those of Katie Cruel. Hence the Katie Cruel title is used here.

Here are incomplete lyrics from a cut version of the tape;

When first I came to town,
They brought me bottles plenty,
And now they've changed their tune,
They bring me the bottles empty.

Diddle-ay, oh diddle-i o-day

Oh that I was what I would be,
That what I be that I am not,
Here am I where I must be,
Go where would I cannot.

I know who I love,
And I know who loves me,
I know where I'm going,
And I know who'll go with me.

Diddle-ay, oh diddle-i o-day

Through the woods I'll go,
Through the bog and mire,
Ride on down the raod,
And to my hearts desire.

Diddle-ay, oh diddle-i o-day

Oh that I was what I would be,
That what I be that I am not,
Here am I where I must be,
Go where would I cannot.

Eyes as bright as coals,
Lips like a bright red cherry
?
To make the young folks marry.

Diddle-ay, oh diddle-i o-day
(cut)

. and they've changed their tune,
They call me Katie Cruel.

Diddle-ay, oh diddle-i o-day

Oh that I was what I would be,
That what I be that I am not,
Here am I where I must be,
Go where would I cannot.

Occurs on circulating copies of the Burlingame tape as La Di Oh Day.