The Rub

Song composer(s)

Traditional / Hopkins, Lightnin'

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

No Dead related recordings entered

Other Recordings

Lightnin' : Lightnin' Hopkins (1961)
Hootin' The Blues : Lightnin' Hopkins (1965)
Complete Prestife/Bluesville Recordings : Lightnin' Hopkins (1991)

Performance History

Played by Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions at the Tangent in Palo Alto sometime in 1964.

Notes

Lead vocals - Pigpen.

All Hopkins recordings use the title Ain't It Crazy. His version is based on an earlier song with various titles around the theme of Rubbin' That Thing.

The Rub is not known to occur as a title elsewhere. It is used here as it was the name the members of the Grateful Dead used when referring to the song.

The lyrics used for the Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions version of the song are as follows;

Said Mama got the rub board, [your] sister got the tub
Going round doing the rub-de-dub
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy one day to keep on rubbing at that thing

Two old maids, they was layin' up in bed
Well one turned over, and this is what she said
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy one day to keep on rubbing at that thing

I tell ya, little old rooster told the little old hen
[?] I had no [?], since God knows when
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy one day to keep on rubbing at that thing

Well see that woman, gone behind the hill
I'm gonna find that girl, gonna do my will
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy one day to keep on rubbing at that thing

Well feeling so good, feeling so fine
All I got to do, is dring that wine
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy
Ain't it crazy one day to keep on rubbing at that thing