Part of what defined that generation was the thirst for freedom and adventure, which led to lives on the road (and some people staying there too long). This is why the song has a line going, 'Get tired of travelin' and you want to settle down.'Įven though the song is autobiographical for the Dead, it also means a lot to the lives of many Deadheads and children of the '60s in general. That manner of living was exciting in its way, but it could also get downright boring after a while, with long hours spent in hotel rooms and waiting for transportation to the next show. There were no handlers to protect them from the public or from the authorities. The Dead were flying coach, riding busses, and staying in modest hotels.

The band never made a ton of money from record sales, and their unique legacy was made by touring.Īlso in Anthem, Phil Lesh talks about how the Dead's touring in 1970 preceded the 'rock and roll bubble,' when groups were isolated from fans and regular folks. 'We were starting to become real guys,' Weir says, 'and really enjoying the hell out of it.'įor the Dead, that rite became a way of life. 'Truckin'' covers the Dead's navigation through that rite of passage. He says it was a rite of passage for young people in the 1960s - as it perhaps still is to some degree today, though the internet has robbed much of the mystery of the road. In Anthem To Beauty, a documentary covering the making of the American Beauty album, Dead guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir talks about the romance of striking out on the road.

'Truckin'' is the Grateful Dead's coming-of-age story.

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