Mission in the Rain

The concert performed by Jerry Garcia Band at Merriweather Post Pavilion in September 1989 may be one of their greatest live performances of all time. A seamless blend of rock, reggae, R&B and gospel, the show spanned two days and included songs like Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia’s “Mission in the Rain.” These are the moments, and the songs, that inspire us at McMenamins – and they inspired much of the Cove at Kalama Harbor Lodge.

From artist Myrna Yoder:
“Mission in the Rain” is a moody ballad in which Robert Hunter ponders life. The painting is a simple scene, at night, of a street in the Mission District of San Francisco, where Hunter lived when he began writing lyrics for the Grateful Dead.
 
To give the piece a sense of rain and reflection, I used a splatter technique with the paint. At the center of the painting is Robert Hunter walking across a street that is reminiscent of the streets of Kalama flooded by the Columbia River. If you look closely at one of the signs that line the street, you can see the faint ghost of Lyle Hehn’s Kalama Cat.

Mission in the Rain

Lyrics by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia
Lyrics as performed by Jerry Garcia Band live at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Sept. 1989: 
 
I turn and walk away then I come 'round again 
It looks as though tomorrow I'll do pretty much the same 
 
I must turn down your offer, but I'd like to ask a break 
You know I'm ready to give everything for anything I take 
 
Someone called my name, you know I turned around to see 
It was midnight in the Mission and the bells were not for me 
 
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain 
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain 
 
Ten years ago, I walked this street my dreams were riding tall 
Tonight I would be thankful, Lord, for any dream at all 
 
Some folks would be happy just to have one dream come true 
But everything you gather is just more that you can lose 
 
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain 
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain 
 
All the things I planned to do I only did half way 
Tomorrow will be Sunday born of rainy Saturday 
 
There's some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain 
No matter what comes down, the Mission always looks the same 
 
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain