The Dead really put out ballads.
‘Jack Straw’ is a good one.
Cold Missouri Waters
This song is about of the devastation of the Mann Gulch fire of 1949 in the state of Montana.
On the afternoon of August 5, the first day of the fire, 15 smokejumpers parachuted into the area, to fight the fire, rendezvousing with a former smokejumper who was employed as a fire guard at the nearby campground. As the team approached the fire to begin fighting it, unexpected high winds caused the fire to suddenly expand, cutting off the men’s route and forcing them back uphill. During the next few minutes, a “blow-up” of the fire covered 3,000 acres in 10 minutes, claiming the lives of 13 firefighters, including 12 of the smokejumpers. The fire would continue for five more days before being controlled.
The song tells this true story of the smokejumpers’ experience through the point of view of Dodge, one of the only 3 remaining survivors.