Ever get that feeling that a song is telling you a massive, sprawling secret, but you're only catching every third word? That’s basically the deal with Reuben and Cherise lyrics. If you’ve spent any time in the orbit of the Jerry Garcia Band or the Grateful Dead, you know this track. It’s got that jaunty, syncopated bounce—thanks to Jerry’s 1978 masterpiece Cats Under the Stars—but beneath the groove, things get dark. Fast.
Most folks think it’s just a tragic little love triangle set in New Orleans. You’ve got Reuben, the mandolin player. You’ve got Cherise, his nervous lover. Then Sweet Ruby Claire shows up in red, and everything goes to hell. But honestly? That’s just the surface level.
To really get what Robert Hunter (the legendary Grateful Dead lyricist) was doing, you have to look at the verses Jerry didn't sing. Because the real story isn't just about jealousy. It’s a full-blown retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but with more beads and bourbon.
Why the Lyrics Change Depending on Who’s Singing
Here is the thing about Hunter and Garcia: they didn’t always see eye-to-eye on how much "plot" a song needed. Hunter was a poet. He wanted the narrative. Jerry? He was a vibes guy. He liked the mystery.
When you look up Reuben and Cherise lyrics, you’re usually seeing the version from the Cats Under the Stars album. But if you crack open Hunter’s lyric book, A Box of Rain, you find a whole different beast. Hunter actually wrote "lost" verses that Jerry decided to leave on the cutting room floor.
Why? Jerry felt the song was already long enough and preferred the ambiguity. But without those verses, the ending feels... well, it feels like a ghost story without the ghost. In the album version, Reuben walks the streets of New Orleans with "Cherise so lightly in his arms." Sounds romantic, right? Maybe they're just taking a late-night stroll after a fight.
Wrong.
In Hunter’s original vision, the line is "with the ghost of Cherise in his empty arms." Yeah. Not so romantic now.
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The Orpheus Connection: More Than Just a Reference
If you aren't a mythology nerd, here is the quick version: Orpheus was a musician so good he could make rocks cry. His wife, Eurydice, died. He went to the Underworld to get her back, played a song for Hades, and got a deal. He could lead her out, but he couldn't look back at her until they were in the light. He looked back. She vanished forever.
Hunter basically took this blueprint and draped it in Mardi Gras colors.
The Mandolin as a Magical Object
In the lyrics, Reuben’s mandolin is "enlaid with a pretty face in jade." It’s not just a tool; it’s practically a living thing. When the lyrics say the breeze would "pause to listen in," that’s a direct nod to Orpheus, whose music could stop the wind and the rivers.
Sweet Ruby Claire and the Fatal Glance
Ruby Claire is the "temptation." She shows up in red, contrasting with Cherise in her "Pirouette in white." When Reuben plays for Ruby, the lyrics say, "Each note cut a thread of Cherise's fate."
This is some heavy lifting for a rock song. It’s referencing the Three Fates—the sisters who spin and cut the thread of human life. By simply looking at another woman, by letting his focus drift, Reuben literally kills the woman he loves.
The Lost "Ferryman" Verse
This is the part that clears up all the confusion. Hunter wrote a verse that goes:
Ahoy old Ferryman, riverboat of Charon ride > Though alive, take Reuben to the other side > For his sweet Cherise has died
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Charon is the guy who rows souls across the River Styx. By including this, Hunter makes it undeniable. This isn't just a breakup song. This is a journey to the land of the dead.
New Orleans as the Modern Underworld
Why New Orleans, though? Hunter was obsessed with the idea of "Americana" as a new kind of mythology.
He didn't want to write about ancient Greece; he wanted to write about the things we know. Carnival. The parade. The smell of the humid air before dawn. By moving the story to New Orleans, he makes the tragedy feel tactile. You can almost feel the weight of the "ghost of Cherise" in those empty arms as Reuben walks the pavement.
The setting also adds a layer of "fate" to the lyrics. Carnival is a time of masks and transformations. Cherise is dressed as Pirouette—a clown character known for being fragile and heartbroken. She’s already playing the part of the victim before the song even hits the second verse.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a huge debate among fans about whether Cherise actually dies in the "official" Garcia version.
If you just listen to the studio track, you might think Reuben just made a mistake and he's carrying her home. But look at the language: "the course of love must follow blind, without a look behind."
That "look behind" is the Orpheus moment.
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Even without the Ferryman verse, the instruction to "follow blind" implies that looking back is the ultimate sin. In the myth, the tragedy isn't that Eurydice died—it's that Orpheus had her back and blew it because he didn't have enough faith. Reuben does the same thing. He can't trust that she's there, he looks, and she’s gone.
The fact that her hair "hung gently down" as he walks at dawn? That’s the image of a corpse or a spirit. It's beautiful, sure, but it's haunting as all get-out.
A Quick Comparison of the Main Characters
| Character | Mythological Counterpart | Role in the Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| Reuben | Orpheus | The gifted musician whose ego/doubt ruins everything. |
| Cherise | Eurydice | The beloved who is lost to the "other side." |
| Ruby Claire | The "Fatal Vision" | The temptation that breaks the thread of fate. |
| The Mandolin | The Lyre of Orpheus | The instrument that bridges the world of the living and dead. |
How to Listen to the Song Now
Next time you put on Cats Under the Stars, don't just treat it like background music. Listen for the shift in the third verse.
Notice how the mandolin starts playing "all alone" when Ruby freezes and turns to stone. That’s the moment the supernatural takes over. The music is no longer coming from Reuben; it’s coming from the spirit world.
Actionable Insight for the Fans: If you want the "full" experience, find a recording of Robert Hunter performing the song himself (like on the album Jack O' Roses). He includes the extra verses. It changes the whole vibe from a groovy mid-tempo rocker to a chilling, acoustic folk-tragedy. It makes you realize that while Jerry made the song a hit, Hunter made it a masterpiece.
If you're ever in New Orleans during the "afternoon of Carnival," walk toward the river at dawn. Think about the guy with the mandolin and the ghost in his arms. It’ll give you chills every single time.
Next Step for You: Go pull up the 1991 Grateful Dead live version from the Capital Centre. It was one of the few times the full band played it, and the way the crowd reacts when they realize what song it is? It's pure magic. Listen specifically for how Jerry handles that final "hair hung gently down" line—it's some of his most soulful singing ever.