Weekend Diversion: The Story of "Me & My Uncle"

"Each song has its own secret that's different from another song, and each has its own life. Sometimes it has to be teased out, whereas other times it might come fast. There are no laws about songwriting or producing. It depends on what you're doing, not just who you're doing." -Mark Knopfler

There are a whole bunch of great songs in the world, great for a myriad of different things. Some are great for dancing, others for jamming out to, still others for just relaxing and listening to, and then there are the ones that I love to blast while I drive. But it's extraordinarily rare to find one that not only does all of these things for you, but also that tells an interesting lyrical story.
So this week, I present to you a Grateful Dead classic:
Me and My Uncle.
This version comes from a 1971 performance, and the Dead had been playing this song since 1966. But where did this song come from? Although this song was made famous by the Grateful Dead, they didn't write it.

The first recording of this song, as far as I can find, goes back to Judy Collins, who recorded her ...