The title track of the 1977 album, “Terrapin Station” has become one of the most well known and loved tracks in the Grateful Dead repertoire. While the song looms large with great sections from Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, the intricate composition took a great deal of compositional effort from the entire band.

In this newly-released demo, we can hear Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and collaborator Jim McPherson working on various sections of the song. Interestingly, McPherson sings lyrics that never made it into the final cut, all but expanding the possibilities of what “Terrapin Station” really may be. Regardless, these tracks certainly give some depth to one of our favorite songs of all time.

Listen to the “Terrapin Station” demos, streaming below:

[H/T JamBase]