Shortly after his headlining appearance at last weekend’s Newport Folk Festival, Ryan Adams laid down a gorgeous version of the Grateful Dead’s “Wharf Rat” for the kids and teens of MyMusicRx that’s a fitting tribute for us to post on Jerry Garcia’s birthday.

Adams, who’s performed with Phil Lesh a number of times over the years, and covered “Wharf Rat” with the Grateful Dead bassist at The Jammys in 2005, introduces the cover by sharing that he likes to listen to the Dead when he feels out of place or isn’t feeling great. He adds that “Wharf Rat” paints this picture of a storybook world where you don’t really know who they are or what’s happening and that he always feels better when he gets to the end of this long and weird story.

Watch Ryan Adams’ solo acoustic rendition of “Wharf Rat”:

MyMusicRx’s mission is to soothe and rejuvenate hospitalized children, teens, their family members, and the medical professionals who care for them by infusing the hospital environment with the healing power of music.