My brother Esau killed a hunter
Back in 1969
And before the killing was done
His inheritance was mine
But his birthright was a wand to wave
Before a weary band
Esau gave me sleeplessness
And a piece of moral land
My father favored Esau
Who was eager to obey
All the bloody wild commandments
The old man shot his way
But all this favor ended when
My brother failed at war
He staggered home
And found me in the door
Esau skates on mirrors any more
Meets his pale reflection at the door
Yet sometimes at night I dream
He's still that hairy man
Shadow-boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadow-boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
Esau holds a blessing
Brother Esau bears a curse
I would say that the blame was mine
But I suspect it's something worse
The more my brother looks like me
The less I understand
The silent war
That bloodied both our hands
Sometimes at night
I think I understand
Way late at night
Oh, I feel I understand
It's brother to brother
And it's man to man
And it's face to face
And it's hand to hand
The shadow dance
The silent war within
The shadow dance
Never ends, never ends, never ends
Shadow-boxing the apocalypse
Yet again, yet again
Shadow-boxing the apocalypse
And wandering the land
My Brother Esau Lyrics performed by Grateful Dead are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that My Brother Esau Lyrics performed by Grateful Dead is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD