The Grateful Dead
My Brother Esau (Live at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI, March 31, 1986)
[Verse 1]
My brother Esau killed a hunter
Back in 1969
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

[Verse 2]
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

[Chorus]
Esau skates on mirrors anymore
Meets his pale rеflection in the door
Yet somеtimes at night I dream
He's still that hairy man
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse
And wandering the land
[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
Esau holds a blessing
Brother Esau holds a curse
Would say the blame was mine
But I suspect it's something worse
The more my brother looks like me
The more I understand
The silent war that bloodied both our hands
Sometimes at night, I think I understand
Way late at night, more feel they understand

[Outro]
Brother to brother, man to man
Face to face and let's hand to hand
Fight a war that never ends
Maybe up again
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse within
Silent war within
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse, yet again, and again
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse
And wandering the land, hey
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse
And wandering the land
Shadowboxing the Apocalypse
And wandering the land