Morning Dew
"Morning Dew", also known as "(Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew", is a post-apocalyptic folk rock song written by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson and made famous by the Grateful Dead.

Overview
The song is a dialogue between the last man and woman left alive following an apocalyptic catastrophe: Dobson has stated that the initial inspiration for "Morning Dew" was the film On the Beach which is focused on the survivors of virtual global annihilation by nuclear holocaust. The actual writing of the song occurred in 1961 while Dobson was staying with a friend in Los Angeles: Dobson would recall how the guests at her friend's apartment were speculating about a nuclear war's aftermath and "after everyone went to bed, I sat up and suddenly I just started writing this song [although] I had never written [a song] in my life". Dobson premiered "Morning Dew" in her set at the inaugural Mariposa Folk Festival that year with the song's first recorded version being on Dobson's At Folk City live album in 1962. Dobson would not record a studio version of the song until 1969, that being for her Bonnie Dobson album.

"Morning Dew" was not published until 1964, when Jac Holzman of Elektra Records contacted Dobson with an offer to sign her as a songwriter. Singer and guitarist Fred Neil had heard "Morning Dew" and wished to record it for his first album. However, the earliest release of a studio version of "Morning Dew" was on the 1964 self-titled album by The Goldebriars, using the title "Come Walk Me Out" and without giving songwriter credit to Dobson. This was followed about a month later by the recording by Fred Neil with Vince Martin, on their album Tear Down The Walls . It was this version which introduced the song to Tim Rose who in 1966 recorded "Morning Dew" for his self-titled debut album, after soliciting permission to revise the song with a resultant co-writing credit. Dobson agreed without having any intended revision specified and was subsequently much discomfited to learn that the changes were minimal. As of the February 1967 release of the Tim Rose single version of "Morning Dew" the standard songwriting credit for the song has been Bonnie Dobson and Tim Rose: Dobson, who in 1998 averred she'd never met Rose (d. 2002), has stated that she's received 75% songwriting royalty as she retains sole writing credit for the song's music.

"Morning Dew" became a signature song of the Grateful Dead whose frontman Jerry Garcia was introduced to the Fred Neil recording by roadie Laird Grant in 1966. The Grateful Dead introduced "Morning Dew" into their repertoire as their opening number at the Human Be-In in January 1967: that same month the group recorded their self-titled debut album featuring "Morning Dew" and released that March.

In 1968 "Morning Dew" became a Top 20 single in Ireland via a recording by Sugar Shack which reached #17 that February: a UK release of the single was planned but cancelled. In the summer of 1968 Lulu charted in the US with her version of "Morning Dew" taken from her 1967 album Lulu Sings 'To Sir With Love: the track was ranked as high as #8 at key Top 40 station 93 KHJ in LA but typically was afforded moderate ranking on lesser market hit parades with an achieved national peak of #52. In Australia "Morning Dew" charted with a #59 peak, and in Canada it reached #55. In 1969 Lulu's version of "Morning Dew" later served as the B-side of her Spanish language recording of "Boom Bang-a-Bang" with the former being subtitled "Rocío DeIn  La Mañana" although it was Lulu's original English language recording of "Morning Dew" and not a translation.

Covers

Contemporaneous with the Grateful Dead's cover, "Morning Dew" was recorded by Los Angeles-based, psychedelic rock band The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band on their 1967 album Part One. Titled as "Will You Walk With Me", this cover is credited both to Dobson and to the band's guitarist, Danny Harris. 

Episode Six, a precursor to bands Deep Purple and Quatermass, recorded the song as a single in June of 1967. It appears on the CD The Complete Episode Six.

An early Dave Edmunds band, Human Beans, released a version before 1968.

Lee Hazlewood covered "Morning Dew" on his 1968 album Love and Other Crimes.

Jeff Beck covered "Morning Dew" in his 1968 debut album Truth.

Allison Durbin (dubbed "Australia's Queen of Pop" in the 1960s) recorded a version on her 1968 album I Have Loved Me a Man.

Duane and Gregg Allman covered this song as a demo for a planned 1968 album, originally under the band name The 31st of February. The album was never completed, as the two shortly thereafter formed The Allman Brothers Band. It was later released under their names.

Damnation Of Adam Blessing covered "Morning Dew" on their debut album The Damnation Of Adam Blessing in 1969 on United Artists Records.

In 1969 the New Zealand band Retaliation recorded the song. It appears on the various-artists compilation album A Day in My Mind's Mind Volume 3.

Swiss band Krokodil had their own cover in 1969.

Scottish hard rock band Nazareth covered it on their self-titled debut album in 1971.

Australian band Hush covered the song on their album, Aloud 'n' Live (1973).

Irish group Clannad recorded the song on their first album (1973).

In 1977, The Grateful Dead performed several covers of the song; perhaps none better than the one played at a concert at Cornell University on May 8th, 1977. The live version is available to be listened to on the live album Cornell 5/8/77. Many have equated this specific version to be a catalyst of a spiritual experience due to the spectacular performance, considered to be “just perfect.”

Long John Baldry recorded the song, released in 1981 by EMI America.

Blackfoot recorded it on their album Vertical Smiles in 1984.

In 1987 Einstürzende Neubauten recorded a version on Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala.

Devo covered Morning Dew on their 1990 album Smooth Noodle Maps.

Robert Plant (with Strange Sensation) recorded a version on their 2002 album Dreamland.

In 2006 UK rock band Zhain covered Morning Dew on their CD EP ‘’No Hay Cuchara’’.

Gregorian recorded a version on their 2010 album Dark Side of the Chant.

Skating Polly recorded a version on their 2016 album The Big Fit.

The National recorded a version of the song in 2016.