Is "Ripple (On Still Water)" a Gospel Song?

 Last night in a random discussion around the house Jerry Garcia came up.  That made me think of the song "Ripple" , performed by Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead.  Years ago a musician friend (now deceased) introduced me to the song and asked me to work it up. I reminded him of Jerry, and have had people stop me on the street in Knoxville shortly after Jerry died and say "I thought you were dead!"

When I first began to work up the song, I read that Jerry grew up in Tennessee, but have since learned that is incorrect. He and Robert Hunter, who wrote the lyrics for Ripple also co-wrote a song called Tennessee Jed.  Jerry was a  very influential banjo picker, and the Old and in the Way album is one of  the best selling Bluegrass albums of all time.  Jerry also played in a number of other Bluegrass bands during his career.

Since Jerry and Robert were both Bluegrass musicians I have to assume that they both were familiar with Pentecostalism and the Holy Ghost..  When I first heard the song I assumed that it was speaking of the Holy Ghost when it speaks of  "ripple in still water, when there is no pebble tossed , nor wind to blow".  And what could be the "harp unstrung" if not the "sacred harp" of Sacred Harp (shape note) music. It is inconceivable that Garcia and Hunter would have not been very familiar with sacred harp music.

I have also read that many commentators have found reference to the 23rd Psalm with the reference to the full or empty cup. And perhaps the fountain is filled with blood. Don't forget, Garcia and Hunter would be familiar with these concepts because of their strong Bluegrass background. Bluegrass comes from the Bluegrass area of Tennessee and the Appalachians and is highly steeped in the spirituality of the region. Well, Glory!