The Stars That Play With Laughing Sams Dice

AKA Stp With Lsd

THE STARS THAT PLAY WITH LAUGHING SAM’S DICE
[‘The Stars That Play with LSD’ (the STP [aka DOM] bit looks like an almost definite reference to that drug too, but not neccessarily, and it doesn't change the obvious slant of the title, it's about the 'stars' and their 'trip') – ‘B’ side of Burning Of The Midnight Lamp, some words only audible on alternate mix. Recorded during Jimi’s return to New York City after his nine month “exile” in London. This is obviously Jimi’s lighthearted comment on his return flight to the US and the Monterey festival, Noel mentions that he and Brian Jones were tripping on Owsley’s LSD on the flight, obviously they weren’t the only ones! The choice of ‘Dice’ in the title is interesting as it’s a ‘gamble’ whether your ‘trip’ will neccessarily turn out to be a happy one. See ‘Spanish Castle Magic’ too. Along with the ‘A’ side BOTML (his sombre reflection of the effect on relationships of the musician’s travelling life) it’s his first recorded use of his newly aquired wah-wah pedal. This is probably his longest, sustained, released studio guitar solo, which is a mind blower, beautifully highlighted by Kramer's excellent 1973 stereo remix. Aceeed!]

One, two. One, two, three, four. . .[on alternative stereo mix]

Stars up abo-o-ve, that play, with Laughing Sam’s Di-ice¹
They make us fee-eel, that they’d want the world for us
With ‘Zodiac ri-i-ides’² and ‘dreams that come through the ski-ies’^2/3
It will happen soo-oo-oon, fo-or you-ou, ou-ou

All right now, everybody, stay together now
Away we go, ow… Yeah!

Thank you very much, for coming, thank you
(Nice!) Thank you
Thank you very much and now
We’d like to bring to you our-uh, one and only
Friendly neighbourhood experience maker, yeah
(["sung" chorus]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, oo-ooh)
Yeah, all right, now listen
Yeah, okay, baby, thank you very much
‘The Milky Way Express’⁴ is loadin’, all aboard
(["sung" chorus]: Hooray!... I think I’m hi-igh)
I promise each and every one of you, you won’t be bored
(["sung" chorus]:O-o-oh, I’m really hi-igh)
Now this next time let’s keep everybody honest and straight
What I’m really singin’ about
Is my brand new pair of butterfly roller-skates, ⁵ ow!

Thank you, thank you
And now watch the ride... Yeah
Ah, I’d like to say that
There will be no throwing cigarette butts out the window*
No throwing cigarette butts out the window
Thank you, thank you
I hope all of you brought your tooth-brush, yeah, okay
Now to the right you will see Saturn, look out
Out of sight, really out of sight
And if you look to the left you will see Mars
Yeah, okay. Yeah, okay (Nowhere, I can’t do it)
I hope you brought your parachutes with you
Hey, hey, look out, look out for that door
Don’t open that door, don’t open that door⁶, oh God
Well, that’s the way it goes
And now we’re coming through the-uh, Milky Way section, yeah
Bring your Cornflakes^©7 and stuff like that, Milky Way, yeah [‘corny’ joke – ‘Cornflakes’ /
/milky way - geddit?]
Yeah, everything’s all right and out of sight… woow!

Oh, no, it’s-ah, hee-hee
If you look around you
You will see a few minds being blown, ha-ha-ha
It’s happening, it’s happening, baby… Yeah
I hope you’re enjoying your ride, I am
Oh, baby...Yeah, I think that’s the end, goodbye heh. [longer fade out on stereo mix]
Want me to try it again? [longer fade out on alternative stereo mix]

¹L.S.D. is a gamble (Dice) – good trip, or bad trip, see Aldous Huxley’s book on LSD ‘The Doors of
Perception (Heaven & Hell)’
²On the ‘Milky Way Express’ I presume
³LSD?/Satellite TV? - Jimi was keen on futuristic scientific ideas
^*Smoking was allowed on planes in those days!
⁴The ‘Milky Way Express’ ie the flight over to New York – on Owsley’s acid
⁵A funny description of 'acid' - LSD?
⁶Reference to Aldous Huxley’s book on LSD ‘The Doors of Perception (Heaven & Hell)’?
⁷John Lennon: “Sitting on a Cornflake^® waiting for the van to come.” See also Jimi’s, dry, reference to
Kellogs Rice Krispies^® cartoon charactersin “Mr. Bad Luck” – [Snap] “Crackle, Crackle, [&] Pop, Pop”

STARS THAT PLAY WITH LAUGHING SAM’S DICE

Official lyric as supplied by Yameta (that is as interpreted by Michael Jeffery’s assistant Kathy Eberth) to A. Schroeder Music Publishing Co. Ltd. London & published by them.
© 1971, 1975 Yameta Co. Ltd., Nassau, Bahamas c/o Sea-Lark Enterprises lnc. A. Schroeder Music Publishing Co. Ltd.

Stars up a-bove, that play, with laugh-ing Sam’s dice,
They make us feel, that’s why the world’s for us..
The Zo-di-ac glass gleams through the skies,
It will hap-pen soon for you.

Spoken (over background music):

Sounds like it’s pretty heavy now.
Aah! Here we go…
Thank you very much for coming,
Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.
And now we’d like to bring to you our one and only
friendly Nicholas, experience-maker, yeah!
Right now listen, and thank you very much.
The Milky Way Express is loaded - all aboard!
I promise each and ev-‘ry one of you - you won’t be bored.
There’s enough time to give everybody on this express
- What I’m really thinking about is my…
But my roller skates, thank you, thank you!
Now watch him ride, yeah.
I’d like…I’d like to say that there’ll be no throwing
cigarette butts out the window,
No throwing cigarette butts out the window,
Thank you, thank you.
I hope…now…
Now to the right you will see Saturn,
Eyes right, really out of sight,
And if you look to the left, you will see Mars,
Yeah, o.k., yeah!
I hope you brought your glasses with you.
Hey, hey…look out, look out for that door,
Don’t open that door, don’t open that door!
That’s the way it goes…
Now look at me through the..er..Milky Way, thank you.
Yeah, pretty foreign place, stuff like that Milky Way.
Now everything’s all right, out of sight…
If you look around you,
You will see a few minds being blown.
It’s happening, it’s happening, yeah!
I hope you enjoyed your ride!
I have!