Bob Weir has writing credit on dozens of songs across Grateful Dead, solo, and side projects, but there is no single definitive “short list” because credits vary between lyrics, music, and co‑writes. Below is a highlight tour through some of the best‑known songs Bob Weir wrote or co‑wrote, plus where to dig into the full catalogs.

Core idea: how Weir “writes”

Bob Weir’s name on a song can mean a few different things.

  • He often composed the music with lyricists like John Perry Barlow or Robert Hunter providing words.
  • Some songs are band co‑writes where Weir is one of several credited writers.
  • His writing credit spans Grateful Dead tracks, solo albums, RatDog, and later projects like Bob Weir & Wolf Bros.

Because of this, fans usually talk about “Bob songs” as the ones he sings and helped create, even when the lyric credit is shared.

Classic “Bob songs” with the Grateful Dead

These are among the most commonly cited “Bob Weir songs” in Dead circles, combining his guitar style, phrasing, and compositional quirks.

  • Jack Straw – Co‑written with Robert Hunter; a staple first‑set rocker built around outlaw storytelling.
  • Cassidy – Music by Weir with lyrics by John Perry Barlow, first appearing on Ace and then a live favorite for the Dead.
  • Sugar Magnolia – Co‑written with Hunter; perhaps the definitive upbeat “Bob tune.”
  • Playing in the Band – Weir/Barlow/Hart; became one of the main exploratory jam vehicles.
  • Estimated Prophet – Weir/Barlow in a 7/4 strut, inspired by street preachers and parking‑lot prophets.
  • The Music Never Stopped – Weir/Barlow, funk‑leaning with big vocal refrains.
  • Black‑Throated Wind – Weir/Barlow road‑song poetry with a distinctive melodic contour.
  • Weather Report Suite (especially “Let It Grow”) – Weir/Barlow; multi‑section suite that became an improvisational showcase.
  • One More Saturday Night – A high‑energy Weir rocker that closed countless shows.
  • Throwing Stones – Weir/Barlow political commentary that grew into a late‑era arena anthem.
  • Lost Sailor → Saint of Circumstance – Paired pieces often played together, with Weir/Barlow credits.
  • Hell in a Bucket – Weir/Barlow/Brent Mydland; snarling opener through much of the ’80s and ’90s.
  • Feel Like a Stranger – Weir/Barlow; slinky, groove‑heavy opener from Go to Heaven.

These are the songs most fans mean when they list their favorite “songs Bob Weir wrote.”

Notable solo and side‑project songs

Beyond the Grateful Dead, Weir’s writing shows up on solo albums and later bands.

  • Ace (1972) – Functionally a Grateful Dead studio album under Weir’s name. Key original Weir tunes include:
    • Cassidy (studio debut)
    • One More Saturday Night
    • Mexicali Blues
    • Looks Like Rain
    • Playing in the Band (studio version)
  • Heaven Help the Fool (1978) – Pop‑leaning record with tracks like:
    • Heaven Help the Fool
    • Bombs Away
    • Easy to Slip (Lowell George cover, but Weir’s arrangement is well known).
  • Weir Here: The Best of Bob Weir – A compilation that pulls together solo and Dead material he’s associated with, useful as a curated “Bob wrote/sang this” sampler.

Later, projects such as RatDog and Bob Weir & Wolf Bros mix his classic material with newer co‑writes and covers, so writing credit there tends to be more scattered.

Handy resources for deeper digging

Because the full list is long and sometimes disputed, dedicated discography and lyric sites are where serious fans go when cataloging all the songs Bob Weir wrote or co‑wrote.

  • Official Grateful Dead site “Music by Bob Weir” section – Lists many Weir‑associated songs and lyrics, though it is not a strict songwriting‑credit database.
  • Whitegum lyric index – A long‑running fan site that lets you query Grateful Dead originals by who wrote the lyrics or the music, making it easier to isolate Weir’s contributions.
  • Wikipedia’s “Songs written by Bob Weir” category – Offers a smaller, more formal list of pages tagged as having Weir in the writing credits.
  • Fan forum threads – Discussions on Grateful Dead forums and Reddit often link to curated lists and debate edge cases like co‑writes, arrangements, and partial credits.

For anyone exploring “songs Bob Weir wrote,” the practical approach is to start with the core classics above, then use the lyric and discography sites to go track‑by‑track through his long, evolving catalog.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.