Jack Straw is a rock song written by Bob Weir and Robert Hunter in the Troubadour tradition. The track appeared on the Grateful Dead album Europe '72, and was frequently performed live by the band.
The song was first performed in concert on October 19, 1971, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at new keyboardist Keith Godchaux's first show with the band.
In the song's earliest performances (c. 1971–72), Weir sang all of the vocals. On the Europe 72 Tour at The Olympia Theater in Paris on 5-03-72 Weir and Jerry Garcia began switching up the vocals. The song also became much faster in tempo over the years, less concentrated on vocal harmony and more of a high-energy rock jam.
Bob Weir stated in a 2004 interview that the song's lyrics were partly based on John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men.
The Grateful Dead tribute album Deadicated contains a rendition of "Jack Straw" recorded by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.