Althea

Grateful Dead

Key of A · Chords: I IV V VII ii iii

Verse 1

Bm     A            E       A
I told Althea I was feeling lost
Bm         A    E
Lackin’ in some direction
Bm          A       E        A
Althea told me upon scrutiny that my
Bm         A    E
Back might need protection
A                  C#m
I told Althea that treachery
D                        A
Was tearin’ me limb from limb
C#m                  E
Althea told me, now, cool down boy
Bm           A    E
Simmer back, easy Jim

Verse 2

You may be Saturday’s child all grown
Movin’ with pinch of grace
You may be a clown in the burying ground
Or just another pretty face
You maybe the fate of Ophelia
Sleepin’ and perchance to dream
Honest to the point of recklessness
Self-centered to the extreme

Verse 3

Ain’t nobody messin’ with you but you
Your friends are getting most concerned
Loose with the truth baby, it’s your fire
Baby, I hope you don’t get burned
When the smoke has cleared she said,
That’s what she said to me
Gonna want a bed to lay your head
And a little sympathy

Verse 4

D                    G           E
There are things you can replace And others you can not
D                    G                  E
The time has come to weigh those things This space is getting hot
Bm            A                E
You know this space is getting hot.

Verse 5

I told Althea I’m a roving sign
And I was born to be a bachelor
Althea told me, OK, that’s fine
So now I’m tryin’ to catch her
Can’t talk to you without talkin’ to me
We’re guilty of the same old thing
Thinkin’ a lot about less and less
And forgetting the love we bring