I told Althea I was feeling lost
Lacking in some direction
Althea told me upon scrutiny
That my back might need protection
I told Althea that treachery
Was tearing me limb from limb
Althea told me, now cool down boy
Settle back easy, Jim

You may be Saturday's child all grown
Moving with a pinch of grace
You may be a clown in the burying ground
Or just another pretty face
You may be the fate of Ophelia
Sleeping and perchance to dream
Honest to the point of recklessness
Self-centred to the extreme

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

There are things you can replace
And others you cannot
The time has come to weigh those things
This space is gettin' hot
You know this space is gettin' hot

I told Althea, I'm a roving sign
That I was born to be a bachelor
Althea told me, OK that's fine
So now I'm trying to catch her
Can't talk to you without talking to me
We're guilty of the same old things
Thinking a lot about less and less
And forgetting the love we bring


Lyrics submitted by itsmyownmind, edited by wdemoss1

Althea Lyrics as written by Robert Hunter Jerry Garcia

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Althea song meanings
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  • +7
    General Comment

    The story of Althea always struck me as being similar to other stories about missing an opportunity at the critical chance that it presents itself due to ignorance about the significance of the situation. It expresses the regret felt when one realizes too late that everything they wanted was right in front of them and the despair when one realizes that the opportunity can most likely never be regained. In this sense the meaning for "Alethea" (the unhidden truth - or the truth that was always there, but you couldn't see it due to psychic blindness) fits very well. I think the song also uses the image of the mystical woman as a symbol of the Anima, so that the missed opportunity is not just for love, but for joining with the spiritual feminine inside that provides inspiration, vision and passion for the work of our lives.

    trpnstn1on September 27, 2009   Link

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