Grateful Dead

Dear Mr. Fantasy

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Dear Mr. Fantasy Lyrics

Dear Mr. Fantasy play us a tune, something to make us all feel happy.
Do anything to keep us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make us happy.
You are the one who makes us feel glad
By doin' that you break out in tears.
Please don't be sad to take up the straight life you had
We wouldn't have known you all these years.
Dear Mr. Fantasy play us a tune, something to treat us happy.
Do anything to keep us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make us happy.

Submitted by

itsmyownmind On Dec 23, 2001

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Keep it true to the song

Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.

Respect the structure

Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.

Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)

Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

Don’t mix versions

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Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

itsmyownmind

Submitter

2001-12-23 03:53:56

4 Meanings

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by Korno

22y ago

isn't this song by traffic, or is one of them a cover?

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by edflint

22y ago

it is by traffic and its not a cover

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by samba

18y ago

To be clear,the Dead are covering a song by Traffic. Maybe It was written about the troubador Fantuzzi

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by thomasrj

17y ago

Originally performed by Steve Winwood with his band Traffic on the album 'Mr. Fantasy.' The Dead included this song in their live repertoire, often performing it with their friend, none other than Winwood himself.

*Correction: The sixth verse should read: "Please don't be sad, if it was a straight life you had..."

Also performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix, Gov't Mule, and Widespread Panic.

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