Turtles All the Way Down
Althea
Lyrics By: Robert Hunter
Music By: Jerry Garcia
I told Althea I was feeling lost,
lacking in some direction.
Althea told me upon scrutiny
my back might need protection.
I told Althea that treachery
was tearing me limb from limb.
Althea told me, "better cool down, boy --
settle back, easy Jim."
You may be Saturday's child -- all alone,
moving with a tinge of grace.
You may be a clown in the burying ground
or just another pretty face.
You may meet the fate of Ophelia,
sleeping and perchance to dream:
honest to the point of recklessness,
self-centered in the extreme.
Ain't nobody messing with you but you.
Your friends are getting most concerned.
Loose with the truth -- maybe it's your fire,
but baby, 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."
There are things you can replace
and others you cannot --
The time has come to weigh those things.
This space is getting hot,
you know this space is getting hot...
I told Althea I'm a roving son,
and I was born to be a bachelor.
Althea told me, "okay, 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 thing.
Been talking a lot about less and less
And forgetting the love we bring.