Feel Like A Stranger

Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir

Inside you're burning
I can see clear through
Your eyes tell more than you mean them to

Lit up and flashing
Like the reds and blues
Out there on the neon avenue

But I feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger

Well the music's thundering
We're restless and hot
You keep firing glances across the room

And I can't stop wondering
Just what you got
Get the feeling I'm gonna find out real soon

Still I feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger
Well you know it's gonna get stranger
So let's get on with the show

Yes and the wheel
Gets smoking round midnight
You shoot me a look that said let's go

Yes and it feels
Just like running a red light
There ain't no point in looking behind us, no

But I feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger
You know it keeps getting stranger and stranger
If it's love then how would I know?

Yes and it's gonna get stranger
Some things you just know

If this were love then how would I know
(Feel like a stranger)
(Feel like a stranger)
Feel like a stranger
(Feel like a stranger)
It's gonna be a long hot crazy night
It's gonna be a long long crazy crazy night (note 1)
Yeah crazy night
Silky silky, crazy crazy night

Notes
(1) in some live versions, Brent sang "It's gonna be a long, long crazy tour or "It's gonna be a long, long crazy afternoon" (during daytime shows).

In the Grateful Dead Hour #1478, David Gans played an early studio run-through, with different and less-developed lyrics:

Inside you're burning
Well I'm fairly certain
Your eyes tell me more than you wish them to

And I can't help feeling
It's more than just flirting
You may say no but I know it's true

Still I
Feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger
Stranger to me
Stranger to you

I got that feeling
Like we just ran a stop light
And there's no point in looking back, no, no

Feeling restless
Tell me
Here's the [keys block], come on let's go

Still I
Feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger

I know you don't trust me
No more than I trust you

Roll on by
Yes, I'm fairly certain
Your eyes tell more than you mean them to

And I can't help feeling
More than flirting
You may say no but I know it's true

Still I
Feel like a stranger
Feel like a stranger
Like a stranger
Stranger to me
Stranger to you

I know you don't love me
No more than I love you

Feel like a stranger
Like a stranger
Feel like a stranger
Like a stranger
Feel like a stranger

Grateful Dead Recordings
	Date	Album
	studio 1980	Go To Heaven (note 1)
	6 May 1980	Road Trips Volume 3, Number 4
	16 May 1980	Go To Nassau
	3 Sep 1980	Download Series Vol 7
	4 Oct 1980	Dead Set (note 7)
	28 Nov 1980	30 Trips Around The Sun
	30 Nov 1980	Dave's Picks Volume 8
	9 Mar 1981	In And Out Of The Garden
	16 May 1981	30 Trips Around The Sun
	30 Sep 1981	30 Days Of The Dead (2023)
	20 Apr 1984	Dave's Picks Volume 35
	12 Oct 1984	30 Trips Around The Sun (note 5)
	3 Sep 1985	30 Days Of The Dead (2020)
	31 Mar 1986	30 Days Of The Dead (2013) (note 9)
	19 Apr 1986	30 Days Of The Dead (2015) (note 6)
	10 Jul 1989	Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 Boxed Set
	17 Jul 1989	Downhill From Here (video/DVD only)
	9 Oct 1989	Without A Net
	9 Oct 1989	Warlocks Box
	16 Oct 1989	Nightfall Of Diamonds
	23 Oct 1989	30 Days Of The Dead (2020)
	28 Dec 1989	30 Days Of The Dead (2019)
	14 Mar 1990	Spring 1990 (The Other One)
	22 Mar 1990	Spring 1990 (note 3)
	2 Apr 1990	Spring 1990 (note 4)
	23 Jun 1990	Dave's Picks Volume 44 (note 10)
	16 Dec 1992	Dick's Picks Vol 27
	10 Mar 1993	30 Days Of The Dead (2022)
	26 Jun 1993	(official YouTube video only)
	19 Oct 1994	30 Days Of The Dead (2021) (note 11)

(Plus live recordings by The Dead, Furthur, Dead & Company, Ratdog, Phil Lesh & Friends etc not listed here. See Grateful Dead Family Discography for a full list.)

Other Recordings
	Date	Album	Recorded By
	1998	Live, Vol 1	Joe Gallant and Illuminati
	1998	Release 1	The Schwag
	2001	Live At Twenty North	Jake's Leg
	2002	Electronic Tribute To The Grateful Dead	Various (J.P.Melen)
	2011	4 Sep 2011, Mohawk, NY	moe.
	2014	30 Oct 2014, New York, NY	The Infamous Stringdusters
	2015	2 Jul 2015, Chicago, IL	The Infamous Stringdusters and Keller Williams(note 8)

Notes
(1) also on the compilations Weir Here: The Best Of Bob Weir and The Best Of The Grateful Dead.
(2) a 2 Mar 1987 Grateful Dead recording has been made available for download as an outtake from "So Many Roads (1965-1995)"
(3) also on the compilation So Glad You Made It
(4) also made available for download on 30 Days Of The Dead (2011)
(5) also on the compilation 30 Trips Around The Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965-1995
(6) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2016)
(7) also on the compilation The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live
(8) The list above includes only one illustrative example of the series of live recordings by these artists. For a full list see the Grateful Dead Family Discography.
(9) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2018)
(10) also on 30 Days Of The Dead (2017)
(11) also released on 30 Days Of The Dead (2022) and 30 Days Of The Dead (2023)

Further Information
For an online discussion of the lyrics to this song see the deadsongs.vue conference on The Well.
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For information on references in the lyrics see David Dodd's Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics
For David Dodd's discussion of this song on dead.net see Greatest Stories Ever Told
For online chords and TAB see www.rukind.com
For sheet music, see:
Grateful Dead Anthology Volume 2 (piano arrangement)
Without A Net Songbook (piano arrangement)