Dark Star

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir

Dark star crashes (note a)
Pouring its light into ashes
Reason tatters
The forces tear loose from the axis
Searchlight casting
For faults in the clouds of delusion

Shall we go, you and I, while we can?
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds

Mirror shatters
In formless reflections of matter
Glass hand dissolving
To ice petal flowers revolving
Lady in velvet
Recedes in the nights of goodbye

Shall we go, you and I, while we can
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?
Robert Hunter wrote the following ending to the lyrics. You can hear it being spoken at the end of the single version of "Dark Star" - available on the compilation CD What A Long Strange Trip It's Been and as a bonus track on The Golden Road (1965-1973) (thanks to Ben Miller for pointing this out to me). They are also spoken at the end of the Henry Kaiser version on "Those Who Know History ..."
Spinning a set the stars through which the tattered tales of axis roll
About the waxen wind of never set to motion in the unbecoming
Round about the reason hardly matters nor the wise through which
The stars were set in spin
Notes
(a) in some versions (eg 16 Mar 1968 and 18 Feb 1971) Jerry sings "Dark star flashes"


Grateful Dead Recordings

Phil Lesh and Friends Recordings

Other Dead-related Recordings

Covers By Other Artists


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 1 (piano arrangement)
          Grateful Dead Authentic Guitar Classics Volume 2 (guitar TAB)

 


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