Althea chords by
Grateful Dead (Official Version)
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1980Rock1.6K views

Key: A majorDifficulty: Easy

Intro 1

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Verse 1
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
I told Althea I was feeling lost
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
Lacking in some direction
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
Althea told me upon scrutiny
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
That my  back might need protec tion
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
I told Althea that treachery
F F 
 
C C 
 
Was tearing me limb from limb
Em Em 
 
G G 
 
Althea told me, now cool down boy
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
Settle back easy, Jim

Interlude 1

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Verse 2
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
You may be Saturday's child all grown
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
Moving with a  pinch of grace
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
You may be a clown in the burying ground
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
Or just another pretty face
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
You may be the fate of Ophelia
F F 
 
C C 
 
Sleeping and perchance to dream
Em Em 
 
G G 
 
Honest to the point of recklessness
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
Self-centred to the extreme

Interlude 2

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Verse 3
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
Ain't nobody messin' with you but you
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
Your friends are getting most concerned
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
Loose with the truth, maybe its your fire
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
Baby don't get burned
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
When the smoke has cleared, she said
F F 
 
C C 
 
That's what she said to me
Em Em 
 
G G 
 
Gonna want a bed to lay your head
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
And a little sympathy

Interlude 3

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Bridge 1
F F 
 
Bb Bb 
 
There are things you can replace
G7 G7 
 
And others you cannot
F F 
 
Bb Bb 
 
The time has come to weigh those things
G7 G7 
 
This space is gettin' hot
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
You know this space is gettin' hot

Interlude 4

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

Verse 4
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
I told Althea, I'm a roving son
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
That I was born to be a ba  chelor
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
C C 
 
Althea told me, OK   that's fine
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G7 G7 
 
So now I'm trying to catch her
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
Can't talk to you without talking to me
F F 
 
C C 
 
We're guilty of the same old things
Em Em 
 
G G 
 
Thinking a lot about less and less
Dm Dm 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
And forgetting the love we bring

Outro 1

Dm

C

G7

C

Dm

C

G7

[Repeat and fade]

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsDm C G7 Em F...

Chords

Dm
C
G7
Em
F
G
Bb

Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

Dm: x-x-0-2-3-1
C: x-3-2-0-1-0
G7: 3-2-0-0-0-1
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0
F: x-3-3-2-1-x
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
Bb: x-1-3-3-3-x

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 3

3

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

F is one of the chords beginners ask about the most. A short walkthrough on how to fret it cleanly and switch in and out of it. Learn the F chord

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

This is the definitive original version of Althea by Grateful Dead, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of A major. It suits players who want to learn Althea the way Grateful Dead intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

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