Althea chords by
Grateful Dead (Official Version)
Print

1980Rock1.6K views

Key: A majorDifficulty: Intermediate

Intro 1

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Verse 1
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
I told Althea I was feeling lost
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Lacking in some direction
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
Althea told me  upon   scrutiny
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
That my    back might need protec   tion
Db Db 
 
Fm Fm 
 
I told Althea that treachery
Gb Gb 
 
Db Db 
 
Was tearing me limb from limb
Fm Fm 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Althea told me, now cool down boy
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Settle back easy, Jim

Interlude 1

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Verse 2
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
You may be Saturday's child all grown
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Moving with a   pinch of grace
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
You may be a clown in the burying ground
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Or just another  pretty face
Db Db 
 
Fm Fm 
 
You may be the fate of Ophelia
Gb Gb 
 
Db Db 
 
Sleeping and perchance to dream
Fm Fm 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Honest to the point of recklessness
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Self-centred to the extreme

Interlude 2

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Verse 3
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
Ain't nobody messin' with you   but you
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Your friends are getting most concerned
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
Loose with the truth, maybe its   your fire
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Baby don't get burned
Db Db 
 
Fm Fm 
 
When the smoke has cleared, she said
Gb Gb 
 
Db Db 
 
That's what she said to me
Fm Fm 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Gonna want a bed to lay your head
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab Ab 
 
And a little sympathy

Interlude 3

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Bridge 1
Gb Gb 
 
B B 
 
There are things you can replace
Ab7 Ab7 
 
And others you cannot
Gb Gb 
 
B B 
 
The time has come to weigh those things
Ab7 Ab7 
 
This space is gettin' hot
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
You know this space is gettin' hot

Interlude 4

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Verse 4
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
I told Althea, I'm a roving son
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
That I was born to be a ba    chelor
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
Db Db 
 
Althea told me, OK     that's fine
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab7 Ab7 
 
So now I'm trying to catch her
Db Db 
 
Fm Fm 
 
Can't talk to you without talking to me
Gb Gb 
 
Db Db 
 
We're guilty of the same old things
Fm Fm 
 
Ab Ab 
 
Thinking a lot about less and less
Ebm Ebm 
 
Db Db 
 
Ab Ab 
 
And forgetting the love we bring

Outro 1

Ebm

Db

Ab7

Db

Ebm

Db

Ab7

[Repeat and fade]

How did you like the song?

5.0 (7)

You need to to leave a rating.

TunerE A D G B E

ChordsEbm Db Ab7 Fm Gb...

Chords

Ebm
Db
Ab7
Fm
Gb
Ab
B

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

Ebm: x-6-8-8-7-x
Db: x-4-6-6-6-x
Ab7: 4-6-4-5-4-4
Fm: x-x-3-1-1-1
Gb: 2-4-4-3-2-2
Ab: 4-6-6-5-4-4
B: x-2-4-4-4-x

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 4

4

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Barre chords ask a lot of the fretting hand. The barre course walks through hand position, pressure, and the cleanest way to land each shape. Practice barre chords

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 is designed for guitarists ready to move past the basics and capture the true feel of Grateful Dead's performance.

More songs by Grateful Dead

Discover chords for more songs to play

Friend Of The Devil

4.8

10.4K

Ripple

5.0

4.6K

Dire Wolf

3.8

1.4K

Brokedown Palace

5.0

1.2K

Brown-Eyed Woman

4.5

1.4K

Box Of Rain

5.0

1.3K

Uncle John's Band

4.8

2K

Related songs

Discover chords for more songs to play

Friend Of The DevilTabs

Grateful Dead

4.8

10.4K

Let It BeTabs

The Beatles

4.9

5.6M

7 Years

Lukas Graham

4.7

4.5M

ZombieTabs

The Cranberries

4.8

11.9M

I'm YoursTabs

Jason Mraz

4.8

5.4M

Ripple

Grateful Dead

5.0

4.6K

Drivers License

Olivia Rodrigo

4.8

4.7M

Popular chords globally

Most played chords & tabs across all users

1

Perfect

Ed Sheeran

4.8

48.7M

2

CreepTabs

Radiohead

4.9

29.4M

3

YellowTabs

Coldplay

4.8

17.9M

4

Boulevard Of Broken DreamsTabs

Green Day

4.8

12.5M

5

ZombieTabs

The Cranberries

4.8

11.9M

6

Wonderwall

Oasis

4.8

8.3M

7

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Bob Dylan

4.8

6.4M

Recently added

Recently added chords & tabs

Dracula

Tame Impala

Stay Country Or Die Tryin’

Blake Shelton

Yo te necesito

Marca MP

5.0

92

Fast

Juice WRLD

5.0

29

Mr Red White And Blue

Coffey Anderson

20

Todo va estar bien

Barak

5.0

30

Station To Station

David Bowie

1.0

61