Jerry Garcia Band
Tangled Up in Blue (Live at French’s Camp, Piercy, CA, August 29, 1987)
[Verse 1]
Early one morning the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
I wondered if she'd changed at much
If her hair was still red
Parents said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
Never did like mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
I was sitting on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
God knows I've paid some dues
Getting through
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Verse 2]
Shе was married when we first mеt
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
But I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Separated on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around and called to me
As I was walking away
I heard her say over my shoulder
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue"
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Verse 3]
I went out to the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
I never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
I headed down to New Orleans
And I lucky was to be employed
Working for a while on a fishing boat
Right outside of Delacroix
All the while I was alone
The past was close behind
Known a lot of women
She never escaped my mind
And I just grew
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 4]
She was working in a topless place
I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
Later on when the crowd thinned out
I was just about to do the same
She was standing there in the back of my chair
Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Verse 5]
She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You look like the silent type."
She opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
Every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off from every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 6]
I lived with them on Montague street
In a basement down the stairs
Music in the cafés at night
And revolution in the air
Started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside
Later on when the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue
[Verse 7]
Now I'm going back again
I gotta get back to her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they do with their lives
Me, I'm still on the road
Heading for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue)
[Instrumental Break]
[Refrain]
Tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue)
Tangled up in blue (Tangled up in blue, tangled up in blue)
[Outro]
Tangled up in blue (Blue)
Tangled up in blue (Blue)
Tangled up in blue (Blue)
Tangled up in blue (Blue)
Thanks a lot, everybody. Thanks for coming