Grateful Dead

Stella Blue

Lyrics By: Robert Hunter
Music By: Jerry Garcia

All the years combine
They melt into a dream
A broken angel sings
From a guitar

In the end there's just a song
Comes crying up the night
Through all the broken dreams (note 1)
And vanished years

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

When all the cards are down
There's nothing left to see
There's just the pavement left
And broken dreams

In the end there's still that song (note 2)
Comes crying like the wind
Down every lonely street
That's ever been

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

I've stayed in every blue light cheap hotel
Can't win for trying
Dust off those rusty strings just one more time
Gonna make them shine (note 3)

It all rolls into one
And nothing comes for free
There's nothing you can hold
For very long

And when you hear that song
Come crying like the wind
It seems like all this life
Was just a dream

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

(1) Hunter's hand-written lyrics have this line as "From all the lonely streets" and early Grateful Dead versions have Garcia singing "Down all the lonely streets"

(2) in early versions, Garcia sang "There's still that same old song"

(3) in early versions, Garcia sang "Can't keep from crying" (this bridge doesn't appear in Hunter's hand-written lyrics)
(Thanks to Mike Chulick for spotting these)

Stella Blue