Dark Star
The Greatful Dead Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dark star crashes, 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?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star" are enigmatic and obtuse on purpose, meaning that they offer a canvas on which the listener can project their own meanings and interpretations. A popular theory is that "Dark Star" is a metaphor for a drug trip or psychedelic experience, with the song taking the listener on a journey through the altered state of consciousness. However, other interpretations see the song as a more metaphysical musing on the nature of reality, consciousness, and perception.


The opening lines of the song, "Dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes," suggest an enigmatic transformation or a sudden change in the narrative of the song. The lines "Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis" add an element of violence or chaos to the image, as though the natural order of things has been ripped apart. The searchlight mentioned in the following line is an indication of the need to find clarity amid the confusion, while the reference to clouds of delusion hints at the idea that our perceptions of reality might be illusory. Finally, with the question "Shall we go, you and I while we can through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?", the song suggests that enlightenment or a state of higher consciousness might be attainable if we are willing to take a leap of faith.


Line by Line Meaning

Dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes.
The star that once shone bright and gave hope has now come to a sudden end, leaving nothing but destruction and chaos in its wake.


Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis.
Logic and rationality begin to break down as the forces of life become unaligned and out of control.


Searchlight casting for faults in the clouds of delusion.
A desperate attempt to find truth and clarity in a world that is clouded by lies and illusion.


Shall we go, you and I while we can
An invitation to take action and not waste any opportunity to experience life to the fullest.


Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?
A metaphorical journey through the dark and mysterious realm of the unknown, with the promise of discovering something valuable and meaningful along the way.


Mirror shatters in formless reflections of matter.
Reflections of the self become distorted and meaningless, revealing the true impermanence and worthlessness of material possessions.


Glass hand dissolving to ice petal flowers revolving.
The delicate beauty of life can quickly dissolve and disappear before our eyes, like fragile ice petals melting away.


Lady in velvet recedes in the nights of goodbye.
A symbol of something or someone cherished slipping away and leaving only memories behind.


Shall we go, you and I while we can
A repeating call to action, urging us to take advantage of every opportunity life presents us.


Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?
Reemphasizing the idea of embarking on an uncertain journey, with the potential for greatness and discovery at the other end.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEROME J. GARCIA, MICHAEL S. HART, ROBERT C. HUNTER, WILLIAM KREUTZMANN, PHILIP LESH, RONALD CHARLES MCKERNAN, ROBERT HALL WEIR

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@Passifloratripartira

Dark star crashes, 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 in ice, petal flowers revolving
Lady in velvet recedes in the nights of good-bye
Shall we go, you and I while we can
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?



@gregor6922

Dark star crashes
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" :

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

What can be said about "Dark Star"? The prototypical Grateful Dead song, providing the band with a vehicle for countless hours of improvisation.

Hunter states in a note in Box of Rain that "Dark Star" was the first song lyric he wrote with the band.

In Garcia, Charles Reich questions Garcia about "Dark Star.":

REICH: Well then if we wanted to talk about "Dark Star," uh, could you say anything about where it comes from?

[GARCIA]: You gotta remember that you and I are talking about two different "Dark Stars." You're talking about the "Dark Star" which you have heard formalized on a record, and I'm talking about the "Dark Star" which I have heard in each performance as a completely improvised piece over a long period of time.

So I have a long continuum of "Dark Star" which range in character from each other to real different extremes. "Dark Star" has meant, while I'm playing it, almost as many things as I can sit here and imagine, so all I can do is talk about "Dark Star" as a playing experience.

REICH: Well, yeah, talk about it a little.

[GARCIA]: I can't. It talks about itself.

Nothing like a straight forward answer, lol, Garcia and Hunter were quite a pair

Dark Star was the first lyric that Robert Hunter wrote with the Dead.

He had previously sent a few lyrics to them from New Mexico and was then invited to join them.

Hunter describes the journey in the introduction to his collected lyrics Box Of Rain;

The trip took six weeks with a surreal layover in Denver.

By the time I hit Nevada I had a dime in my pocket which I put in a slot machine and parlayed into enough to make a phone cal the guys I was on my way.

I arrived in San Francisco with a case of walking pneumonia and the clothes on my back.

The next day I was writing Dark Star, feeling pretty much as the lyric suggests.

The initial lyrics were written at Rio Nido where the Dead were playing when Hunter joined them.

The single version of Dark Star was recorded in the studio during the recordings sessions for Anthem Of The Sun.

Robert Hunter speaks the words at the close of the song.

Dark Star was first performed, without lyrics, by the Grateful Dead in September 1967.

The first version with lyrics was in the December of that year.

The song was a major focus for improvisation and was played regularly through the 1960's and up to 1973.

After 1974 it only appeared on odd occasions in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1984 before making a comeback in October 1989.

It was then played about 25 times through the 1990s the last performance being in March 1994.



@jerrynelson1929

Thanks for articulating that this is the gateway to Bitches Brew, Mahavishnu 1971-1973, Weather Report in particular. Agreed that this is the tightest, most effectively recorded Dark Star version I have the pleasure of hearing.

While the aforementioned Fusion works include incredibly technical skill sets, the orchestral view of this Dark Star provides a tight, yet free listening adventure that is on a different plane than Orange Lady, Bitches Brew , Spanish Key, Pharaoh,s Dance, Meeting of the Spirits, Birds of Fire,Trilogy, The Unknown Soldier, Second Sunday in August, Crystal. Not a better plane, just a Different one,

I have become a Deadhead over the last 25-30 years because I really like the extended jams and free/ psychedelic work, such as Playing in the Band, Wharf Rat, The Other One, and the Eleven , St Stephen, Bird Song, China Cat/ I know you Rider, Uncle John’s Band ( can go on and on )…..
This specific recording of Dark Star just takes you AWAY , just like “ In a Silent Way. Both of these recordings were made within weeks of each other in 1969. My vinyl copies of each are in really good shape, which I can still listen on my Bose 901 speakers….had to replace my original Phillips turntable a couple of years ago ,and replaced my Kenwood amp a couple of times.

These albums and artists have provided a lifetime of pleasure, joy and both my parents and wife of 41 year’s demanding to “turn that down”
- but keep listening and even have convinced my wife to keep the station on the Grateful Dead channel on XM or a downloaded Grateful Dead disc in the car!

Some guys just don’t grow up 😃😊



All comments from YouTube:

@rodneyhatch56

I stole this record from a record store when I was thirteen years old. I am now 63. I still have this record 50 years later. It is part of my operating system.

@georgecorbett9832

Maybe u should take it back now and say “thank you”

@manga4715

By Blockbuster standards....you owe 145,000,000.12

@landlinesandpercolators8822

First I want to say I am sorry for the shoplifting I did. For the record though, LPs were not easy to steal. You can't put them under your shirt. Preferred method was have a bag from the store, slip the albums in, and if you wanted to really be thorough, fold and have an old receipt and a small stapler to staple it on with. Then walk out like you bought it.

@EzeICE

Right On brother!

@maryslusarchuk3810

I think sometimes we steal what we need. Even when we don't know it at the time, our subconscious does.

86 More Replies...

@Mrbeahz1

So I was 18 when I got this album. I waited till my 52 year old mom went to her room, then I put it on. 5 minutes in she comes out, and I immediately start with "I'll turn it down". She's all: "No! What is this? Who is this?" Long story short, I started the side over, and Mom and I listened to Dark Star, and we both loved it.

@Finnrock1

the " Mothers " know best!

@therasound

you are a lucky, lucky man my friend.....

@martintowse6812

Had a similar experience having turned someone else's mother, thirty years my senior onto 'Morning Dew' on Europe 72. Daughter walked in and assumed her mother was listening to BBC radio 4. Dark Star on this album confirmed my path to adulthood when I was fourteen, thanks elder brother. Jerry leading us out of chaos, as phenomenal today as then.

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