'Touch of Grey'
by The Grateful Dead

It must be getting early
Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky
Looks so phony

Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care
'Cause it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

I see you got your list out
Say your piece and get out
Yes I got the gist of it
But it's alright

Sorry that you feel that way
The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey

It's a lesson to me
The Ables and the Bakers and the C's
The A B C's
We all must face
And try to keep a little grace

I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright

Cows are giving kerosene
The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene
But it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

It's a lesson to me
The Deltas and the East and the Freeze
The A B C's
We all think of
And try to keep a little love

The shoe is on the hand it fits
There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and spit
'Cause it's alright

Oh well a touch of grey
Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say
And it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
We will survive

---

This song is probably about getting older or more mature. I think the key phrases in the song are "I will get by" and "I will survive" which is absolutely how I treat many things in my life.
Its like, yeah things aren't great but I will get by and I'll survive.

I guess it just goes to show that drug use doesn't make you a bad person. The Dead were known for their drug use and they were almost always positive including in this song.

I have heard that it was written after Jerry Garcia's recovery from a diabetic coma. And he was still positive after it all.

But then there's the line "Every silver lining's got a touch of grey" and as we all know, the old saying about a "silver lining" is saying that there's always something positive. Yet in this song they say the lining has a touch of grey.
I don't think there's much to that, though. I think it was meant more along the lines of how people see someone with hair begining to grey as rather wise and that 'touch of grey' as something very distinguishing.

No matter what the song is about, I love it. Its just an amazing song that makes me feel great when I hear it.

And as a bit of a side-note, Jerry Garcia started going grey in his 30's.

I hope you all enjoyed this song and if you did, you've almost certainly never gotten high for superficial reasons. lol. Seriously, though, if you've ever thought negatively about LSD and marijuana (opiates and cocaine/crack and things in those categories not included) then you could learn a lot from The Grateful Dead.

"Its Jerry Garcia in a pouch, man!" -Brian, "Half Baked"

-=The Prynce