Artists
Musicians featured in this piece are:
Grace Slick – lead vocals, piano
David Freiberg – keyboards
Chris Ethridge – bass guitar
Jerry Garcia – guitar
John Barbata – drums, percussion
Written by Grace Slick. Produced by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick & David Freiberg, recorded at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, 1972–73. Released on Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun (Grunt Records, May 1973).
“Across the Board” is one of only two tracks on the album — along with “Fishman” — where Paul Kantner doesn’t sing or play rhythm guitar and David Freiberg doesn’t sing, making it a pure Grace Slick vocal and piano showcase, backed here by Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia and Flying Burrito Brothers bassist Chris Ethridge, both regular contributors across the album. Grace Slick has said the song’s cheekier lyrics (“seven inches of pleasure”) were partly meant to needle the record label, and the track went on to become a live favorite and vocal centerpiece in the early days of Jefferson Starship.
Paul Kantner, Grace Slick & David Freiberg – Across the Board Lyrics
Somebody aimed you when you were young
Nobody ever fired
Now you just sit there inside the gun
Bullet, you’re getting old and tired
If you want out, get out and get it all
I mean a fair trial is no trial at all
You’re not guilty, can’t even move without a human hand
You can’t cock yourself, woman, you need a man
All the way you need him
All the way
All the way across the floor
Across the board
The man’s only got one finger
He doesn’t need anymore
He makes his way one prong down
All the way
All the way
All the way across the floor
Seven inches of pleasure
Seven inches going home
Somebody must have measured
All the way down the old bone
All the way
All the way
All the way
Down the old bone
To listen to other songs from the Teleskop 10 program and the full program, click here.