I wanna learn a love song    (video)

 

    G ~ ~   G ~ ~

 

                  Am                            D                  - C             Am         G

1. I come fresh from the street, fast on my fee....t, kinda lean and lazy,

                      Am                                      D

    not much meat on my bones, and a whole lot alone,

              C              Am         G

    and more that a little bit crazy.

           Dm                        C                Am               Em

    The old six string was all I had to keep my belly still,

                 Am                 D                        C                   Am      G

    and for each full hour lesson I gave, I got a crisp ten-dollar bill.

 

     Am                             D                        C           Am     G

2. She was married for seven years to a concrete castle king,

                          Am                          D

    she said she wanted to learn to play the guitar,

                  C           Am       G

    and to hear her children sing.

         Dm                         C                           Am                        Em

    So I'd show up about once a week in my faded tight-legged jeans,

                Am                  D                          C

    with a backlog full of hobo stories and dilapidated dreams.

 

                - G                                            - Am

She said,       "I wanna learn a long song         full of happy things."

              - D                                                              C

She said,     "I wanna learn a love song, won't you let me hear you sing ?"

                 G                                        - Am

She said, "I wanna learn a love song,          I wanna hear you play."

                 D                                             C          Am    G       ~

She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

 

             Am                          D                                    C      Am  G

2. So I tried to teach her a couple of chords and an easy melody,

              Am                                 D                     C       Am        G

    but it always turned out she'd rather listen to my guitar and me.

                 Dm                       C

    I could hear her old man laughing in the den,

      Am                                     Em

    playing stud poker with the boys,

                 Am                        D

    while I sang so soft in the living room,

              C           Am              G

    too scared to make much noise.

 

       Am                                   D                                  C     - Am           G

4. I came one week and the den was dark and she met me     at the door,

                Am                                     D

    and we sat on the couch and we sang and talked

              C           Am         G

    'till I could not sing no more.

            Dm                     C                Am                           Em

    The silence kept on building, her eyes grew much too wide,

                         Am                     D

    and I could hear both of our heart-beats,

                     C

    but there was no place to hide.       +  CHORUS      +  G  ~ ~ G ~ ~

 

                 Am                             D

5. Well, I guess you know what happened,

                      - C              Am          G

    my God, I        I never been so clean,

              Am                                    D

    yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie,

         C                 Am            G

    or living out a good-bad dream.

                          Dm                      C

    And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world

               Am                           Em

    never touched me like she can,

                  Am                                 D

    it took another man's wife in the real world life

           C

    to make this boy a man.        +  CHORUS

 

          C             Am       G

+  I guess you know I stayed.           +  C - Am - G

 

    (Harry Chapin)