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Loudon Wainwright : I'm Alright
1985

  1. One Man Guy
  2. Lost Love
  3. I'm Alright
  4. Not John
  5. Cardboard Boxes

  6. How Old Are You?
  7. Ready Or Not (So Ripe)
  8. Career Moves

One Man Guy

G
People know when they see this show
C
D
G
Just the kind of a guy I am
G
They'll recognize what I stand for
C
D
And what I just can't stand
C
D
They'll perceive what I believe in
C
D
And what I know is true
G
They'll understand that I'm a one man guy
C
D
I always was, through and through
G
C
'Cause I'm a one man guy in the morning
G
C
I'm the same in the afternoon
G
C
One man guy when the sun goes down
G
D
I'll whistle me a one-man tune
G
C
G
C
One man guy, a one man guy, only kind of guy to be
/b
Am
A one man guy, I'm a one man guy
D
And that one man is me People meditate, hey that's just great Trying to find the inner you People depend on family and friends And other folks to pull 'em through I don't know why I'm a one man guy Or why this is a one man show But these three cubic feet of bone and blood and meat Are all I really know Gonna bathe and shave and dress myself And eat solo every night Unplug the phone, sleep alone Stay way out of sight Sure it gets kinda lonely, yeah it's sorta sick Being your own one and only Is a selfish, dirty trick

Lost Love

G
D
I'm not calling for a reason dear
G
D
And the reason is because
C
F#
G
There is no reason I should call you because
D
G
Your love my darling I have lost You and I used to love each other dear Do you remember way back there? But now somehow our love has lost its power We'll never get it back again
F
F#
G
I'm not completely sure I'm sorry, darling
F
F#
G
When I get angry then I'm glad
Bm
F#
I'm happy that it's finally over
D
G
But when I'm not mad then I'm sad
Instrumental verse
I've noticed that you never call me darling, darling I understand the reason why There is no reason you should call me darling, darling Leave love alone and let it die So I'm not calling for a reason dear And the reason is because There is no reason I should call you because Your love my darling I have lost

I'm Alright

E
Woke up this morning, didn't feel that bad Last night was definitely not one of the worst I ever had
A
Ate a nice dinner, drank a few drinks
E
Didn't think about you, baby, no matter what you think
B
Went back to my hotel room, I went straight to bed
E
E7
Didn't moan, didn't cry and I did not wish I was dead
A
E
I'm alright, I'm alright
B
Yeah I'm alright baby
A
G
E
I'm alright without you Woke up this morning, didn't have the blues So I put on my tube-socks, laced up my running shoes Went down to the reservoir to jog a mile or two Didn't take about our love and I wasn't missing you Went back to my hotel room, took a few phone calls Clean sheets on a made up bed and artwork on the wall I'm alright, I'm alright Yeah I'm alright baby I'm alright without you Woke up this afternoon and I sat up in the bed There was a gnawing in my gut and a poundin' in my head So I went to the bathroom, to the medicine chest There was sleeping pills and razor blades and all the rest But I was in control baby, I was so relaxed I found myself my dental floss, my favourite kind - unwaxed I'm alright, I'm alright Yeah I'm alright baby I'm alright without you

Not John

C
The limousine was waiting
C7
Outside the studio
F
In stepped poor John Lennon
C
And his wife Yoko
G
C
Ono... not John On up 44th Street Left at 8th avenue Up to the Dakota A man waits there for you Oh no... yes John The man's name is Chapman Comes from Honolulu He really loved your music John Got a Japanese wife too Oh no... poor Sean Five bullets in your body That's what the experts say They say you signed an autograph For him on that very day Oh no... not John There was a vigil at the Roosevelt At the Dakota too Silence in Central Park They had a riot in Liverpool Now Chapman is in the jailhouse What's he doing there? He went and he shot John Lennon All you heroes best beware Oh no... not John The limousine was waiting Outside the studio In stepped poor John Lennon And his wife Yoko Ono... not John

Cardboard Boxes

|
Am
/e
/g
/a
| ...
Am
I'm gonna go to the supermarket I'm gonna go to the liquor store I'm gonna get me some cardboard boxes You know what them boxes are for I'm gonna rent me a "U-Haul" trailer Hook it on the back of my old car Call up some of my stronger buddies That's what your strong buddies are for
F
We're gonna move!
G
We're gonna move!
Am
/e
/g
/a
... Yeah, move... Give it to the Salvation Army or the Good-Will We've got so much junk it's a joke Wrap a knick-knack in some old newspaper I know it was a present, but the damn thing broke Your old shoes and my old T-shirts My strong buddies crave ice cold beers Don't throw that away, it's a family heirloom I've had that ashtray for fifteen years We're gonna move! We're gonna move! Yeah, move...
E7
We're gonna empty out our old place
D7
And move into a brand new better space
Am
/e
/g
/a
... Move... We got the books and the records and the tapes, and the pictures And the pots and the pans, and all the breakable glass The living room couch, and the dining room table The washer, and the dryer, what a pain in the ass We've got the TV and the home entertainment centre The box spring, and the queen-size bed We got the Christmas decorations and the bureau and the play-pen If we had a piano, I think I'd drop dead! We're gonna move! We're gonna move! At the end of the day, the old place is empty And the new place houses all of our stuff Unpack all the crap in the cardboard boxes It wasn't that bad, no, it wasn't so rough But my strong buddies look a little bit grumpy I don't why I broke my butt Tomorrow we'll call up the telephone company And get another set of house keys cut We're gonna move! We're gonna move! Yeah, move... I can tell by the look on your face You just love our brand new better space, baby! Move... We're gonna move, we're gonna move! We're gonna move, we're gonna move! We're gonna move
Gsus4
G
Gsus4
G
Gsus4
G
Gsus4
G
Yeah, move...
Am
/e
/g
/a
...
Am7

How Old Are You?

E
How old are you? Tell me what's your story? How are old are you? Tell me when did you start? Are you in it for the money and the glory? Do you still have the brains, the guts, and the heart?
A
When you were younger you were so much better When you were younger you were really hot
E
Hey, but now you're much older and you're you're colder than ever
B7
A
E
Why won't you hang it up, why won't you stop? How old are you? How 'bout some facts and figures? How old are you? How about a little background? Is it true you call back people niggers? How come you're always clowning around? How come you don't try to write a novel? How come you don't try to write a play? Isn't it time you died or retired? Why the hell won't you just go away? How old are you? Are you crazy? How old are you? Are you really a drunk? Are you bitter, have you grown lazy? Were you embarrassed about "Dead Skunk"? How come you didn't get big like Bob Dylan? How come you didn't get big like Springsteen? Were you unable or were you unwilling? Tell us the truth about it, c'mon, come clean How old are you? How old are you? How old are you? How old...? When you were younger you were so much better When you were younger you were really hot Hey, but now you're much older and you're you're colder than ever Why won't you hang it up, why won't you stop? How old are you? Who do you live with? How old are you? Who was your wife? Is it true that you have children? I guess that means that you got a sex life Well, that's about all, I seem to have run out of questions There's only a few and they're always the same You know we got to sell paper and tickets and records So we can keep on playing this show business game How old are you? How old are you? How old are you? Whoa!

Ready Or Not (So Ripe)

E
Oh, Lord, don't I know it, I don't need to understand I realize that all this time I've held the winning hand And it's looking like my master plan is gonna pan right out How did it all unfold, I'm dying to find out
A
Ready or not, I'm readier now than I'll ever be
E
I'm just so ripe, gravity finally pulled me right off of the tree
A
E
The light at the end has lit the tunnel right up
E
B7
E
Praise the Lord, and pass the ammo, I'm all shook up Now I can feel it taste it see it smell it, it's right under my nose And I think that I can handle it, although, Lord only knows I've been waiting, I've been praying, it feels like eternity Now a cure has finally been found for my dread disease Ready or not, I'm readier now than I'll ever be I'm just so ripe, gravity finally pulled me right off of the tree The light at the end has lit the tunnel right up Praise the Lord, and pass the ammo, I'm all shook up Now there's more gold to be gotten on this merry-go-round ride And there's questions to be answered on the quiz show deep inside Darwin's a monkey's uncle, and the big gun had a son It's not over till it's ended, and you know we've just begun Ready or not, I'm readier now than I'll ever be I'm just so ripe, gravity finally pulled me right off of the tree The light at the end has lit the tunnel right up Praise the Lord, and pass the ammo, I'm all shook up

Career Moves

Capo:
III
Instrumental verse
F
Am
C/b
For twenty odd years I have strummed on guitars
C
G
Five thousand lost flat picks, four fingertip scars
F
Am
G
I must have broken a million G strings
C
G
C
G
Picking and strumming, and playing these things
C
G
Am
Banging and tuning and playing these things And it's been sixteen years now that I've written songs Over a hundred and still growing strong About drinking and hockey and flying above Again and again about unhappy love Over and over, unhappy love
Instrumental verse
And it's music for money, but I'll do it for fun Oh, I know how to do it, it's easily done To stand on a stage doesn't make me afraid I'm comfortable up there, it's gotten me laid It always amazes me when I get paid So here am I doing all that I can do You're paying, I'm playing, I'm grateful to you Indoors and outdoors, at home and abroad I sing these songs and you people applaud You haven't changed much, you still applaud