Lucinda Williams : World Without Tears

Capo:

I

Harp:

G

[or

Ab

with capo] (straight)

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G

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G

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Am

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C

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x2

G

Am

C

Baby, see how I been living, velvet curtains on the windows to

G

Am

C

Keep the bright and unforgiving light from shining through

G

C

Baby, I remember all the things we did

G

C

When we slept together and the blue behind your eyelids

Am

C

Baby, sweet baby Traced your scent through the gloom, till I found these purple flowers I was spent, I was soon smelling you for hours Lavender, lotus blossoms too Water the dirt, flowers last for you Baby, sweet baby Tangerines and persimmons and sugarcane Grapes and honeydew melon, enough fit for a queen Lemon trees don't make a sound Till branches bend and fruit falls to the ground Baby, sweet baby

Harmonica over instrumental verse

Come to my world and witness the way things have changed 'Cause I finally did it, baby, I got out of La Grange Got in my Mercury and drove out west Pedal to the metal and my luck to the test Baby, sweet baby I been tryin' to enjoy all the fruits of my labor I been cryin' for you boy, but truth is my savior Baby, sweet baby if it's all the same Take the glory any day over the fame Baby, sweet baby

Repeat last verse

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D

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Cadd9

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G

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D

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x2

D

You don't have to prove

Cadd9

Your manhood to me constantly

G

I know you're the man can't you see

D

I love you righteously Why you wanna diss me After the way you been kissin' me? After those pretty things you say And the love we made today When you run your hand All up and run it back down my leg Get excited and bite my neck Get me all worked up like that |

D

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Cadd9

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G

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D

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x2

Think this through I laid it down for you every time Respect me, I give you what's mine You're entirely way too fine Arms around my waist You get a taste of how good this can be Be the man, you ought to tenderly Stand up for me Flirt with me, don't keep hurtin' me Don't cause me pain Be my lover, don't play no game Just play me John Coltrane |

D

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Cadd9

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G

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D

|

x6

You don't have to prove Your manhood to me constantly I know you're the man can't you see I love you righteously Why you wanna diss me After the way you been kissin' me? After those pretty things you say And the love we made today When you run your hand All up and run it back down my leg Get excited and bite my neck Get me all worked up like that Think this through I laid it down for you every time Respect me, I give you what's mine You're entirely way too fine Arms around my waist You get a taste of how good this can be Be the man, you ought to tenderly Stand up for me Flirt with me, don't keep hurtin' me Don't cause me pain Be my lover, don't play no game Just play me John Coltrane |

D

|

Cadd9

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G

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D

|

x6

[Show chord shapes]

Gmaj7 xx5432

G

Gmaj7

D

Decide I'm gonna make myself a little something to eat

Em

A

Get can down off the shelf, maybe a little something sweet

Gmaj7

D

Haven't spoken to no one, haven't been in the mood

Em

A

Pour some soup, get a spoon and stir it up real good

Gmaj7

D

I go out with a friend, maybe a little music might help

Em

A

But I can't pretend, I wish I was somewhere else

G

D

I wanna watch the ocean bend, the edges of the sun

Em

A

Then I wanna get swallowed up in an ocean of love Put on my coat, go out into the street Get a lump in my throat and look down at my feet Take the long way home, so I can ride around Put Neil Young on and turn up the sound Drive up the coastline, maybe Ventura Watch the waves make signs out on the water I wanna watch the ocean bend, the edges of the sun Then I wanna get swallowed up in an ocean of love

Gmaj7

D

Em

A

Stand in the shower, clean this dirty mess Give me back my power and drown this unholiness Lean over the toilet bowl and throw up my confession Cleanse my soul of this hidden obsession I wanna watch the ocean bend, the edges of the sun Then I wanna get swallowed up in an ocean of love I wanna watch the ocean bend, the edges of the sun Then I wanna get swallowed up in an ocean of love

Gmaj7

D

Em

A

Gmaj7

Capo:

II

G

C

G

C

You got a sense of humor your own misery

G

C

G

C

I heard a rumor you're making history

G

C

G

C

Photographic dialogue beneath your skin

G

C

G

C

Twenty graphic episodes and screaming sin

Am

C

G

Real live bleeding fingers

Am

C

G

And broken guitar strings You were my prince charming draped in velvet robes Of all that's alarming and raw and exposed Shattered nerves itchy skin Dirty words and heroin Real live bleeding fingers And broken guitar strings I climbed all the way inside your tragedy I got behind the majesty Of the different shapes in every note The endless tapes of every word you wrote Real live bleeding fingers And broken guitar strings

Capo:

I

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G

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Bm

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Am

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Bm

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Am

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D

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G

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G

|

G

Overtime

Bm

Am

That's what they all tell me

Bm

Am

That's what they say to me

D

G

Overtime Overtime That's what they all tell me That's what they say to me Overtime

C

D

G

F#m

Your blue eyes, your black eyelashes

Em

Am

The way you looked at life

C

Am

D

In your funny way I guess out of the blue You won't cross my mind And I'll get over you Overtime |

G

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Bm

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Am

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Bm

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Am

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D

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G

|

G

| Your pale skin, your sexy crooked teeth The trouble you'd get in In your clumsy way I guess one afternoon You won't cross my mind And I'll get over you Overtime I guess out of the blue You won't cross my mind And I'll get over you Overtime

Capo:

I

G

C

You say it's always gonna be the same

G

C

Between us days are filled with dreams

G

C

Scorpions crawl across my screen

G

C

Make their home beneath my skin

C

Underneath my dress they stick their tongues

G

C

Bite through flesh down to the bone

G

D

And I have been so fucking alone... (

G

) Since those three days

G

C

/b

D

Did you only want me for those three days?

G

C

/b

D

Did you only need me for those three days?

G

C

/b

D

Did you love me forever, just for those three days? |

G

.

C

/b

|

D

| You built a nest inside my soul You rest your head on leaves of gold You managed to crawl inside my brain You found a hole and in you came You're sleepin' like a baby, breathing Comfortably between truth and pain But the truth is nothing's been the same... Since those three days Did you only want me for those three days? Did you only need me for those three days? Did you love me forever, just for those three days? For those three days... |

G

.

C

/b

|

D

|

Guitar solo over:

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G

.

C

/b

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D

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x4

Repeat the two versus one after the other

Did you only want me for those three days? Did you only need me for those three days? Did you love me forever, just for those three days?

Capo:

-I

E

Come on, come on, kill the rats in the gutter Come on, come on, sings the voice in the choir Come on, come on, bring your father and your mother Come on, come on, sing it higher and higher Shake the clammy hand, repeat the 23rd psalm Make you understand where it was you went wrong Voices from tapes, shouting with twisted tongues Emotional rape, hellfire, scorched lungs Come on, come on, pay close attention to this Come on, come on, let me give you something good to eat Come on, come on, bite down hard 'til it sticks between your teeth Come on, come on, glory, glory, we've killed the beast Blinded by glittery diamonds, resting on crooked fingers Shaded eyes, they are the ones who'll lead you to your deliverance From the figure of doom, force you to understand Lock you in a room with a holy roller and a one man band Come on, kill the rats in the gutter Come on, sings the voice in the choir Come on, bring your Father and your Mother Come on, sing it higher and higher Shake the clammy hand, repeat the 23rd psalm Make you understand where it was you went wrong Voices from tapes, shouting with twisted tongues Emotional rape, hellfire, scorched lungs Blinded by glittery diamonds, resting on crooked fingers Shaded eyes, they are the ones who'll lead you to your deliverance From the figure of doom, force you to understand Lock you in a room with a holy roller and a one man band Come on, Kill the rats in the gutter Come on, come on, sings the voice in the choir Come on, come on, come on, bring your father and your mother Come on, come on, come on, sing it higher and higher Come on, come on, come on, pay close attention to this Come on, come on, let me give you something good to eat Come on, come on, bite down hard 'til it sticks between your teeth Come on, come on, glory, glory, we've killed the beast

|

G

|

C

| ...

G

C

You run yourself ragged tryin' to be strong You feel bad when you done nothin' wrong Love got all confused with anger and pride So much abuse on such a little child Someone you trusted told you to shut up Now there's a pain in your gut that you can't get rid of No one heard your screams, when you were nine When bad dreams filled your summertime

G

C

So, you don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You're tough as steel and you keep your chin up You don't ever feel like you're good enough You've had the blues ever since you were six Your little tennis shoes and your pick-up sticks You were screamed at and kicked over and over Now you always feel sick and you can't keep a lover Every Christmas there were presents to unwrap But the things you witnessed when you were five and a half So, you don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side Someone deserted you, the damage is done Now you don't deserve to be loved by no one Hands that would feed you, when you were two Were the same hands that beat you black and blue You get defensive at every turn You're overly sensitive and overly concerned Few precious memories no lullabies Hollowed out centuries of lies So, you don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side You don't always show your sweet side I've seen you in the kitchen cookin' me supper I listened to you bitchin' and I watched you suffer I still love you baby 'cause I know you Don't mean to do the cruel things you do I've seen you sewin' buttons on your shirt I've seen you throwin' up when your stomach hurt I'll stick by you baby through thick and thin No matter what kind of shape you're in 'Cause I've seen your sweet side I've seen your sweet side I've seen your sweet side I've seen your sweet side I've seen your sweet side baby I've seen your sweet side I've seen your sweet side baby I've seen your sweet side |

G

|

C

|

x4

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G

|

G

A

C

G

I've been waiting for you to come back since you left Minneapolis

G

D

C

Snow covers the street lamps and the windowsills

G

D

C

The buildings and the brittle crooked trees

G

D

G

D

Dead leaves of December, thin-skinned and splintered

G

D

C

Never gotten used to this bitter winter

G

A

C

G

I've been wasted angry and sad since you left Minneapolis

G

D

C

I wish my thoughts were pure like the driven snow

G

D

C

Like the heavens and the spring's virgin buds

G

D

G

D

But they strangled me up with their sin, fill me up with poison

G

D

C

Black clouds have covered up the sun again

G

A

C

G

I can always trace it back to that night in Minneapolis

G

D

C

Here on the seventh floor in a room I can't call mine

G

D

C

Dead-bolt on the door, "Do Not Disturb" sign

G

D

G

D

Shaking and trembling on the clean white linen

G

D

C

Slivers of starlight danced across the ceiling

G

A

C

G

A dozen yellow roses, all that's left in Minneapolis

G

D

C

I wish I'd never seen your face or heard your voice

G

D

C

You're a bad pain in my gut I wanna spit you out

G

D

G

D

Open up this wound again, let my blood flow red and thin

G

D

G

D

Into the glistening, into the whiteness

G

D

C

G

Into the melting snow of Minneapolis

A

D

A

People trying to tear us apart

D

A

Trying to rip out my heart

D

A

People talkin', people talkin' Livin' is full of misery and pain Somebody called you a dirty name Keep on walkin', keep on walkin'

D

A

I love you more than this cruel world will ever know

D

A

I wanna be your girl forever, I don't wanna let you go

D

A

If I could change things, I would die and return

D

A

Another name and knowin' everything I've learned

D

A

People talkin', people talkin'

Instrumental verse

All of my life, I have tried to get along All I ever hear now is gossip and waggin' tongues I have suffered and I've cried myself asleep I have wandered down these highways and dirty streets Keep on walkin', keep on walkin' People tryin' to tear us apart Tryin' to rip out my heart People talkin', people talkin' Livin' is full of misery and pain Somebody called you a dirty name Keep on walkin', keep on walkin' People talkin, people talkin' Keep on walkin', keep on walkin' People talkin', people talkin' Keep on walkin', keep on walkin' People talkin', people talkin'

Em

Last time I saw you, you had dirt under your nails Your eyes were glassy and you looked so pale You said my life has become a livin' hell Ain't got enough money to pay my bills Everything is wrong Everything is wrong Got a friend with a needle stuck in his arm He got hooked on heroin in Vietnam It used to help kill the pain some of the time Now I can't sleep at all since I got back home Everything is wrong Everything is wrong I worked in the strip mines off and on Now I can't seem to get rid of this cough Ain't been many jobs these last few months And the last one I had, I got laid off Everything is wrong Everything is wrong I ain't got no hot water and they shut off the heat Can you loan me some money for something to eat? Been out here on this corner for about a week Trying hard to stand on my own two feet Everything is wrong Everything is wrong They want to try and tell me where I can live They kicked me off my land and told me they'd give me A nice little tract house with running water But how am I gonna explain that to my Navajo mother? Everything is wrong Everything is wrong My American dream almost came true But the things they promised me never came through I believe in the American dream But things are never quite what they seem Everything is wrong Everything is wrong Everything is wrong Everything is wrong

A

D

A

If we lived in a world without tears

Bm

D

How would bruises find the face to lie upon?

A

Bm

D

How would scars find skin to etch themselves into?

A

D

A

How would broken find the bones? If we lived in a world without tears How would heartbeats know when to stop? How would blood know which body to flow outside of? How would bullets find the guns? If we lived in a world without tears How would misery know which back door to walk through? How would trouble know which mind to live inside of? How would sorrow find a home?

Capo:

III

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G

C/g

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G

C/g

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G

C/g

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D

G

C

G

Words fell like roses at our feet

C

G

When you let me see you cry

C

D

Your silent lips against my cheek Words fell on a night as black as coal Your kisses traveled deep Your eyes pierced my soul Words fell Words fell in another place and time We lived within the woods Ate berries from the vine Words fell when we lay among the stones And watched the Druids dance And walked along the rocky shores Words fell Words fell in another place and time I knew your mournful blue Knew your golden grace Words fell when we let the ocean hold us And sank beneath the waves In the silence of the roses Words fell Words fell Words fell

Lucinda Williams : World Without Tears
2003

Fruits Of My Labor

Righteously

Ventura

Real Live Bleeding Fingers And Broken Guitar Strings

Overtime

Those Three Days

Atonement

Sweet Side

Minneapolis

People Talkin'

American Dream

World Without Tears

Words Fell

Lucinda Williams : World Without Tears 2003

Fruits Of My Labor

Righteously

Ventura

Real Live Bleeding Fingers And Broken Guitar Strings

Overtime

Those Three Days

Atonement

Sweet Side

Minneapolis

People Talkin'

American Dream

World Without Tears

Words Fell

Lucinda Williams : World Without Tears
2003