Man, I wish I’d written it. As someone said: “Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see”. That’s how I feel about this song. His lyrics can be abstruse to the point of impenetrable sometimes (what was I saying about cock-eyed and poignant?), but there’s a deep resonance here. On top of that it’s a beautiful melody to sing, and the chords just have an inevitability about them that makes them a joy to play.
Regular tuning - EADGBE, capo at the 5th fret for the key of C.
My first attempt at TAB. Please forgive any typos:
I’ll continue to talk in roman numerals* but the actual chords are: I - C; V - G; IV - F; ii - Dm; iii - Em; vi - Am; VI - A7b9 and finally C7/Bb for that surprising version of the one chord.
Next week - “Hard Times They Never Go Away” by Kelly Joe Phelps
* if there’s interest, I’ll do a little primer on understanding chords by their position in the scale, rather than by name. It helps a lot, especially when you get into open tunings, where traditional chord shapes get a bit wiggly
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