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From: dsb@osustat.mps.ohio-state.edu (David S. Blumenthal) Stranger With The Melodies Harry Chapin As recorded (approximately :) ) on Legends of the Lost and Found Information: TAB: one space equals one eigth note main pattern repeats through out song (note variations at end of choruses):
eD|----3---|2---0---D/G|----3---|2---0---D/E|----3---|2---0---D/A|----3---|2---0---| B|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-| G|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2| D|0-------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------| A|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|0-------|--------| E|--------|--------|3-------|----(2)-|0-------|--------|--------|--------|
end of verse progression: A A7 A6 A E A D G B E E A D G B E E A D G B E E A D G B E o-o-------o o-o-------- o-o-------- o-o-------o | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 2 2 | | | 2 2 2 | | | 2 2 2 2 | | 2 2 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | other verse pattern (I don't know the pick pattern, so I just strum these): Bm F Am Em F Em G A A7 A6 A last chord: D (final)
Ex Ao Do G B E | | | | | | | | | 7 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10
- INTRO: D D/G D/E D/A D D/G D/E D/A
It was my Dfirst night in that roomin' house, in the D/Glast room down the hall. I heard a D/Ehoarse voice, and an old guitar, D/Acomin' through the paper thin walls. D A crazy nonsense nursery rhyme, it D/Gdid not mean a thing. But for the D/Efirst of what was to be a thousand times, D/Athis is what I heard him sing.
CHORUS:
Hold that &Dquot;D" chord on the old guitar, D/G 'till I find the "G." Drop it D/Edown to old "E" minor, 'till the &D/Aquot;A" chord rolls back home aDround tD/Ao "D."
I Dhad to lay there listening, it D/Gseemed he was in the room. The D/Estranger with the melodies, D/Asingin' there in the gloom. And he Bmrepeated it over and over again, such a Fsoft and sinking sound. It was Amkind of like a music box that was Emslowly windin' down. And he Fsang it, he hummed it, he Emwhistled it, and he strummed it. He Glaughed it, and he cried it. He did Aanything but hide it. A A7 A6
CHORUS:
AHold that &Dquot;D" chord on the old guitar, D/G 'till I find the "G." Drop it D/Edown to old "E" minor, 'till the &D/Aquot;A" chord rolls back home Daround D/Ato me.
So I Dlay there in that lumpy bed, counted D/Gchoruses instead of sheep, 'till I D/Ebanged on the wall and out I called, "D/A;Hey bub, I need some sleep." (D) (stop pattern, just base) (G) A sudden void of silence, then I heard that hoarse voice say, (E) (A) D (resume pattern) D/A "It weren't so long ago, boy, they paid me to play. So I Dsaid, "It's kind of late for music, sir. D/G Two hours 'till it's daylight." He D/Eanswered, "I need my music most in tD/Ahese dark hours of the night. You see I've Bmtried gettin' high on somethin', son; it Fonly brings me down. Stayin' Amdry don't work out better, boy, 'cause my Emeyes get wet and I drown. Won't you Fplease let me continue, and EmI'll be in your debt. You see I'm Gnot singin' to remember, son. I'm just A singin' to Aforget.A7 A6
CHORUS:
AHold that &Dquot;D" chord on the old guitar, D/G 'till I find the "G." Drop it D/Edown to old "E" minor, D/A D D(strum) D(strum) A 'till the "A" chord rolls back home around to me.
That's when I Csaid, if I'm supposed to Glisten to you, sir, Cone quick question, Gthen. FWhy in the hell do you Csing one song, Aover and over again'
(spoken) And this is what he said. D D D D/G I gave her the music, son. She gave me the words.
ToD/Egether we'd write the kinds of songs the D/Aangels must have heard. Of Dcourse, we'd fight like cats and dogs; D/Glife ain't no rosebud dream. Still, where D/Eever we'd go, everybody'd know, we were D/Atruly a team. I can't reDmember now if I'd done her wrong, or if D/Gshe'd done wrong to me. Still, D/Eall I know is when I let her go, it D/Adid not set me free. That's when I Bmsaid, "You sound like what's-his-name." He Fsaid, "That's who I am. But you Amcan't wrap a name around you boy, 'cause it Emreally don't mean a damn. You see, a Fsong don't have no meanin', when it Emdon't have nothin' to say. What Gshe could do was magic, son. All AI can do is Aplay.A7 A6 A He started Dsingin' again, that's when I drifted off, and D/Gmaybe I'd dreamed what I'd heard, about the D/Estranger with the melodies, who'd D/Agone and lost the words.
CHORUS:
Hold that &Dquot;D" chord on the old guitar, D/G 'till I find the "G." Drop it D/Edown to old "E" minor, D/A D D(final) 'till the "A" chord rolls back home around to "D."
----------------------------------------------------------------------- | _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ | Dave Blumenthal | | _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ | dsb@osustat.mps.ohio-state.edu | | _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/ | The Ohio State University | | _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ | Statistical Computing Laboratory | | _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ | (614) 292-5535 | ------ There is a fine difference between insight and insanity. -------