Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads Album Chords ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Song of Joy (Cave) ---------------------

^GmHave mercy on me, sir Allow me to impose on you I have no place to stay And my bones are cold right ^G#through ^EbI will tell you a story ^DOf a man and his family ^GmAnd I swear that it is true

^GmTen years ago I met a girl named Joy She was a sweet and happy thing Her eyes were bright blue jewels And we were married in the spring I had no idea what happiness and little love could bring Or what life had in ^G#store ^EbBut all things move toward their end ^DAll things move toward their their end ^GmOn that you can be sure

Hit it Gm Cm Cm Gm

^GmThen one morning I awoke to find her weeping And for many days to follow She grew so sad and lonely Became Joy in name only Within her breast there launched an unnamed sorrow And a dark and grim force set^G# sail ^EbFarewell happy fields ^DWhere joy forever dwells ^GmHail horrors hail

^GmWas it an act of contrition or some awful premonition As if she saw into the heart of her final blood-soaked night Those lunatic eyes, that hungry kitchen knife Ah, I see sir, that I have your attention! Well, could it ^G#be? ^EbHow often I've asked that question ^DWell, then in quick succession ^GmWe had babies, one, two, three

^GmWe called them Hilda, Hattie and Holly They were their mother's children Their eyes were bright blue jewels And they were quiet as a mouse There was no laughter in the house No, not from Hilda, Hattie or Holly "No wonder", people said, "poor mother Joy's so melancholy" Well, one night there came a visitor to our little ^G#home ^EbI was visiting a sick friend ^DI was a doctor then ^GmJoy and the girls were on their own

Gm Cm Cm Gm

^GmJoy had been bound with electrical tape In her mouth a gag She'd been stabbed repeatedly And stuffed into a sleeping bag In their very cots my girls were robbed of their lives Method of murder much the same as my wife's Method of murder much the same as my ^G#wife's ^EbIt was midnight when I arrived home ^DSaid to the police on the telephone ^GmSomeone's taken four innocent lives

^GmThey never caught the man He's still on the loose It seems he has done many many more Quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood The police are investigating at tremendous cost In my house he wrote "his red right hand" That, I'm told is from Paradise ^G#Lost ^EbThe wind round here gets wicked cold ^DBut my story is nearly told ^GmI fear the morning will bring quite a frost

^GmAnd so I've left my home I drift from land to land I am upon your step and you are a family man Outside the vultures wheel The wolves howl, the serpents hiss And to extend this small favour, friend Would be the sum of earthly bliss Do you reckon me a ^G#friend? ^EbThe sun to me is dark ^DAnd silent as the moon ^GmDo you, sir, have a room? Are you beckoning me in? Hit it

(La la la la la la la la la la) (La la la la la la la la la la) Gm Cm Cm Gm x4 2. Stagger Lee (Cave/Bargeld/Casey/Harvey/Wydler) ------------------------------------------------- Dm Am x2

^DmIt was back in '32 when times were hard He had a Colt .45 and a deck of cards ^AmStagger Lee

^DmHe wore rat-drawn shoes and an old stetson hat Had a '28 Ford, had payments on that ^AmStagger Lee

^DmHis woman threw him out in the ice and snow And told him, "Never ever come back no more" ^AmStagger Lee

^DmHe walked through the rain and he walked through the mud Till he came to a place called The Bucket of Blood ^AmStagger Lee

^DmHe said, "Mr Motherfucker, you know who I am?" The barkeeper said, "No, and I don't give a good goddamn" ^AmTo Stagger Lee

^DmHe said, "Well bartender, it's plain to see I'm that bad motherfucker called Stagger Lee ^AmMr. Stagger Lee"

^DmBarkeep said, "Yeah, I've heard your name down the way And I kick motherfucking asses like you every day" ^AmMr Stagger Lee

^DmWell those were the last words that the barkeep said Cause Stag put four holes in his motherfucking head ^Am

^DmJust then in came a broad called Nellie Brown Was known to make more money than any bitch in t^Amown

^DmShe struts across the bar, hitching up her skirt Over to Stagger Lee, she starts to flirt ^Am Oh Stagger Lee

^DmShe saw the barkeep, said, "Oh God, he can't be dead! Stag said, "Well, just count the holes in^Am the motherfucker's head" ^DmShe said, "You ain't look like you scored in quite a time. Why not come to my pad? It won't cost you a dime&^Amquot; Mr. Stagger Lee

^Dm"But there's something I have to say before you begin You'll have to be gone before my man Billy ^AmDilly comes in, Mr. Stagger Lee"

^Dm"I'll stay here till Billy comes in, till time comes to pass And furthermore I'll fuck Billy in his^Am motherfucking ass" Said Stagger Lee

^Dm"I'm a bad motherfucker, don't you know And I'll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get one fat ^Amboy's asshole" Said Stagger Lee

^DmJust then Billy Dilly rolls in and he says, "You must be That bad motherfucker called Stagger Lee" ^Am I’m Stagger Lee

^Dm"Yeah, I'm Stagger Lee and you better get down on your knees And suck my dick, because If you don't^Am you're gonna be dead" Said Stagger Lee

^DmBilly dropped down and slobbered on his head And Stag filled him full of lead ^Am

Dm Am ... Repeat to fade 3. Henry Lee (Cave) -------------------

^AmGet down, get down, little Henry Lee And stay all night with ^Dmme You won't find a girl in this damn world That will compare with ^Amme And the w^Gind did howl and the w^G7ind did blow

^CLa la la la la ^AmLa la la la lee ^DmA little bird lit down on Henry ^AmLee

^AmI can't get down and I won't get down And stay all night with ^Dmthee For the girl I have in that merry green land I love far better than ^Amthee And the ^Gwind did howl and the ^G7wind did blow

^CLa la la la la ^AmLa la la la lee ^DmA little bird lit down on Henry ^AmLee

^AmShe leaned herself against a fence Just for a kiss or ^Dmtwo And with a little pen-knife held in her hand She plugged him through and ^Amthrough And the ^Gwind did roar and the ^G7wind did moan

^CLa la la la la ^AmLa la la la lee ^DmA little bird lit down on Henry ^AmLee

^AmCome take him by his lilly-white hands Come take him by his ^Dmfeet And throw him in this deep deep well Which is more than one hundred ^Amfeet And the ^Gwind did howl and the ^G7wind did blow

^CLa la la la la ^AmLa la la la lee ^DmA little bird lit down on Henry ^AmLee

^AmLie there, lie there, little Henry Lee Till the flesh drops from your ^Dmbones For the girl you have in that merry green land Can wait forever for you to come ^Amhome And the w^Gind did howl and the ^G7wind did moan

^CLa la la la la ^AmLa la la la lee ^DmA little bird lit down on Henry ^AmLee ] x3

4. Lovely Creature (Cave/Bargeld/Casey/Harvey/Wydler) ----------------------------------------------------- Cm thoughout There she stands, this lovely creature There she stands, there she stands With her hair full of ribbons And green gloves on her hands So I asked this lovely creature Yes, I asked. Yes I asked Would she walk with me a while Through this night so fast She took my hand, this lovely creature "Yes", she said, "Yes", she said "Yes, I'll walk with you a while" It was a joyful man she led Over hills, this lovely creature Over mountains, over ranges By great pyramids and sphinxs We met drifters and strangers Oh the sands, my lovely creature And the mad, moaning winds At night the deserts writhed With diabolical things Through the night, through the night The wind lashed and it whipped me When I got home, my lovely creature She was no longer with me Somewhere she lies, this lovely creature Beneath the slow drifting sands With her hair full of ribbons And green gloves on her hands 5. Where the Wild Roses Grow (Cave) -----------------------------------

^GmThey call me The Wild ^CmRose^Gm But my ^Bbname was Elisa ^DDay ^GmWhy they call me it I do not^Cm know ^Gm ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay

^GmFrom the first day I saw her I knew ^Bbshe was the one ^CmAs she stared in my eyes and ^Dsmiled ^GmFor her lips were the colour of the ^Bbroses ^CmThey grew down the river, all^D bloody and wild

^GmWhen he knocked on my door and ^Bbentered the room ^CmMy trembling subsided in ^Dhis sure embrace ^GmHe would be my first man, and ^Bbwith a careful hand ^CmHe wiped the tears that ^Dran down my face

^GmThey call me The Wild ^CmRose^Gm But my ^Bbname was Elisa ^DDay ^GmWhy they call me it I do not^Cm know ^Gm ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay

^GmOn the second day I brought her a^Bb flower ^CmShe was more beautiful than any^D woman I'd seen ^GmI said, 'Do you know where the ^Bbwild roses grow ^CmSo sweet and scarlet and ^Dfree?'

^GmOn the second day he came with a ^Bbsingle rose ^CmHe said: 'Will you give me your loss and your^D sorrow?' ^GmI nodded my head, ^Bbas I layed on the bed ^CmIf I show you the roses will you ^Dfollow?

^GmThey call me The Wild ^CmRose^Gm But my ^Bbname was Elisa ^DDay ^GmWhy they call me it I do not^Cm know ^Gm ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay

^GmOn the third day he took me to the ^Bbriver ^CmHe showed me the roses and we ^Dkissed ^GmAnd the last thing I heard was a^Bb muttered word ^CmAs he stood smiling above me with a ^Bbrock in his fist

^GmOn the last day I took her where the ^Bbwild roses grow ^CmAnd she lay on the bank, the ^Dwind light as a thief ^GmAs I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All ^Bbbeauty must die' ^CmAnd lent down and planted a ^Drose between her teeth

^GmThey call me The Wild ^CmRose^Gm But my ^Bbname was Elisa ^DDay ^GmWhy they call me it I do not^Cm know ^Gm ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay ^GmFor my name was ^FElisa ^GmDay

6. The Curse of Millhaven (Cave) -------------------------------- Repeat progression for entire song

^Am I live in a town called Millhaven And it's small and it's mean and it's c^Dmold But if you come around just as the sun goes down You can watch the whole town turn to g^Amold ^GIt's around about then that I ^G7used to go a-roaming Singing ^CLa la la la ^AmLa la la lie ^DmAll God's child^Emren they all gotta ^Amdie

My name is Loretta but I prefer Lottie I'm closing in on my fifteenth year And if you think you have seen a pair of eyes more green Then you sure didn't see them around here My hair is yellow and I'm always a-combing La la la la La la la lie Mama often told me we all got to die You must have heard about The Curse Of Millhaven How last Christmas Bill Blake's little boy didn't come home They found him next week in One Mile Creek His head bashed in and his pockets full of stones Well, just imagine all the wailing and moaning La la la la La la la lie Even little Billy Blake's boy, he had to die Then Professor O'Rye from Millhaven High Found nailed to his door his prize-winning terrier Then next day the old fool brought little Biko to school And we all had to watch as he buried her His eulogy to Biko had all the tears a-flowing La la la la La la la lie Even God's little creatures, they have to die Our little town fell into a state of shock A lot of people were saying things that made little sense Then the next thing you know the head of Handyman Joe Was found in the fountain of the Mayor's residence Foul play can really get a small town going La la la la La la la lie Even God's children all have to die Then, in a cruel twist of fate, old Mrs Colgate Was stabbed but the job was not complete The last thing she said before the cops pronounced her dead Was, "My killer is Loretta and she lives across the street!" Twenty cops burst through my door without even phoning La la la la La la la lie The young ones, the old ones, they all gotta die Yes, it is I, Lottie. The Curse Of Millhaven I've struck horror in the heart of this town Like my eyes ain't green and my hair ain't yellow It's more like the other way around I gotta pretty little mouth underneath all the foaming La la la la La la la lie Sooner or later we all gotta die Since I was no bigger than a weavil they've been saying I was evil That if "bad" was a boot that I'd fit it That I'm a wicked young lady, but I've been trying hard lately O fuck it! I'm a monster! I admit it! It makes me so mad my blood really starts a-going La la la la La la la lie Mama always told me that we all gotta die Yeah, I drowned the Blakey kid, stabbed Mrs. Colgate, I admit Did the handyman with his circular saw in his garden shed But I never crucified little Biko, that was two junior high school psychos Stinky Bohoon and his friend with the pumpkin-sized head I'll sing to the lot, now you got me going La la la la La la la lie All God's children have all gotta die There were all the others, all our sisters and brothers You assumed were accidents, best forgotten Recall the children who broke through the ice on Lake Tahoo? Everyone assumed the "Warning" signs had followed them to the bottom Well, they're underneath the house where I do quite a bit of stowing La la la la La la la lie Even twenty little children, they had to die And the fire of '91 that razed the Bella Vista slum There was the biggest shit-fight this country's ever seen Insurance companies ruined, land lords getting sued All cause of wee girl with a can of gasoline Those flames really roared when the wind started blowing La la la la La la la lie Rich man, poor man, all got to die Well I confessed to all these crimes and they put me on trial I was laughing when they took me away Off to the asylum in an old black Mariah It ain't home, but you know, it's fucking better than jail It ain't such bad old place to have a home in La la la la La la la lie All God's children they all gotta die Now I got shrinks that will not rest with their endless Rorschach tests I keep telling them they're out to get me They ask me if I feel remorse and I answer, "Why of course! There is so much more I could have done if they'd let me!" So it's Rorschach and Prozac and everything is groovy Singing La la la la La la la lie All God's children they all have to die La la la la La la la lie I'm happy as a lark and everything is fine Singing La la la la La la la lie Yeah, everything is groovy and everything is fine Singing La la la la La la la lie All God's children they gotta die 7. The Kindness of Strangers (Cave) ----------------------------------- C Am F G

^CThey found Mary Bellows ^Amcuffed to the bed ^DmWith a rag in her mouth and a b^Gullet in her head ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CShe'd grown up hungry, s^Amhe'd grown up poor ^DmShe left her home in ^GArkansas ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CShe wanted to see the ^Amdeep blue sea ^DmShe travelled across ^GTennessee ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CShe met a man ^Amalong the way ^DmHe introduced himself as ^GRichard Slade ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CPoor Mary thought that ^Amshe might die ^DmWhen she saw the ocean ^Gfor the first time ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CShe checked into a ^Amcheap little place ^DmRichard Slade carried in her ^Gold suitcase ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^C"I'm a good girl, s^Amir", she said to him ^DmI couldn't possibly ^Gpermit you in ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CSlade tipped his hat and ^Amwinked his eye ^DmAnd turned away wit^Ghout goodbye ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CShe sat on her bed and ^Amthought of home ^DmWith the sea breeze whistling ^Gall alone ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CIn hope and loneliness sh^Ame crossed the floor ^DmAnd undid the latch ^Gon her front door ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G

^CThey found her the next day^Am cuffed to the bed ^DmA rag in her mouth and a ^Gbullet in her head

^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G ^CSo mothers keep your ^Amgirls at home ^DmDon't let them journey ^Gout alone ^CTell them this world is ^Amfull of danger ^DmAnd to shun the company of ^Gstrangers ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows ^G ^FO poor ^GMary ^CBellows

8. Crow Jane (Cave/Casey) ------------------------- D x4

Crow ^DJane Crow ^DJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah huh huh

^DHorrors in her head That her tongue dare not name She lives alone by the river The rolling rivers of pain Crow ^GJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah huh huh

^DThere is one shining eye on a hard-hat The company closed down the mine Winking on waters they came Twenty hard-hats, twenty eyes In her clapboard shack Only six foot by five They killed all her whiskey And poured their pistols dry Crow ^GJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah huh huh

^DSeems you've remembered How to sleep, how to sleep The house dogs are in your turnips And your yard dogs are running all over the street Crow ^GJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah huh huh

^D"O Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson Why you close up shop so late?" "Just fitted out a girl who looked like a bird Measured .32, .44, .38 I asked that girl which road she was taking Said she was walking the road of hate But she stopped on a coal-trolley up to the new town Population: 48" Crow ^GJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah huh huh

^DYour guns are drunk and smoking They've followed you right back to your gate Laughing all the way back from the new town Population, now, 28 Crow ^GJane Crow ^GJane Crow ^DJane Ah hah huh

D ... to fade 9. O’Malley’s Bar (Cave) ------------------------

^CmI am tall and I am thin Of an enviable hight And I've been known to be quite handsome In a certain angle and in certain ^Fmlight

^CmWell I entered into O'Malley's Said, "O'Malley, I have a thirst" O'Malley merely smiled at me Said "You wouldn't be^Fm the first"

...Repeat same progression for 14 minutes 10. Death Is Not the End (Dylan) -------------------------------- A A E A

^AWhen you're sad and when you're lonely And you haven't got a friend Just ^Eremember that ^Adeath is not the end

^AAnd all that you held sacred Falls down and does not mend Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend ^ANot the end, not the end Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

^AWhen you're standing on the crossroads That you cannot comprehend Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

^AAnd all your dreams have vanished And you don't know what's up the bend Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend ^ANot the end, not the end Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

^AWhen the storm clouds gather round you And heavy rains descend Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

^AAnd there's no-one there to comfort you With a helping hand to lend Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend ^ANot the end, not the end Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

For the t^Dree of life is growing Where the ^Aspirit never dies And the ^Dbright light of salvation Up in ^Adark and empty ^Eskies

^AWhen the cities are on fire With the burning flesh of men Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

^AWhen you search in vain to find Some law-abiding citizen Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Eend

^ANot the end, not the end Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend ^ANot the end, not the end Just ^Eremember that death is not the ^Aend

A A E A .. to fade

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Murder ballads