Peter Hammill - A louse is not a home

S^A#omet^Fimes ^Gmit's v^D#ery s^Dcary here; s^A#omet^Fimes ^Gmit's v^D#ery s^Dad; s^D#omet^Gmimes ^D#I th^Fink I'll disap^Gmpear; b^D#e_t^Fimes ^GmI th^D#ink I h^Dave. Th^D#ere's a l^Fine sn^Gmaking d^D#own my m^Dirror: sp^D#lintered gl^Fass d^Gmist^D#orts my f^Dace, ^D#and th^Gmough th^D#e l^Fight is strong and str^Gmange ^D#it c^Fan't illuminate the m^Gmusty c^D#orners of this pl^Dace. Th^D#ere is a l^Fofty, lonely, Lohengrenic castle in th^Gme cl^D#oud^Ds - [y^D#es and ]I dr^Faw m^Gmy ^D#murky meanings th^Dere, b^D#ut s^Gmeven years' d^D#ark l^Fuck is just ar^Gmound the corner ^D#and in the sh^Fadows lurks ^Gmthe sp^D#ectre of^D Despair.

^DmA cracked mirror mid the drapes of the landing: ^Csplit image, labored understanding - ^A#I'm only trying to find a pl^Aace to hide my h^Dmome...

^GI've l^Amived in h^Couses composed ^Amof glass ^Gwhere ^Amevery m^Covement^D is ch^Amarted, ^Gbut n^Amow the m^Conitor screens ^Amare dark ^Gand ^AmI can't tell if s^Cilent ^Deyes are th^Amere.

^GMy w^Amords are s^Cpiders upon the p^Amage, ^Gthey s^Ampin out fa^Cith, ho^Dpe and re^Amason ^Gbut a^Amre they m^Ceet and just, or only d^Dust gathe^Cring ab^Dout my chair?

^A#Sometimes I get the f^Aeeling that there's someone else th^Dmere : ^DmThe faceless watcher [he] makes me uneasy, ^CI can feel him through the floorboards, and His presence is creepy ^A#He informs me that ^AI shall be exp^Dmelled...

W^Dmhat is that but out of and into : [^CI] don't know the nature of the door that I'd go through, [^AmI] don't know the nature of the nature that I am in^A#side...

^GI've l^Amived in h^Couses of brick ^Amand lead ^Gwhere ^Amall emoti^Con is s^Dacred,^{Am G}and if^Am you want^C to devour the ^Amfruit ^Gyou mu^Amst first ^Csniff at^D the fr^Amagrance

^Gand la^Amy your bo^Cdy before the s^Amhrine ^Gwith p^Amoems and ^Cposies a^Dnd pape^Amrs - ^Gor, if^Am you catc^Ch the ruse, you^Am'll have to choose ^Cto stay, a mo^Dnk, or le^Cave, a ^Dvagrant.

W^A#hat is this place y^Aou call home? ^DmIs it a sermon or a confession? ^CIs it the chalice that you use for protection? ^A#Is it really only so^Amewhere you can stay? ^DmIs it a rule-book or a lecture? ^CIs it a beating at the hands of your Protector? ^A#Does the idol have f^Aeet of clay?

^DmHome is what you make it, so my friends all say, ^Cbut dont't you know I rarely see their h^Bmomes in these dark days. ^DmSome of them are snails and carry houses on their backs; ^Cothers live in monuments wh^Bmich, one day, will be racks - Dm C A# (G A A#) I keep my home in place with sellotape and tin-tacks, ^A#but I still feel there's^Am some other Force h^Dmere: F Em (4-0) He who cracks the mirrors and moves the walls ^Dmkeeps staring through the eye-slits of the portraits in my hall; F Em (4-0) He ravages my library and taps the telephone -

^DmI've never actually seen Him, but I know He's in my home ^D#and if he g^Foes away, ^GmI can't st^D#ay here ^Deither. D# F Gm D# D D# ... I believe - er - I think - well, I don't know...

^GI am s^Amurrounded^C by flesh and b^Amone, ^GI am a^Am temple^C of li^Dving, ^{Am G}I am a^Am hermit, ^CI am a dr^Amone, ^Gand I ^Amam bonin^Cg out a p^Dlace to^Am be.

^GWith s^Amecret gar^Clands about my ^Amhead ^Guneart^Amhly sil^Cence i^Ds bro^Amken: ^Gthe ro^Amom is gro^Cwing dark, and ^Amin the stark light ^CI can s^Dee a f^Cace I k^Dnow -

^A#could this be the g^Auy who never sh^Dmows ^Dmthe cracked mirror what he's feeling, ^Cmerely mumbles prayers to the ground where he's kneeling : ^A#"Home is home is home is home is home is ^Ahouse is house is house is] home is ^Dmme!" ^DmAll you people looking for your houses, ^Cdon't throw your weight around, you might break your glasses a^A#nd if you do, you kn^Aow you just can't ^Dmsee

^Dmand then how are you to find the dawning of the day? ^C- Day is just a word I use^Bm to keep the dark at bay, ^Dmand people are imaginary, nothing else exists ^Cexcept the room I'm sitting in, and, of c^Bmourse, the all-pervading mist - Dm C A# (Em C) Dm sometimes I wonder if even that's real...

^D#Mayb^Fe ^EmI sh^D#ould de-l^Douse this place; ^D#Mayb^Fe ^EmI sh^D#ould de-place this lo^Duse; ^D#Mayb^Gme ^D#I'll m^Faybe my life aw^Gmay ^D#in the c^Fonfines ^Gmof this s^D#ilent h^Douse. S^D#omet^Fimes^{Gm D#}it's very sc^Dary here; s^D#omet^Fimes^{Gm D#}it's v^Dery sad; D# Gm D# F Gm D# F Gm D# ... D sometimes I think I'll disappear; sometimes I think...