Mary Chapin Carpenter

[Actually in F; capo 5, I think. Each chord is one measure, except two
chords joined by a hyphen (e.g., "F - G") are one measure _total_.]
^C [in ^C tro ^F ] ^{F G G C G C C F F G G C G}
He was a ^C long tall stranger from ^C way down south where he'd ^F left his life beh ^F ind
He had a ^Dm big old Gibson and a ^G pickup truck and ^C Shenandoah ey ^G es
And I ^C remember him sitting in that ^Em local bar where I ^F earned my pay each n ^F ight
^Dm Singing my songs to e ^G mpty chairs and ^F goi ^- ng ^G home half ^C tight ^G
So the ^C nights rolled by like ^C headlights shining on a ^F lonesome strip of t ^F ar
I kept his ^Dm words of kindness ^G close to me like a ^C pick on my guit ^G ar; And we
^C Talked about the singers and the ^Em songs we loved and the ^F songs we'd most forg ^F ot
In that ^Dm run-down bar they'd ^G make last call and I ^F 'd ne ^- ver ^G want to ^C stop
'Cause I was ^F living on nothing but a ^G young girl's dreams
With my ^C cowb ^- oy b ^Em oots and my o ^F ld six-string
^Dm Hitching my wagon t ^G o a star, ^C dreami ^- ng of ^Em leaving those ^F local bars
When I ^C 'd get him up at ^Em/B closing time for a ^Am couple ^- of s ^G ongs and a ch ^F ance to shine
Like the ^Dm star that he longed to b ^G e, he looked a ^F hellu ^- va l ^G ot like me
^C (me ^C ) ^F ins ^F tru ^G men ^G tal ^C ] ^G
He'd played a lot of places where the only wages were food and beer for free
No fancy licks, but he had him a gift for the kind of songs he'd sing
But you do what you can to be a satisfied man, just to have your peace of mind
So he gave it all up for a government job where the paychecks come on time
So now he comes to the bar to hear me play guitar and to share a drink or two
And we sit swapping tales of where we've been and what we'd rather do
There's a wealth of danger when you're talking to strangers, and I meet them
all the time
But my heart knew better than my head when I looked into those eyes
'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams with my cowboy boots
and my old six-string
Hitching my wagon to a star, dreaming of leaving those local bars
When I'd get him up at closing time for a couple of songs and a chance to shine
Like the star that he longed to be, he looked a hell of a lot like me
^C [vi ^C oli ^F n s ^F olo] ^{G G C G C baEm} rmon ^F ica ^F sol ^Dm o] ^{G F-G C}
Well, maybe I'll quit when I got me a kid and a place to call my own
But tonight there ain't nobody there waiting up for me at home
It's a hell of a way to live from day to day not knowing where you're bound
But the look in his eyes made me realize I was glad for the life I'd found
'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams with my cowboy boots
and my old six-string
Hitching my wagon to a star, dreaming of leaving those local bars
When I'd get him up at closing time for a couple of songs and a chance to shine
Like the ^Dm star that he longed to b ^G e, he looked a ^F hell ^- of a l ^G ot like ^Am me
Like the ^Dm star that he'd always ^G be, he looked a ^F hell ^- of a l ^G ot like me
C C F F G G C C.
(me) ^instrumental
- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com