Tape From California

pre>
G c g
In the tube where i was born
C bm
I could have sworn
C d
There was so much to see
C d
There was so little to be
G c g
But i was free
B7
World at my command
Em
Through the dots i ran
Am d g
Looking for a man who looked like me
Em d
And now it can be told
Em d
I'm a quarter of a century old
G f g f g
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was raised
I was amazed
On the pictures i would lean
That went flashing on the screen
Oh, i was dazed
But then my eyes were made
Hypnotized insane (?)
Buried in my brain
In a blinding blaze
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was grown
I was alone
The figure on the floor (laying on the floor)
The dream behind the door (i'd lock the closet door)
The sound was low
Ballgames on the street
Disappeared behind my feet
Out of breath my heart would be
To see another show
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was made
I was afraid
Spinning through the space
Another scene, another face,
Another shade
Mirror of my mind
On electric wheels of wine
Living on the lines that were displayed
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was fed
I lost my head
I watch the lives they led
Watch them to the end
And then again
An open kind of laugh
I gave all the mind i had
And whenever i was sad
I had my friends
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was killed
I was fulfiled
Such an easy way to win
Talking to my twin
No sign of sin
The sacrifice was small
Fascination was the fall
I was extended by the wall that held me in
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was killed
I was fulfilled
The lies of light would bend
I'd stare until the end
And then again
Faded and the fad
I gave all the mind i had
And whenever i was sad
I had my friends
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

In the tube where i was born
I could have sworn
There was so much to see
There was so little to be
But i was free
World at my command
Through the dots i ran
Looking for a man who looked like me
And now it can be told
I'm a quarter of a century old
But i'm half a century high

/pre>

pre>f fsus f c (open d string/then back on 2nd fret)
Joe hill come over from sweden shores
F fsus f c
Looking for some work to do
F c am
And the statue of liberty waved him by
C (open d string/place finger on g st. 2nd fret/return)
As joe come a sailing through, joe hill
C g7 c
As joe come a sailing through.

Oh his clothes were coarse and his hopes were high
As he headed for the promised land
And it took a few weeks on the out-of-work streets
Before he began to understand
Before he began to understand

And joe got hired by a bowery bar
Sweeping up the saloon
As his rag would sail over the baroom rail
Sounded like he whistled on a tune
You could almost hear him whistling on a tune

And joe rolled on from job to job
From the docks to the railroad line
And no matter how hungry the hand that wrote
In his letters he was always doing fine
In his letters he was always doing fine

Oh, the years went by like the sun goin' down
Slowly turn the page
And when joe looked back at the sweat upon his tracks
He had nothing to show but his age
He had nothing to show but his age

So he headed out for the california shore
There things were just as bad
So he joined the industrial workers of the world
'cause, the union was the only friend he had
'cause, the union was the only friend he had

Now the strikes were bloody and the strikes were black
As hard as they were long
In the dark of night joe would stay awake and write
In the morning he would raise them with a song
In the morning he would raise them with a song

And he wrote his words to the tunes of the day
To be passed along the union vine
And the strikes were led and the songs were spread
And joe hill was always on the line
Yes joe hill was always on the line

Now in salt lake city a murder was made
There was hardly a clue to find
Oh, the proof was poor, but the sheriff was sure
Joe was the killer of the crime
That joe was the killer of the crime

Joe raised his hands but they shot him down
He had nothing but guilt to give
It's a doctor i need and they left him to bleed
He made it 'cause he had the will to live
Yes, he made it 'cause he had the will to live

Then the trial was held in a building of wood
And there the killer would be named
And the days weighed more than the cold copper ore
Cause he feared that he was being framed
Cause he found out that he was being framed

Oh, strange are the ways of western law
Strange are the ways of fate
For the government crawled to the mine owner's call
That the judge was appointed by the state
Yes, the judge was appointed by the state

Oh, utah justice can be had
But not for a union man
And joe was warned by summer early morn
That there'd be one less singer in the land
There'd be one less singer in the land

Now william spry was governor spry
And a life was his to hold
On the last appeal, fell a governor's tear
May the lord have mercy on your soul
May the lord have mercy on your soul

Even president wilson held up the day
But even he would fail
For nobody heard the soul searching words
Of the soul in the salt lake city jail
Of the soul in the salt lake city jail

For 36 years he lived out his days
And he more than played his part
For his songs that he made, he was carefully paid
With a rifle bullet buried in his heart
With a rifle bullet buried in his heart

Yes, they lined joe hill up against the wall
Blindfold over his eyes
It's the life of a rebel that he chose to live
It's the death of a rebel that he died
It's the death of a rebel that he died

Now some say joe was guilty as charged
And some say he wasn't even there
And i guess nobody will ever know
'cause the court records all disappeared
'cause the court records all disappeared

Say wherever you go in this fair land
In every union hall
In the dusty dark these words are marked
In between all the cracks upon the wall
In between all the cracks upon the wall

It's the very last line that joe will wrote
When he knew that his days were through
"boys, this is my last and final will
Good luck to all of you
Good luck to all of you"

/pre>

pre>e
Who's that coming down the road
D a
A sailor from the sea
D f#m
He looks a lot like me
E g e
I'd know him anywhere, had to stare

Feathers at his fingertips
D a
A halo 'round his spine
D f#m
He must have lost his mind
E g
He should be put away, right away
C#m
In the corner of the night
D bm
He handed me his waterpipe
F#m bm e
His eyes were searching deep inside my head

Here's what he said
Am
Sorry i can't stop and talk now
D
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
C g a e
But i'll send you a tape from california

New york city has exploded and it's crashed upon my head
I dove beneath the bed
Fighting, biting nails, turning pale
The landlord's at my window
And the burglar's at my door
I can't take it anymore
I guess i'll have to fly, it's worth a try
Someone's banging on the wall
But there's no party to recall
The singer of the shadows of his soul
So he's been told
Sorry i can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But i'll send you a tape from california

D c d c
From the mirror of my mantle to the velvet on my bed
D c am e
Trapped upon a stolen stage, a barrymore at best(?)
A g a g
My rhymes are all repeating, ballads growing blind
G#m a f#m b7 e
Words have turned to water, the women turned to wine

The draft board is debating if they'd like to take my life
I'd sooner take a wife and have raise a child or two
Wouldn't you?
Peace has turned to poison
The flag has blown a fuse
Even courage is confused
And now all the brave are in the grave
Century is bending(?)
Have a very happy ending
To the victor go the ashes of the spoil
Seeds in the soil
Sorry i can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But i'll send you a tape from california

The flower-power fuller brush man
Is farming out his friends
I stabbed him with my stem
And then i tapped his toes with my rose
He crawled around inside himself
Now he's crawling after me
Dropping acid in my tea
He wants to save his soul
Rock and roll
One of us must understand
It's not the drug that makes the man
Then a poster of a movie star walked by
He must have been high
Sorry i can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But i'll send you a tape from california

Half the world is crazy and the other half is scared
Maddonas do the minuet for the naked millionaires
The anarchists are rising while we're racing for the moon
It doesn't take a seer to see that the scene is coming soon

So who's that coming down the road
A sailor from the sea
He looks a lot like me
I'd know him anywhere
Had to stare
A fire around his fingertips
A song around his spine
He must have found his mind
He should be put away
Anyway
Surrounded by the slaughter
Now i'm boarding(?) at the border
When the echoes of my ecstacy appear
Wish i was here
Sorry i can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But i'll send you a tape from california

/pre>

pre>
A
In the fire blue forests, faded and forgotten

I crawled through the cotton fields, picking for cotton
D
The overseer sneered, his whipping was rotten
A
With ecstasy.
F#m
Im child-like terror i tore out the tap roots
Bm
Cards of the lash were calling to follow suit
E7
I dashed for the swamps, the hounds in hot pursuit
D a
Jealously.
C#7 f#m
All through the night a figure of fright, as i hid my head
C#7 f#m
And the buried their nose in a cut of my cloths, now torn in shreds
C#7 b
And they never would leave until they believed that i was dead
E a
But i'd never curse their names
E a
Oh, who am i to blame
E a
I know i'd do the same
B
Endlessly.
C#m
And all the high-born ladies
F#m
So lovely and so true,
B
Have been handed to the soldiers
E
When in rome do as the romans do.

Frail and afraid in the mists of the morning
The snakes and the spiders were sadly performing
The bark of the dogs kept up the warning
Inside the wood.
Sweating and swearing i crawled from the manger
The highway appeared to take me from danger
Is there anyone here who would pick up a stranger?
Oh i wish you could.
Then someone replied "would you like a ride?"
"come in" he said.
We drove for a while, he gave me a smile and a piece of bread
The hammer was hard in the chrome of the car as i cracked his head
Then we took off in a spin
Oh i smashed his skull again
Oh thank you my good friend,
I feel so good.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

Late in the evening i came to the city
I fell to the sidewalks sighing for pity
A diamond was dropped from the hands of the pretty
To be so kind.
Cowards and corpses were busy competing
The rhymes of the riots were busy repeating
I raced to the corner and sped(?) from the speeding
To save my mind.
Latches and locks, companies of cops ran from the rain
There was silk in the stores for the whims of the whores
That shone with shame.
I asked for a light from a priest in the night
Then i fanned the flames.
And the traffic all stood still
To see if someone had been killed
I was glad to leave a thrill
So far behind.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

A monk and his mother were dancing so dandy
A topless nun was handing out candy
The beautiful bishop broke out the brandy
The kiss we crave.
They stuttered and stammered, would i feel like staying
We fell to our knees, feverishly praying
The salt in the salt-peter seemed to be saying
Be brave, be brave.
I reached reached for a robe, i preached and i probed
And i taught the tune.
And the greed for the gills was played to the hilt
As i promised doom
I toyed with their fears, until coins and tears filled the room
Then i took off down the road
Laughing madly like a toad
God bless every soulless soul
That would be saved.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

A chorus of children were passing the hours
I joined in their fun and gave them my flowers
Covered with kisses and showered with showers
That they repaid.
Taken and trusting, would i be their teacher?
She looked so appealing, i wanted to touch her
Just out of reach, unable to reach her
Their hands were raised.
Charmed by the chalk, the lessons were taught, inside the class
They studied the rules of the samurai schools, they had to pass
The room was adjourned, the lessons were learned,
I turned on the gas
And i watched them make their pleas
They passed the test with ease
I gave them their degrees,
They made the grade.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

Feeling my weakness, a coward for company
I joined the ranks of the hot and hungry
To teach what it means to have love for your country
We marched away.
We lowered our lives for the lines of a border
We danced with the mothers, played with the daughters
We followed our fantasies, following orders
It was child's play.
After the war the bullets were bored so we capped the game
With cynical smiles we put them on trial to place the blame
Now what kind of beast would love such a feast
Have you no shame?
So we hung the by the feet
Oh, we shot them in the street
Oh, the victory was sweet
On victory day.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

The bread and the circuses came to be nearing
The saviour or somebody must be appearing
Pagans and pageants were all disappearing
Inside my head.
The stones on the statues were staring and stalling
Caesar and cassius were cursing and calling
The empire had risen and now it was falling
Or so it seemed.
The crown and the cross seemed empty and lost in dark despair
And luminous lies, death in disguise were everywhere
The canvas was cold, the story was old, i said my prayers
Then i crowned him on the head
Oh, i blessed him as he bled
Oh at last, the king is dead
God save the queen.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

Now nothing remained for building or burning
The losing of lovers was all i was learning
A time for escape and a time for returning had come to me
Back through the ashes and back through the embers
Back through the roads and the ruins i remembered
My hands at my side i sadly surrendered
Do as you please.
The hero was home, proven and grown, i fell on the floor
Mad with romance they started to dance, their star was born
I bled like the rain, exploded in pain, then i screamed for more
Oh, make me feel sublime
Release me from my mind
Oh, kill me one more time
And set me free.
And all the high-born ladies
So lovely and so true,
Have been handed to the soldiers
When in rome do as the romans do.

/pre>