Burning Questions

pre>intro - country picking oohs g em c d

G em c am7 g
Stuff comes down from the golden triangle on ferries from denmark to helsingborg
G em c am7 g
The band strikes up but they're out of time on synthesiser and washboard
Em d c d
Wooden tulips grow by the roadside made in a factory in jonjoping
Em d c d
Fake glass baubles hang in the station just like the passenger's imitation
Am em c em
Then it hits you she was just the dregs all you wanna do now is break her legs
Am em d
Kick that brunette into a pond replace her with a

Chorus
D c g c g c g c
Platinum blonde, platinum blonde, platinum blonde, platinum blonde

There's a secret world that you cannot enter it's in the center of the darkest night
She's waiting there with a set of works a swedish passport and something white
She walks past but you can't form a whistleeven her lips look artificial
You wanna follow her but you can't swallow her act it seems so superficial
Now you've shed the old one like a worn out shoe
It was all your fault but you blame her too
You know its phoney but at least it's new and it comes from a bottle like

Chorus repeat last part of intro repeat with solo

And in your heart there's a new addiction another friction that you can't resolve
She seemed alive but she is just a cipher an imaginary postcard that just dissolved
Endless sunsets glow in the distance painted by picasso's assistants
Perfect people travel in volvos into the sunsets into the distance
You're just a passenger she's not a ticket a foreign stamp you've got to lick it
Put it in the mail box put it in the failbox
You never seem to learn from the school of hard knocks
Then she walks past and laughs at the pond
You can't break a heart that doesn't respond, like

Chorus repeat intro picking /pre>

pre>capo at 2

E b e a
Mr. tender is something i'm not i pulled too tight when we tied the knot
E b e a
Surrender is something i can't, i can't let go and i rave and i rant
C#m a c#m a c#m b
But i resolve to solve this problem and be the one you need
E a e a e a e
And one day you'll see you will call me "mr tender"

Mr. tender it's almost a joke if it were funny and didn't make you choke
A pretender yeah that's what i am, acting the part but it's really a sham
But i am working, working hard to give the love you need
And one day you'll see you call me "mr tender"

A b a b
I will smooth the edges from my roughness and lose the venom in my toughness
C#m a c#m a c#m b
I resolve to solve this problem and be everything you need
Mr tender yeah! that's what i'll be you won't believe that it's coming from me
The agenda is nothing but love i'll make it come from below and above
And i am working working so hard to be everything you need

And one day you'll see you call me "mr tender" (repeat)
/pre>

pre>(1992 by graham parker, submitted by kirk anderson) (kanderso@wheatonma.edu)
D a
They took their kids in their teenage years
D g
Fitted them out with combat gear,
D a bm g
Filled their hearts with mortal fear and sent them away
D a
Some came home their pants in creases
D g
Some came home in bits and pieces
D a g d
The president made a lot of speeches and went fishing for the day

D a d g
'cause they have short memories, they forget it all so quickly
D a bm g
They have short memories, now it's gone
D a d g
They have short memories, it disappears just like quicksilver
D a g d
They have short memories, now it's gone

My daddy was in nicosea, egypt and north korea
He came back to a good career, shovelling coal
I was just the village lout i never got my finger out
I never wanted for anything still i broke and entered and stole

[bridge]
Em
You can't stop a train or catch the rain drops
D a g
As they come falling
Em
Sure there'll be another war
D a
Sure as sure the call-up will come calling

D a
They took their kids in their teenage years
D g
Gave them a god that they could fear
D a bm g
Said they could kill but not drink beer
Bm g
And sent them away
D a
Some came home in a body bag
D g
Some came home wrapped in a flags
D a g d
And on each toe there hung a tag saying there'll be more someday

[repeat first chorus]
G em d
...now it's gone, now it's gone, now it's gone /pre>

pre>capo at 2

G
My head was swimming in a bangkok joint
Em
You got paint on your coat like an arrow point
D
I followed where it led as if pulled by a bow
C am d
Fired into the night deep and slow to where i'll never know

The hotel was dark as we made our arrival
Waiting breathlessly for the joe meek revival
But it didn't stand any chance of survival
You know joe had an american rival
Poor old joe, poor old joe

Em g
It takes a leap of faith,
Am am7
To pull the trigger on the world you're accustomed to
Am am7
You might as well take out the landlady too
C
It's only a small thing to choose
Em c am em c am d
Chorusjust like joe meek's blues, just like joe meek's blues

It's a twisted world so let's twist again
There's a bass drum sound going round in my brain
A cat communicates with an artichoke
Lord sutch delivers a homophobe joke
Heinz gets his nose chewed again

So you turned up in leon with very little luggage
Started talking in a foreign language
I tied two beds together with a strap from my bag
Everyone was dressed in white
But you were dressed in black

Dressed in black again
Pull the trigger on the world you're accustomed to
You might as well save a bullet for me tooa footnote in tomorrow's news
Chorus repeat twice then f d f d

Back in london and it didn't even rain
The joe meek revival was happening again
But the clocks went forward and the revival got choked
British summertime came like a cruel joke
You went back dressed in black

It takes a leap of faith
To really go for something right out of the blue
Sure we might have torn each other's hair out by the roots
And recorded it on two track tape

Chorus repeat three times with variations end on ooh
/pre>

pre>
Capo at 2
Am
Let's talk about a criminal procedure
Am
Throw out the idea of illegal seizure
G am
Put a rope around somebody's neck

Let's hold some bastard up for example
Take his blood and a urine sample
Feed him garbage and make him pick up the check

Chorus
Well, here it comes here it comes, here it,
Here, here, here it comes again (twice)

While you were sleeping the neighbors crept in
Saw you were naked and called it a sin
The next thing you know... it's the next thing you know

Men they poked their heads in your kitchen door
Smelt something burning and they were sure
It must be the flag you were burning that's what they swore

Chorus repeat

They tell you the preacher was hypocritical
What they don't tell you is that he's typical
What he stands for is totally mythical

And as they lead him away he'll pray for you brother
With a bible in one hand and playboy in the other
Imagine what he does to his mother

Chorus repeat

They tell you they wanna give the right to life
To millions of jerks who will live by the knife
Who'll beat up their children and beat up their wives

Now don't write poetry it's an offense
Unless it falls to the right of the fence
You'll wind up a victim of zero tolerance

Let's hold some bastard up for exampletake his blood and a urine sample
Remind him that man belongs down a man hole (three times) and then
Ah yeah, get on down. /pre>

pre>two keys in this song, very tricky

Intro: a d a e a d e a

F c g c f c g
I took off my mask that night and bared my teeth in your face
F c g c f c g
You saw something else living under my skin the wolf with no thought of disgrace

A e a a e
I know i know some things you must never confess
A e d
I drop to the ground like a bird hit by gunshot
E e a
Just like hermann hesse

I stood by the theatre door knowing it had to begin
I was shaking down to my core knowing i had to go in
I know i know some things i cry as the angels confess
I left my identity back in the theatre
Just like hermann hesse

You saw my precious mask falling from my face
I stood naked in front of you the wolf with no thought of disgrace
I know i know some things you must never confess

You chose the spirit i chose the flesh
Just like hermann hesse
Just like hermann hesse /pre>

pre>e a e a e a e a
We work through the rituals and cover our poisonous tracks
E a e a e a e a
Making good use of weaknesses, horoscopes, rumours and facts
Inspired by the needles and pins and the pains in the heart
With no control over the chemistry that brings us then tears us apart
A a c#m
Now we're as hard, as hard as nails
C#m a e
Laugh at the butterfly that's just been impaled
E a b a
We're always running and don't know what we're running from
A b c#m
We're always sweating bricks
E a b a
The only time the world makes sense to us is when we come
A c#m a c#m a c#m b
Love is a burning, love is a burninglove is a burning question
B e e a e a
On the tip of your tongue, baby baby

I'll endlessly make you and endlessly become remade
I'll endlessly search for your heart with a carnal switchblade,
As we thrash in the heat in an effort to beat up the world
Then we loose our identities replace them with diamonds and pearls
Don't be as hard as hard as nails
You might be born to win and then your heart fails
Get on my wavelength understand my driving force
It's sin and sin alone
I wouldn't lie to you unless i had to of course
Love is a burning, love is a burninglove is a burning question
Don't answer no
A c#m a c#m
Don't make me take a look just let me off the hook
A c#m a e
I've seen the future of rock and it sucks, yeah, it sucks

I've used you you're bleeding i know but don't be afraid
It's only a wound only a wound from a carnal switchblade
We're always running and don't know what we're running from
We're always so convinced
But the more we run the more it just slips through our fingertips

Last chorus
Love is a burning, love is a burninglove is a burning question
On our lips baby baby

(repeat last chorus and then fade "on our lips") /pre>