Hammer and a Nail Lyrics

HAMMER AND A NAIL (Emily Saliers)
ctually in ; capo 4.
[Each chord is about half a measure, except in the instrumental parts.
"Ds" is really Dsus4; "Cs9" is Csus9.]
See the tablature at the end of the file for chord fingerings in the verse.
G Ds Em7|Em7 C(9) G|G Ds Cs9|Cs9 | G Ds Em7|Em7 C(9) G|G Ds Cs9|Cs9 |
intro; see tab at bottom
Clearing webs from a hovel a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel
s
I've been digging too deep, I always do
I see my face on the surface; I look a lot like Narcissus
su
A dark abyss of an emptiness standing on the edge of a drowning blue
I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes Gotta get out of
bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands; Not just my
head, I'll think myself into jail; Now I know a refuge never grows from a chin
in a hand in a thoughtful pose; Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose
G Ds Em7|Em7 C(9) G|G Ds Cs9|Cs9 |
instrumental, same as intro
I had a lot of good intentions; sit around for fifty years and then
collect a pension
Started seeing the road to hell and just where it starts
But my life is more than a vision; the sweetest part is acting after
making a decision
I started seeing the whole as a sum of its parts
I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands
Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose
My life is part of the global life; I'd found myself becoming more immobile
When I'd think a little girl in the world can't do anything
A distant nation my community, a street person my responsibility
If I have a care in the world I have a gift to bring
I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands
Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose
G G/F# | G/F | C | Cm | G | D | G C | G.
ending; see below
INTRO:
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
Note that for most of this, your ring and pinky fingers never move.
If you don't like barre chords, play as x30033.
ENDING:
B --------|3-----3-----3---|3---3---3=5-3---|1-----0-1---1---|1-------1=3-1---|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
G ----------0-----|--2-----4=2-0=2-|0---------------|0---------------|
D 0---0-0=2---2---|0-----0---------|----0-0=2-------|0---------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com