Muddy Hymnal Lyrics

Muddy Hymnal (Iron & Wine)
found your name across the chapel door
carved in cursive with a table fork
muddy hymnals
and some bootmarks where you'd been
the shaking preacher told the captain's man
the righteous suffer in a fallen land
and pulled the shade
to keep the crowd from peeking in
we found your children by the tavern door
with wooden buttons and an apple core
playing house
and telling everyone you'd drowned
the begging choir told the captain's man
we all assume the worst the best we can
and for a round or two
they'd gladly track you down
we found you sleeping by your lovers stone
a ream of paper and a telephone
a broken bow
across a long lost violin
your lover's angel told the captain's man
it never ends the way we had it planned
and kissed her palm
and placed it on your dreaming head
found your name across the chapel door
carved in cursive with a table fork
muddy hymnals
and some bootmarks where you'd been
"C" Chord pattern "D" Chord pattern "G" Chord pattern
Is a very simply pattern of finger-picking, just keeping "index" "middle" and "ring"
fingers on 3rd, 2nd and 1st string respectively, using "thumb" at first stroke to "play"
the note for the introducing "chord".
No-Chord pattern
This is only for you to see how the pattern goes. With the quoted "0" note indicating
when the "thumb" strokes to introduce the new chord to be played. Just place your
"index" "middle" and "ring" fingers on 3rd, 2nd and 1st string respectively, and try
practising the pattern till you play smoothly, then add the chords...stroking "thumb"
first to mark the changing.
So the song goes all along just repeating the finger picking pattern, the only difficulty
is to find out where to apply each key-word to the corresponding string stroke.
Which I´ll try to explain...listen to the song while reading to ease understanding.
It´s much more difficult to explain than to indeed play the song, as soon as you get used to
the pattern and chord changing.
As you see I´ve "quote-marked" the stroke exactly under the key-word.
found your name across the chapel door
carved in cursive with a table fork
muddy hymnals and some boot-marks where you'd been
the shaking preacher told the captain's man
the righteous suffer in a fallen land
and pulled the shade
to keep the crowd from peeking in
the shaking preacher told the captain's man
the righteous suffer in a fallen land
and pulled the shade to keep the crowd from peeking in
we found your children by the tavern door
with wooden buttons and an apple core
playing house
and telling everyone you'd drowned
we found your children by the tavern door
with wooden buttons and an apple core
playing house and telling everyone you'd drowned
the begging choir told the captain's man
we all assume the worst the best we can
and for a round or two
they'd gladly track you down
the begging choir told the captain's man
we all assume the worst the best we can
and for a round or two they'd gladly track you down
we found you sleeping by your lovers stone
a ream of paper and a telephone
a broken bow
across a long lost violin
we found you sleeping by your lovers stone
a ream of paper and a telephone
a broken bow across a long lost vi-o-lin
your lover's angel told the captain's man
it never ends the way we had it planned
and kissed her palm
and placed it on your dreaming head
your lover's angel told the captain's man
it never ends the way we had it planned
and kissed her palm and placed it on your dreaming head
At the beginning is a little bit complicated to square strokes with lyrics...
but listen to the song, and try to finger-pick without thinking about matches.
...soon you´ll figure out that pattern in "2nd" and "3rd" string strokes combined with thumb
at every chord change is the key for the whole drawing.
And when sustained-singing words (I mean like "across a looooong looooost vio / lin ")
just keep the beat in the finger-picking. Perhaps this is the most difficult part of all
the song, but don´t think too much and try keep the beat...the same word "vi-o-lin" matches
perfectly with every stroke...but you´ll have to fast change from C to D chord.
To resume: Listen many times to the song while reading, before start singing make sure
you control chord changes and finger-picking pattern (listen to the song), search the beat
speed you feel more comfortable with (listen to the song), find how to match lyricks with strokes,
be conscious about the importance of "thumb", "2nd" and "3rd" string...
know "quoted" notes are placed right under the key-word.
Listen to the song. I think is very beatiful one you don´t get tired of.
Best regards, enjoy
Gepeto