Family Hands Lyrics

FAMILY HANDS (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
[Recorded in F. Mary Chapin plays in dropped-D tuning (DADGBE) in the key
of D, with a capo on the 3rd fret. John Jennings plays the lead part in
C with a capo on the 5th fret (and standard tuning).]
[All the verses aren't _exactly_ the same, but they're close enough
that I only wrote tablature for the first verse.]
[I wasn't able to write tablature for the rhythm guitar during the lead
guitar solos, because the lead guitar gets in the way. But I _have_
written down the exact chord shapes she uses.]
RHYTHM GUITAR (Mary Chapin Carpenter):
A --------0-------|0=2-----2-------|----------------|0=2-----0-------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
#
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. Last Sunday we got in the car and we drove
2. Your grandmother owned a gun in 1932
B 3---------3-----|0=2-------0-----|3---------------|--3-------3-----|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. To the town you were raised in, your boyhood home
2. When times were bad just everywhere, you said she used it too
#
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. The trees were just turning, up on the ridge
2. And the life and times of everyone are traced inside their palms
A 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|----------------|0=2-----0-------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. And this was your valley when you were a kid
2. Her skin may be so weathered, but her grip is still so strong
#
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. You showed me the railroad that your daddy worked on
2. And I see your eyes belong to her and too your mama too
3. And a rich man you might never be, they'd love you just the same
E ------0---------|----------------|------0---------|3=2-------------|
B 3---------3-----|2=3-------0-----|3---------3-----|----------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. As we neared the old house where your granny lives on
2. A slice of Virginia sky, the clearest shade of blue
3. They've handed down so much to you besides your Christian name
#
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. She's nearing ninety years now, with her daughters by her side
acoustic guitar solo
3. And the spoken word won't heal you like the laying on of hands
E ----------------|----------0-----|2-----3=2-----0-|----------------|
B 3---------0-----|0=2---3---------|----------3-----|--3-------3-----|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1. Who tend the places in the heart where loneliness can hide
acoustic guitar solo
3. Belonging to the ones who raised you to a man
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1,2,3. Raised by the women who are stronger than you know
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1,2,3. A patchwork quilt of memory only women could have sewn
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1,2,3. The threads were stitched by family hands, protected from the moth
D 2-------4-------|5-------5-------|----------------| (3rd time to Coda)
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
1,2,3. By your mother and her mother, the weavers of your cloth
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
instrumental
1. (1st time: go back to beginning of verse.)
first 4 bars of solo
2. (2nd time: continue with solo)
Lead guitar solo
| G/B A/C# | D | G A7 | Bm7(4) |
| A7sus4 | A7 |
Now go back to middle of verse
| D A/C# | Bm7 A7 | G A7 | D ||
LEAD GUITAR (John Jennings):
Remember, this is written in because Jennings has a 5th fret capo.
First solo (end of second verse)
G --|------0-0-------|----------------|--------2=0-----|----------0=2---|
D 03|3--2------------|----------------|-----3-------2--|0-----2=3-------|
A --|triplet---------|----------2-3-2-|0-3-------------|----------------|
. ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E ----------------|------0=1-------|----------------|----------------|--
G --2=0-----2-----|----------0---4-|5---------------|----------------|--
D ----------------|----------------|--------3-------|0=2-----0-------|--
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|------------3=2-|0-
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^
Longer solo (before third verse)
A --------triplet-|----------------|----------------|----------23--2-|
...cloth ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
B ----------------|------1---3/5-5/|6~~~--------1-31|0---------------|
G --------------2=|0---------------|----------2-----|----------------|
D ------------3---|--3=2-----------|----------------|----------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E --1=0-----------|--3-------------|---3--1-0-------|----------------|
B ------1-3-0=1-3-|5---------------|-----------3--0-|1-----0-1-------|
G ----------------|----------------|triplet-0-------|--------------0-|
A ----------------|----------------|--------triplet-|--------------2-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
B ----------------|----------------|------1-1--1--3-|0-----------1=0=|
G ----------------|----------0-2=0-|---2--2-2-------|0---------------|
D 4---------------|----------------|3-------triplet-|----------------|
A 0---------------|----------------|triplet---------|----------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
us4
B 1-1=0-----------|----------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
G 0-|--------------0-|2---------0=2---|0---------------|--------------0-|
D --|----------------|----------------|--------triplet-|5---------------|
. ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
G -----(0)---(0)--|---(0)----------|triplet-0-----0-|0---------------||
D ----------------|----------------|--------triplet-|2---------------||
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com