Harry Chapin - Stranger with the Melodies
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It was my first night in that rooming house
In the last room down the hall
I heard a hoarse voice and an old guitar
Coming through the paper thin walls
A crazy nonsense nursery rhyme
That did not mean a thing
But for the first of what was to be a thousand times
This is what I hear him sing. .
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around to D
I had to lay there listening
It seemed he was in the room
This stranger with his melody
Singing there in the gloom
And he repeated it over and over again
Such a soft and sinkin' sound
It was kind of like a music box that was slowly winding down
You see, he sang it, he hummed it
Whistled it, and he strummed it
He laughed it and he cried it
He did everything but hide it
And he sang . .
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around for me
So I lay there in that lumpy bed
Countin' choruses instead of sheep
'Til I banged on the wall and out I called
"Hey bub I need some sleep."
The sudden void of silence, then I heard that hoarse voice say
"It weren't so long ago boy, they paid me to play "
I said, "It's kind of late for music sir
Two hours til it's daylight"
He answered, "I need my music most
In these dark hours of the night
You see I've tried gettin' high on something son
But it only brings me down
Staying dry don't work out better boy
'Cause my eyes get wet and I drown
Won't you please let me continue
And I'll be in your debt
You see I'm not singing to remember son
I'm just singing to forget"
And he sang ..
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around for me
That's when I said
"If I'm supposed to listen to you sir
Just one quick question then
Why in the hell do you sing one song
Over and over again?"
And this is what he said. .
He said, "I gave her the music son
She gave me the words
Together we'd write the kind of songs
The angels must have heard
Of course we'd fight like cats and dogs
But life ain't no rosebud dream
Still whatever we'd do everybody knew
We truly were a team
I can't remember now if I done her wrong
Or if she done wrong to me
But all I know that when I let her go
That it did not set me free
That's when I said, "You sound like what's-his-name"
He said, "That's who I am
But you can't wrap a name around you boy
'Cause it really don't mean a damn
You see, a song don't have much meaning
When it dan't have nothing to say
What she could do was magic son
All I could do was play"
He started singing again
That's when I drifted off
Maybe I dreamed what I heard
'Bout this stranger with his melody
Who'd gone and lost the words
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around to D
In the last room down the hall
I heard a hoarse voice and an old guitar
Coming through the paper thin walls
A crazy nonsense nursery rhyme
That did not mean a thing
But for the first of what was to be a thousand times
This is what I hear him sing. .
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around to D
I had to lay there listening
It seemed he was in the room
This stranger with his melody
Singing there in the gloom
And he repeated it over and over again
Such a soft and sinkin' sound
It was kind of like a music box that was slowly winding down
You see, he sang it, he hummed it
Whistled it, and he strummed it
He laughed it and he cried it
He did everything but hide it
And he sang . .
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around for me
So I lay there in that lumpy bed
Countin' choruses instead of sheep
'Til I banged on the wall and out I called
"Hey bub I need some sleep."
The sudden void of silence, then I heard that hoarse voice say
"It weren't so long ago boy, they paid me to play "
I said, "It's kind of late for music sir
Two hours til it's daylight"
He answered, "I need my music most
In these dark hours of the night
You see I've tried gettin' high on something son
But it only brings me down
Staying dry don't work out better boy
'Cause my eyes get wet and I drown
Won't you please let me continue
And I'll be in your debt
You see I'm not singing to remember son
I'm just singing to forget"
And he sang ..
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around for me
That's when I said
"If I'm supposed to listen to you sir
Just one quick question then
Why in the hell do you sing one song
Over and over again?"
And this is what he said. .
He said, "I gave her the music son
She gave me the words
Together we'd write the kind of songs
The angels must have heard
Of course we'd fight like cats and dogs
But life ain't no rosebud dream
Still whatever we'd do everybody knew
We truly were a team
I can't remember now if I done her wrong
Or if she done wrong to me
But all I know that when I let her go
That it did not set me free
That's when I said, "You sound like what's-his-name"
He said, "That's who I am
But you can't wrap a name around you boy
'Cause it really don't mean a damn
You see, a song don't have much meaning
When it dan't have nothing to say
What she could do was magic son
All I could do was play"
He started singing again
That's when I drifted off
Maybe I dreamed what I heard
'Bout this stranger with his melody
Who'd gone and lost the words
Hold that D chord on the old guitar
'Til I found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
'Til the A chord rolls back home around to D
