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Bird On A Wire by Johnny Cash
Bird On A Wire
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:no capo
/ E / / B / /
Like a / Bird, / on a / Wire, / /
/ E / / A / /
Like a / drunk, in a / Midnight / Choir. / /
/ E / / B / / E / / /
I have / trie-, / ed - in my / way, / - to be / free, / / /
/ E / / B / /
Like a / fi - / sh on a / hook, / /
/ E / / A / /
Like a / knight in / some old fashioned / book, / /
/ E / / B / /
I have / saved / - all my / ribbons, / /
/ E / / /
For / Thee, / / / and
/ A / / / / E / / /
If / I, / - -if / I have / been un - / kind, / / /
/ A / / / / B / / /
I just / hope you / / will / let it go / by, / / / and
/ A / / / / E / / /
If / I, / - - if / I have / been un - / true, / / /
/ A / / / / B / / /
I / hope you / know / it was / never to / you. / / /
/ E / / B /
Like a / baby / - - still - / born, /
/ E / / A /
Like a / beast / with his / horn, /
/ E / / B
I have / torn / every / one,
/ B / E / / /
Who / reached out to / me, / / /
/ E / / B /
But I / swe - / ar, by this / song, / and
/ E / / A /
By / all, that / I have done / wrong, /
E / / / / B / / E / / /
I'll / ma - / ake / it / all up / - - to / thee. / / /
/ A /
I saw a / young man, / leaning,
A / / E / / /
On his / wooden / crutch, / / /
A / / / /
He called / out to me, / / /
/ A / B / / /
"Don't / ask for so / much.", / / / and
/ A / /
A / young / woman / leaning,
A / / E / / / /
In / her / darkened / door, / / /
/ A / / /
She cried / out to me, / / /
/ A / B / / /
"Why / not ask for / more?" / / /
Repeat the first verse
------------------
version 2
Capo:no capo
[Intro]
F C F Bb
Like a bird, on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir.
F C Fsus4 F
I have tried in my ways to be free.
[Verse]
F C F
Like a fish, on a hook, like a knight in some old fashioned
Bb
book.
F C Fsus4 F
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
Bb F
And if I, if I have been unkind.
Gm F
I just hope you, will let it go by.
Bb F
And if I, if I have been untrue.
Gm C
I just hope you know, it was never to you.
F C F Bb
Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn.
F C Fsus4 F
I have torn everyone who reached out to me.
F C F Bb
But I swear,by this song,and by all that I have done wrong.
F C Fsus4 F
I'll make it all up to thee.
Bb F
I saw a young man, leaning on his wooden crutch.
Gm F
He called out to me, don't ask for so much.
Bb F
And a young woman, leaning in her darkened door.
Gm C
She cried out to me, hey why not ask for more.
[Outro]
F C F Bb
Like a bird, on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir.
F C Bb F
I have tried in my ways to be free.
------------------
version 3
Capo:no capo
[Intro]
F C F Bb
Like a bird, on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir.
F C Fsus4 F
I have tried in my ways to be free.
[Verse]
F C F
Like a fish, on a hook, like a knight in some old fashioned
Bb
book.
F C Fsus4 F
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
Bb F
And if I, if I have been unkind.
Gm F
I just hope you, will let it go by.
Bb F
And if I, if I have been untrue.
Gm C
I just hope you know, it was never to you.
F C F Bb
Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn.
F C Fsus4 F
I have torn everyone who reached out to me.
F C F Bb
But I swear,by this song,and by all that I have done wrong.
F C Fsus4 F
I'll make it all up to thee.
Bb F
I saw a young man, leaning on his wooden crutch.
Gm F
He called out to me, don't ask for so much.
Bb F
And a young woman, leaning in her darkened door.
Gm C
She cried out to me, hey why not ask for more.
[Outro]
F C F Bb
Like a bird, on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir.
F C Bb F
I have tried in my ways to be free.
------------------
version 4
Capo:no capo
C G7 C F
Like a bird on a wire like a drunk in a midnight choir
C G7 C
I have tried in my ways to be free
G7 C F
Like a fish on a hook like a knight in some old fashioned book
C G7 C
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
F C
And if I if I have been unkind
Dm G7
I just hope you will let it go by
F C
And if I if I have been untrue
Dm G7
I hope you know it was never to you
C G7 C F
Like a baby stillborn like a beast with his horn
C G7 C
I have torn everyone who reached out to me
G7 C F
But I swear by this song and by all that I have done wrong
C G7 C
I'll make it all up to thee
F C
I saw a young man leaning on his wooden crutch
Dm G7
He called out to me don't ask for so much
F C
And a young woman leaning in her darkened door
Dm G7
She cried out to me why not ask for more
C G7 C F
Like a bird on a wire like a drunk in a midnight choir
C G7 F C
I have tried in my ways to be free
------------------
version 5
Capo:3rd fret
This is Johnny Cash's rendition of Leonard Cohens Bird on a Wire for Cash's album American recordings,
for authenticity the album version has capo on 1st fret with same chords
source i used for this is the Live at Montreux performance in 1994
Chords for the song
E B7 B7(2nd inversion)A A (2nd inversion)E7 C#
E|-0--2--2----------------0---0----------------0---x------|
B|-0--0--0----------------2---2----------------3---2------|
G|-1--2--2----------------2---2----------------2---3------|
D|-2--1--1----------------2---2----------------2---4------|
A|-2--2--0----------------0---0----------------1---4------|
E|-0-----2--------------------0----------------0---x------|
There is a picking style in this song for the chords in this song here is an example from the first line
of the song
"Like a bird on a wire like a drunk in a midnight choir"
E|--------0----0------2---2----------0-----0-----0--------0-----0--|
B|--------0----0------0---0----------0-----0-----3--------2-----2--|
G|--------1----1------2---2----------1-----1-----1--------2-----2--|
D|--------2----2------1---1----------2-----2-----2--------2-----2--|
A|--------2--2------2-----0--------2-------2---2--------0-------0--|
E|------0---------------2----------------0--------------------0----|
and now an example from the chorus
"and if I, if i have been untrue, well i just hope you know, it was never to you"
E|-0--0-----0--0---0----------0----0--0------------x----------------------2----2------------------|
B|-3--3-----2--2---2----------0----0--0------------2---2---2--------------0----0------------------|
G|-1--1-----2--2---2----------1----1--1------------3---3---3--------------2----2------------------|
D|-2--2-----2--2---2----------2----2--2------------4--4----4--------------1----1------------------|
A|-2--2---0----0---0--------2------2--2----------4-------4--------------2------0------------------|
E|-0--0--------------------------0----0------------x-------------------------2--------------------|
[Verse 1]
E B7 E E7 A
Like a bird on a wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choir
E B7 E
I have tried in my way to be free
E B7 E E7 A
Like a fish on a hook, Like a knight from an old fashioned book
E B7 E
I have saved all my ribbons with thee
[Chorus 1]
E7 A E C# B7
And if I have been unkind, I hope that you will just let it go by
A E C# B7
And if I have been untrue, I just hope you know it was never to you
[Verse 2]
E B7 E E7 A
Like a baby stillborn, Like a beast with his horn
E B7 E
I have torn everyone who reached out to me
E B7 E E7 A
But I swear by this song and by all I have done wrong
E B7 E
I'll make it all up to you
[Chorus 2]
E7 A E C# B7
I saw a young man leaning on his wooden crutch and he called out to me "Don't ask for so much"
A E C# B7
And a young woman leaning on her darkened door, she cried out to me "why not ask for more"
[Verse 3]
E B7 E E7 A
Like a bird on a wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choir
E B7 A
I have tried in my way to be free
[Outro]
A A A A E
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