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Burning City Smoking by Kevin Devine
Burning City Smoking
Capo - 1st Fret
F#m - X-10-12-12-11-10
A
40 million refugees
D E A
with no place on this earth to call their home
A
one for every aimless graduate
D E A
with nothing else to show for it but loans
D A
And those of us who make a mark
E A
use someone else's blood
D A
Our western stain won't wash away
E A
won't vanish in the flood
Bm A
It goes deeper through each hurricane
D E Bm A
and tidal wave and war
C#m F#m
We want everything we see
Bm E A
and once it's gone we just want more
A
Atlas had those shoulders
D E A
We've got Ambien and Jamesons and blow
A
to bind us in a bubble
D E A
keep the newsprint nightmare distant and remote
D A
But when we wake in guillotines
E A
And pitch our screaming fits
D A
When the governors strikes up the band
E A
And gags our parted lips
Bm A
When the worst case shows up dressed and dazzling,
D E Bm A
Ready for the ball
C#m F#m
Boy, that bubbles bound to burst,
Bm E A
And what a tragic way to fall
A
The tabloids tell us hate the rat that
D E A
Strikes those subways closed and puts you out
A D
Forgot those 50 hour tunnel weeks inhaling
E A
Steel dust poison through his mouth
D A
Well if he don't deserve a pension that
E A
Makes his family feel secure
D A
If we're now so disconnected
E A
it's our reflections we ignore
Bm
And if our constant choices
A D E Bm A
skim and pass the writing on the wall
C#m F#m
Then, I'm sad to say we're lost
Bm E A
and I'm embarrassed for us all
Just play that same pattern over until the end of the song...
------------------
version 2
Capo 1. Standard Tuning. I provided the strum pattern to the best of my ability.
+When strumming, it doesn't matter if you play the open notes surrounding the chord. It
even sound better ;)
+ "^" denotes upstroke. "V" denotes downstroke. "xx" denotes mute.
-Intro-
V V ^V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^ V V V V
e-------------------------------------------|
B--2-2--222--222--232--222--222-0---0--0-0--|
G--2-2--222--222--222--222--222-2h4-2--0-0--| Play twice.
D--2-2--222--222--222--222--222-0---0--4-2--|
A-------------------------------------------|
E-------------------------------------------|
(*)
-Verse part 1- (Under chords, I've placed the vocal cues to the best of my ability.)
V V ^V^ V V ^V^ V V ^V^ V V ^V^ V V ^V^ V V ^V^
e--------------------3-3--333-----------------------------|
B--2-2--222-2-2--222-2-2--222----------2-2--222-2-2--222--|
G--2-2--222-2-2--222-3-3--333-1-1--111-2-2--222-2-2--222--| Play twice.
D--2-2--222-2-2--222----------2-2--222-2-2--222-2-2--222--|
A-----------------------------2-2--222--------------------|
E---------------------------------------------------------|
(F)orty.. (N)o.. (E)arth..(H)ome..
(O)ne.. (N)othing(S)how.. (L)oans..
-Transition- (After two full verses are played, play this little thing.)
^V^ V V V V
e-----------------|
B-----------------|
G--222------------|
D--222------------|
A--222--0-0-2-4---|
E-----------------|
-Verse part 2-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^
e--3-33--333---------------------------------|
B--2-22--222-2-22--222-----------------------|
G--3-33--333-2-22--222-1-11--111-2-22--222---| Play twice.
D------------2-22--222-2-22--222-2-22--222---|
A----------------------2-22--222-0-00--000---|
E--------------------------------------------|
(A)nd... (M)ake... (S)omeone.(B)lood..
(O)ur... (W)ash... (V)anish..(F)lood..
-Chorus-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ V V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^
e----------------------3-xx---xx--------------------------------------------|
B------------2-22--222-2-xx---xx---------------------2-22-222--232--222--222|
G--4-44--444-2-22--222-3-xx-1-xx-4-44--444-4-44--444-2-22-222--222--222--222|
D--4-44--444-2-22--222---xx-2-xx-4-44--444-4-44--444-2-22-222--222--222--222|
A--2-22--222-------------xx-2-xx-2-22--222-2-22--222------------------------|
E------------------------xx---xx--------------------------------------------|
(D)eeper..(H)urri.. (T)id(W)av(W)ar... (O)h.. (W)e
-Chorus cont.-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ V V^
e----------------------3-xx---xx---|
B----------------------2-xx---xx---|
G--6-66--666-4-44--444-3-xx-1-xx---| *lyric "more" is first strum of Intro!
D--6-66--666-4-44--444---xx-2-xx---|
A--4-44--444-2-22--222---xx-2-xx---|
E------------------------xx---xx---|
(E)veryth.(S)ee.. (G)on(W)e.. *
+Repeat Intro>Verse1>Trans.>Verse2>Chorus 4 more times.
+Hopefully you can match the vocals on your own. :)
+Then there comes a section that differs from the predictable pattern.
+When the lyrical line "and as my daydream ends he stands there shamed, a shocked and
shell" in the last verse comes, play this:
-Odd Section-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ V V^ V V^ ^V^
e----------------------3-xx---xx--------222---|
B----------------------2-xx---xx--2-22--222---|
G--6-66--666-4-44--444-3-xx-1-xx--2-22--222---|
D--6-66--666-4-44--444---xx-2-xx--2-22--222---|
A--4-44--444-2-22--222---xx-2-xx--------------|
E------------------------xx---xx--------------|
(D)aydream(S)tands (S)ho(S)hat(S)hell...
-Odd Section cont.-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ V V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^ ^V^
e----------------------3-xx---xx--------------------------------------------|
B------------2-22--222-2-xx---xx---------------------2-22-222--232--222--222|
G--4-44--444-2-22--222-3-xx-1-xx-4-44--444-4-44--444-2-22-222--222--222--222|
D--4-44--444-2-22--222---xx-2-xx-4-44--444-4-44--444-2-22-222--222--222--222|
A--2-22--222-------------xx-2-xx-2-22--222-2-22--222------------------------|
E------------------------xx---xx--------------------------------------------|
(N)ever...(A)nswer..(S)ta(T)on(T)ell.. (O)h..
-Odd Section cont2.-
V V^ ^V^ V V^ ^V^ V V V
e----------------------3~--------------|
B----------------------2~---------2~---|
G--6-66--666-4-44--444-3~---1~----2~---|
D--6-66--666-4-44--444------2~----2~---|
A--4-44--444-2-22--222------2~---------|
E--------------------------------------|
(D)irector(A)ction (S)et(J)ust(W)ell
-LYRICS-
40 million refugees with no place on this earth to call their home
One for every aimless graduate with nothing else to show for it but loans
And those of us who make a mark using someone else's blood
Our western stain won't wash away, won't vanish in the flood
It's just deeper with each hurricane and tidal wave and war
Oh whoa oh woh
We want everything we see and once it's gone we just want more
Atlas had those shoulders, we've got Ambien and Jamesons and blow
To bind us in a bubble, keep the newsprint nightmare distant and remote
But when we wake in guillotines and pitch our screaming fits
When the Governor strikes up the band and gags our parted lips
When the worst case shows up dressed and dazzling ready for the ball
Oh whoa oh woh
Boy that bubble's bound to burst and what a tragic way to fall
The tabloids tell us hate the rat who strikes those subways closed and puts you out
Forget those 50-hour tunnel weeks inhaling steel dust poison through his mouth
Well if he don't deserve a pension that makes his family feel secure
If we're now so disconnected it's our relfections we ignore
And if our constant choice is skimming past the writing on the wall
Oh whoa oh woh
Then I'm sad to say we're lost and I'm embarrassed for us all
So most days I can't put to rest the burning city smoking in my mind
And I play pretend the principals are nothing more than actors running lines
And I stumble through a movie set where torture victims laugh
At abandoned journalist who juggled knives and daggered glass
While they entertain the marble Heads of State and CEO's
Oh whoa oh woh
I stagger past anarchist extras through saloon doors painted gold
So I turn and I see Uncle Sam, walks out of wardrobe ready for the shoot
So I walk right up and talk to him, I tell him that I'm scared and I'm confused
While they test the cameras out and get the lighting right, while catering fills coffee
and carves up apple pie
And while the stylists trim his beard and straighten those lapels
Oh whoa oh woh
I ask was it pies that made him drive us straight to hell
and as my daydream ends he stands there shamed, a shocked and shattered shell
But there's never any answer for my starving tongue to tell
Oh whoa oh woh oh oh
Cause the director's shouting action and from off set it's just as well
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