Guitar Song

A bar-stool ballad written about a night on 2nd Avenue in downtown Nashville. I used to play at a little bar called the 2nd Ave Dry Goods. This was written and initially recorded live on stage in approximately 1993. This version was recorded in my home studio in 1999. All instruments and vocals are mine.

Verse 1-

    G                                 C

A smoky barroom scene, therapy for the patrons.

        G                           C                           D

The analyst behind the bar prescribes the means.

     G                                   C

It’s just another gig on the 2nd Avenue strip,

                    G                                    C                         D

Just another sweaty hole where the animals come to drink.

            G             G/F#     Em                     C       C/B     Am7 D7

But for Thomas it’s his night to compensate for reality.

             G                                            C

He said, I lost my job this week, this damned economy.

       G                                    C                   D

The factory laid off a thousand men with families- 

            D7

All of them with mouths to feed.

He says...

Chorus-

G                       C

Play your guitar, I want to hear a sad song.

G                                                 Dsus         D

I want to see myself somewhere else.

G                       C

Play your guitar, I want to hear a sad song.

                      G         G/F#        Em         C     C/B     D

I want to feel somebody else’s pain for a little while.

Verse 2- The brunette taps her feet to the beat that we are playing, 

But you can tell that her mind is far away.

She was happier than ever, till she caught him with the Blonde.

Now she’s sad and lonely and she’s here to lose some time.

To her this is the day the music died, but she’s here to listen anyway.

So Miss American Sigh, I will play you a song.

You can lose yourself in the whiskey while the good ole boys we sing.

We’ll sing for you....

Bridge-

        C                                         G

The rhythm of the guitar song, hypnotic and discreet,

  C                                             Dsus             D

We will play the piper as you follow with our strings,

And while we...