Down by the lake
We were overturning pebbles
And upending all the animals alight
And I took a drag
From your cigarette and pinched it
‘Tween my finger and my thumb
Till it died
And the sun burned low on the radio
Say that you will
Say you will or will you won’t
Or you whatever you prevaricate
Your whole life, don’t you?
This much I can say:
I would’ve waited till the oceans
Fell Away and all the sunken cities
Would reveal themselves to you
But you won’t, will you?
Because you never do
And the sun burned through
Sweet as honeydew
And I
Seventeen and terminally fey
I wrote it down and threw it all away
Never gave a thought to what I'd paid
And you
Sibylline, reclining in your pew
You tattered me, you tethered me to you
The things you would and wouldn't do
To tell the truth I never had a clue

Now we arise
To curse those young suburban villains
And their ill-begotten children from the lawn
Come to me now
And on this station wagon window
Set the ghost of your two footprints
That they might haunt me when you’re gone
And when the light broke dawn
You were forever gone
But I remember you, you were full
You were full and sweet as honeydew
And I
Seventeen and terminally fey
I wrote it down and threw it all away
And never gave a thought to what I paid
And you all sibylline, reclining in your pew
You tattered me, you tethered me to you
The things you would and wouldn’t do
You noticed how I never had a clue
Never had a clue
You were full and sweet as honeydew
You were full and sweet as honeydew

Kick a hole in the hallway
While singing like a painted lady
Use your skull like a cannonball
But it better not wake the baby

Chorus

How long will this go on?
How long, indeed?
You can bang a drum ‘till the money’s all gone
But it better not wake the baby

Make your moan of your lot in life
Split your mind half crazy
Gouge your eyes with a butter knife
But it better not wake the baby

Chorus

Drown yourself in crocodile tears
Curse the gods what made ‘ye
Pine away for your better years
But it better not wake the baby

Chorus x2

This is used for both intro and verses. BE SURE TO RECOGNIZE THE OPEN G STRING AS
A BASS NOTE! CAPO 2!

e---0-0-----0-0---0-0-----0-0-----3-3--------------------|
B---1-1-----1-1---1-1-----1-1-----3-3--------------------|
G---0-0-----0-0---0-0-0---2-2-0---0-0--------------------|
D-------0-2-----3-------3---------0-0-----0--------------|
A-3-------------------------------2-2-0h2----------------|
E-------------------------------3------------------------|

REPEAT THE ABOVE FOR INTRO AND VERSES!!

On a winter’s sunday I go,
To clear away the snow,
To green the ground below,

April all an ocean away,
Is the better way to spend the day,
Keeping the winter at bay,

CHORUS
What were the words I mean to say before you left?
When I could see your breath lead where you were going to

THE TAB LEADING BACK TO INTRO/VERSE TAB

e---0-0-0---0-0-0---0-0---0-0----------------------------|
B---1-1-1---1-1-1---1-1---1-1----------------------------|
G---2-2-2---0-0-0---0-0---0-0----------------------------|
D-3-------2-------0--------------------------------------|
A-----------------------2--------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------------|

INTRO/VERSE PROGRESSION

Maybe I should I just let it be,
Maybe it will all come back to me,
Sing Oh january, Oh (back to INTRO/VERSE)

How i lived a childhood in snow,
and all my teens in tow,
stuffed in a strata of clothes,

Hail the winter days after dark,
Wandering the gray memorial park,
A fleeting beating heart,

What were the words I mean to say before you left?
When I could see your breath lead where you were going to

e---0-0-0---0-0-0---0-0---0-0----------------------------|
B---1-1-1---1-1-1---1-1---1-1----------------------------|
G---2-2-2---0-0-0---0-0---0-0----------------------------|
D-3-------2-------0--------------------------------------|
A-----------------------2--------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------------|

INTRO/VERSE:

Maybe I should just let it be,.
and maybe it will all come back to me,
Sing all Januuu..All January Oh

INTRO/VERSE tab to fade out.
Little drunk while doing this, but you should get the idea.

e|—7——10——-3—————|
B|—7——10——-3—————|
G|—6——9——–2—————|
D|—0——0——–0—————|
A|—X——X——–X—————|
E|—7——10——-3—————|

INTRO:
Bm9 Dsus2 Gsus2 (x2)

VERSE:

I want you, thin fingers;
I wanted you, thin fingernails.
And when you bend backwards
I wanted you, I needed you
Oh-oh to make me better

VERSE:
I loved you in spring time
I lost you when summer came.
And when you pulled backwards
I wanted you, I needed you
Oh-oh, to make me better.
Oh-oh to make me better.

CHORUS:
But we’re not so starry-eyed anymore
Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters
And won’t it all just come around to make you
Let it all unbreak you to the day you met her
But it’d make you better.
It’d make you better.

VERSE:
I sung you your twinges
I suffered you your tattletales.
And when you broke sideways
I wanted you, I needed you
Oh-oh, to make me better.
Oh-oh, to make be better.

CHORUS:
But we’re not so starry-eyed anymore
Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters
And won’t it all just come around to make you
Let it all unbreak you to the day that you met her
And it’d make you better.
And it’d make you better.
Did it make you better?

INSTRUMENTAL:
Bm G D A (x2)

BRIDGE:
And all I wanted was a sliver to call mine.
And all I wanted was a shimmer in your shine
To make me bright

CHORUS:
Cause we’re not so starry-eyed anymore
Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters
And won’t it all just come around to make you
Let it all unbreak you to the day that you met her
And it’d make you better.
And it’d make you better.

OUTRO:

Chords:
Dsus2: 000230
Gm: 000333 or (sometimes 000330)
D: 000232
A: 002220
G: 55500-
Em: 222000
Bm: -24430

Intro:

Verse:

Dear Avery, I think of you only

Were you waving? Were you dead on the vine?

Oh Avery, I think of you lonely

But I could just grab you by the nape of your neck

Chorus:

There are times life will rattle your bones and will bend your limbs

You’re still far and away the boy you’ve ever been

So you bend back and shake at the frame Of the frame you made

But don’t you shake alone

Please Avery-y-y-y, come home

Verse (Dsus2 Gm):
Headstrong, you and your long arms
Listing lazily on the cusp of your teens
But you were my Avery and when you needed saving
I could just grab you by the nape of your neck

Chorus:
There are times life will rattle your bones
And will bend your limbs
You’re still far and away the boy you’ve ever been
So you bend back and shake at the frame
Of the frame you made
But don’t you shake alone
Please Avery, come home

(Don’t you shake alone!)

Please Avery-y-y-y, come home

Dsus2 Gm (repeat to end)

During the intro and parts between verses, the Dsus2 can be substituted with a D, and
the Gm can be switched between the two versions in the chord section. Enjoy this beautiful song!

e||0-0--|| ---0-0---0-0|---0-0--0--0 ||
B||1-1--||o ---1-1---1-1|---1-1--1--1 o||
G||2-2--|| ---2-2---2-2|---2-2--2--2 ||
D||2-2--|| ---2-2---2-2|---2-2--2--2 ||
A||0-0--||o 0-----------|0----------- o||
E||-----|| ------0-----|------0--3-- ||

x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x..

VERSE
Four score years
Living down in this rain swept town
Sea salt tears
Swimming round as the rain comes down

CHORUS
Mr. Postman, do you have a letter for me?[Am/E] [D/F#]
Mr. Postman, do you have a letter for me?
A letter for me
From my own true love
Lost at sea
Lost [E/G#]at sea

INSTRUMENTAL
(accordion->gtr)
x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x..

e||0-----------|0-2--23-20--|5--2--|0-----------|------------|
B||---1--------|------------|------|------------|------------|
G||------2-----|------------|------|------------|------------|
D||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|
A||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|
E||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|

x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..[D/F#]x..

e||0-----------|0-2--23-20--|5--2--|0-----------|------------|
B||---1--------|------------|------|------------|------------|
G||------2-----|------------|------|------------|------------|
D||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|
A||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|
E||------------|------------|------|------------|------------|

CHORUS
Mr. Postman, do you have a letter for me?[Am/E] [D/F#]
Mr. Postman, do you have a letter for me?
A letter for me
From my own true love
Lost at sea
Lost [E/G#]at sea

OUTRO
x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x.. x..x..x..x.. x..x..x..x..

e|| 0-----------|0-2--23-20--|5--2--|0-----------|------------ ||
B||o ---1--------|------------|------|------------|------------ o||
G|| ------2-----|------------|------|------------|------------ ||
D|| ------------|------------|------|------------|------------ ||
A||o ------------|------------|------|------------|------------ o||
E|| ------------|------------|------|------------|------------ || (4x)

(end with floor tom thumping a beat)

[INTERLUDE]


And when you shine, shine your eyes, looking lost, looking bright
Wheel away on the light brigade
And if only for a second (only for a second)
And if only for a time (only for a time)
And if only for a second (only for a second)
And if only for a time, we’ll be alive

We’ll be alive, oh oh oh oh oh


I am the cavalry captain, I am the remedy to your heart
I am the common collector, I am imprinted upon your stars

[INTERLUDE]


There is a world, there is a time, lookin’ calm, lookin’ kind
And if only for a second (only for a second)
And if only for a time (only for a time)
And if only for a second (only for a second)
And if only for a time, we’ll be alive

We’ll be alive, oh oh oh oh oh


I am the cavalry captain, I am the remedy to your heart
I am the common collector, I am imprinted upon your stars

just repeat F G Em Am until it fades out