John Allyn Smith Sails — Okkervil River
Chords and lyrics for John Allyn Smith Sails by Okkervil River (key of D).
Verse 1
and by examining live performances of Will Sheff and his band
playing this song, so naturally it is consistent with what he
plays live. This is a fantastic song despite the dark subject
matter and I hope all of you enjoy playing and singing this song!
At the beginning I've drawn up a general outline of the chord
progressions for each part, to ease memorization. This song can
get a little convoluted given Will Sheff's writing style, but
I've tried to minimize that as much as possible. To do this, I
have attempted to label the parts as verses, choruses, etc.
but don't hold it against me if those aren't the correct names
of the parts, this song is a little unconventional in that it's
hard to determine the parts of it.
Verses:
[D] [A] [Bm] [G] [A] [D]
Ending of each verse:
[Em]
Bridge
[Bm] [G] [A]
Ending of 3rd bridge:
[Em] [F#] [G] [A]
Pre-chorus and chorus:
[D] [G] [D] [G]
[D] [G] [D] [G]
[D] [G] [D] [A]
[D] [G] [D] [G]
[D] [A] [D]
Verse 1
[D]By the second [A]verse, dear friends
My [Bm]head will burst, my [G]life will end
So, I'd [A]like to start this one off by saying
[D]"Live and love"
[D]I was young and at [A]home in bed
And I was [Bm]hanging on the words [G]some poem said
In [A]'31
I was [D]impressionable
I was [Em]upsettable
Bridge
I tried to [Bm]make my breathing [G]stop, my heart beat [A]slow
So, when my [Bm]mom and John came [G]in, I would be [A]cold
Verse 2
[D]From a bridge on Washington [A]Avenue,
The [Bm]year of [G]1972
Broke my[A] bones and skull,
and it was[D] memorable
It was [D]half a second in; I was [A]halfway down-
Do you [Bm]think I wanted to [G]turn back around
and [A]teach a class
Where you [D]kiss the ass
that I've [Em]exposed to you?
Bridge
And at the [Bm]funeral, the [G][A]University
Cried at three [Bm]poems they'd [G]present in place of a[A] broken me
Verse 3
[D]I was breaking in a [A]case of suds
At the [Bm]Brass Rail, a [G]fall-down drunk
with his [A]tongue torn out
and his [D]balls removed
And I [D]knew that my last [A]lines were gone,
while [Bm]stupidly I [G]lingered on,
Oh, but [A]wise men know
when it's [D]time to go
And so [Em]I should, too
Bridge
And so I [Bm]fly into the [G]brightest winter [A]sun
Of this [Bm]frozen town. I'm [G]stripped down to move [A]on,
my friends: I'm [Em][F#]gone[A][G]
Pre-chorus and Chorus:
Well, [D]I hear my [G]father [D]fall[G]
And [D]I hear my [G]mother [D]call[G]
And [D]I hear the [G]others [D]all whisper "Come [A]home"
I'm sorry to [D]go[D][G]
[D]I loved you all[G] so
But [D]this is the worst trip[A] I've ever been [D][G]on[D]
So, [D]hoist up the John [G]B. [D]sail[G]
[D]See how the main [G]sail [D]sets[G]
I'm [D]full in my heart and [G]my [D]head and I wanna go [A]home
With a book in each [D][G]hand[D]
[D]In the way I had [G]planned
Well, [D]this is the worst trip[A] I've ever been [D]on
So, [D]hoist up the John [G]B. [D]sail[G]
[D]See how the main [G]sail [D]sets[G]
I'm [D]full in my heart and [G]my [D]head and I wanna go [A]home
With a book in each [D][G]hand[D]
[D]In the way I had [G]planned
I [D]feel so broke up,[A] I wanna go [D]home.
That's it, enjoy!
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