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Hammer And A Nail

Indigo Girls

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
#

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#

HAMMER AND A NAIL (Emily Saliers)
---------------------------------
[Actually in B; capo 4.]
[Each chord is about half a measure, except in the instrumental parts.
 "Ds" is really Dsus4; "Cs9" is Csus9.]
[See the tablature at the end of the file for chord fingerings in the verse.]

G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9   | G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9  |
[intro; see tab at bottom]

G          Dsus        Em7   C(9)   G            Dsus        Em7         C(9)
  Clearing webs from a hovel         a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel
G           Dsus        Em7     Em7    Csus9  Csus9  Csus9  Csus9
  I've been digging too deep, I always do
G          Dsus        Em7     C(9)   G         Dsus       Em7   C(9)
  I see my face on the surface;        I look a lot like Narcissus
G          Dsus      Em7       Em7             Csus9     Csus9     Csus9  Csus9
  A dark abyss of an emptiness standing on the edge of a drowning blue

Em9        Em9      C(9)          C(9)  Em9    Em9     C(9)    C(9)/B
  I look behind my ears for the green,     and even my sweat smells clean
Am      Am/B      C    A        D   D(9)/C   G/B      G/D
  Glare off the white hurts my eyes             Gotta get out of

 G         D            C(9)  D             G   D   C(9)     D 
bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands; Not just my
 G                 D          C(9) C(9)         Am     Am         Em7       Em7
head, I'll think myself into jail; Now I know a refuge never grows  from a chin
      C        C               A      A          C(9)       C(9)     C(9)  C(9) 
in a hand in a thoughtful pose; Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose

G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9  |
[instrumental, same as intro]

I had a lot of good intentions; sit around for fifty years and then 
   collect a pension
Started seeing the road to hell and just where it starts
But my life is more than a vision; the sweetest part is acting after 
   making a decision
I started seeing the whole as a sum of its parts

I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands
Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose

My life is part of the global life; I'd found myself becoming more immobile
When I'd think a little girl in the world can't do anything
A distant nation my community, a street person my responsibility
If I have a care in the world I have a gift to bring

I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands
Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose

G  G/F# | G/F    | C      | Cm      | G      | D      | G   C   | G.
[ending; see below]


INTRO:
  G         Ds  Em7         C(9) G            Ds  Csus9
E 3---3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3----------- ||
B 3---3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3-----------.||
G 0---0---x-2---0-|----0---x-0---0-|----0---x-2---5-|----5----------- ||
D 0---0---x-0---2-|----2---x-2---0-|----0---x-0---5-|----5-----------.||
A 2---2---x-0---2-|----2---x-3---2-|----2---x-0---3-|----3----------- ||
E 3---3---------0-|----0---------3-|----3-----------|---------------- ||
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . 
[Note that for most of this, your ring and pinky fingers never move.]
[If you don't like barre chords, play Csus9 as x30033.]


ENDING:
           G       G/F#     G/F              C                Cm
E --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --------|3-----3-----3---|3---3---3=5-3---|1-----0-1---1---|1-------1=3-1---|
G ----4---|----4-----4-----|--4-------------|----2-----------|------0---------|
D 5-------|--5-----4-----4-|3-----3---------|2---------------|1---1-----------|
A --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
E --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . 

  G                D                G       C        G
E ----------------|----------------|----------3-----|3---------------|
B 0-------------0-|----3-----------|------------1---|3---------------|
G ----------0-----|--2-----4=2-0=2-|0---------------|0---------------|
D 0---0-0=2---2---|0-----0---------|----0-0=2-------|0---------------|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|2---------------|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|3---------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .



- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com