Preview (partial song; no chords displayed)
From kb013@stir.ac.uk Sat May 20 09:26:38 1995
Hi there its the mad transcriber from scotland again
I'm sending you a transcription from a anti-CCM
artist I hope that will be allright cos he's twenty times better
than any CCM artist
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THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL
(from the 'ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET' lp)
Words and music by Larry Norman
G
I was born and raised an orphan
C G
In a land that once was free
Bm Am Am/E Am
In a land that poured it's love out on the moon
G
And i grew up in the shadows
C G
Of your silos filled with grain
Bm Am
But you never helped to fill my empty spoon
G
And when i was ten you murdered law
C G
With courtroom politics
Bm Am Am/E Am
And you learnt to make a lie sound just like truth
G
But i know you better now
C G
And i don't fall for all your tricks
Bm G
And you've lost the one advantage of my youth
(rythm figure 1)
G X
You kill a black man at midnight
C
Just for talking to your daughter
Bm
Then you make his wife your mistress
Am D
And you leave her without water
G
And the sheet you wear upon your face
C G
Is the sheet your children sleep on
Bm
And every meal you say a prayer
Am D (Dsus4)
You don't believe but still you keep on
(end rythm figure 1)
(rythm fig. 2)
C G Am G
And your money says 'In God We Trust'
C G Am G
But it's against the law to pray in school
C G Am C
You say we beat the russians to the moon
C G Am G
And i say you starved your children to do it
(end rythm fig. 2)
You are far across the ocean
In a war that's not your own
And whilst you're winning theirs
You're gonna lose the one at home
Do you really think the only way
To bring about the peace
Is to sacrifice your children
And kill all your enemies
The politicians all make speeches
While the news men all take note
And they exagerate the issues
As they shove it down our throats
Is it really up to them
Whether this country sinks or floats
And i wonder who would lead us
If none of us would vote
(with rythm fig. 1)
Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped
From whispering through the fence
You know every move i make
Or is that just coincidence
Well you try to make my way of life
A little less like jail
If i promise to make tapes and slides
And send them through the mail
(with rythm fig. 2 twice round)
And your money says 'In God We Trust '
But its against the law to pray in school
You say we beat the russians to the moon
And i say you starved your children to do it
You say 'all men are equal all men are brothers
Then why are the rich more equal than others
Don't ask me for the answer i've only got one
That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son
(transcribed in may 1995 by Mark M Boydell)
X:strum and mute at the same time
Tricky Chords : Gsus4 : 320103
EADGBe
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
This is a really simple but powerful song
I think that Larry used a nylon stringed acoustic guitar
on this track (but I'm not sure at all)
Sadly this track was released in 1972 ( or 1973 )
and its really hard to get the new CD re-releases in
Europe so all I have is a lousy copy of a copy
of a scratchy record but I still view at the greatest
record ever recorded ( even better than 'sergeants pepper')
printed from https://www.1christian.net/rwtc
