Family Portrait Chords & Lyrics by Radical Face
Family Portrait
guitar chords lyrics
Buy The Roots http://radicalface.com/store.html
Intro (starting at :31 with the piano):
D A (x2)
D A
So we start with my father as a boy barely spoke a word of english fell in
D
love from a distance he watched her working from the back fence
He learned some words and some clever turns of phrase from his father's
A E
book of poets, she wasn't taken in that instant, but grew impressed with
his persistence.
D E A
They met each other out by moonlight, made love in the nearby woods, then
C#m D
her folks became suspicious when her cycle broke and (?). They stole
E A
away without their goodbyes, got married in a foreign town, made their way
C#m D
E
as best as they could. Found jobs and settled down. And then time moved on.
Interlude:
D A (x2)
D A
I was born in a river of blood on sheets from the wedding day. The room was dark and the
stench was thick my father couldn't stand the smell of it.
D
Mama died in the night cause the nearest doctor couldn't stem the blood
A E
loss. Father cried out on the back porch. My sister held me at the
D E
neighbor's house. Oh my there was a storm then, there was a flood of a
A C#m
different kind. Father's eyes were often vacant, but his hands were rarely
D E
quiet. Sister learned to take her hits well, both from life and the
A C#m
physical kind, but I was never one to lie down, despite who picked the
D E
fight. So we designed our hells.
Interlude:
A D E (x2)
D E A
Father turned into a drinker, a dark bastard with a wooden heart. Sister
C#m D
learned to be a mother, before she ever played another part. And I became a
E A
little terror, I lashed out at whatever's around. Took some time before I
C#m D E
settled, to find a mind that was somewhat sound. And like it always does,
A D E
time rushed on.
A D
Six years later father died in the very same bedroom. Many said it was the
E A
grief that did it, I have to say it's cause he hung himself. To be honest
D
neither sister nor myself ever much regret his passing. But I admit it was
E A
a nice thing, to always know that we could feed ourselves.
-Ben Malley
