The Owl and the Tanager Chords & Lyrics by Sufjan Stevens
The Owl and the Tanager
guitar chords lyrics
This is a guitar transcription of this piano song
Tuning: E A Db G B e (tune the D string down 1/2 step so that it matches the 4th fret of
the A string)
Key of Bb minor
Chords:
Bbm Cm Fm Ab
e|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|
G|--------------------------|
Db|- --5------7----0-----2---|
A|----6------6----1-----3---|
E|----6------8----1-----4---|
He arpeggiates these triads in the beginning and later on during the build-up you can
strum them.
The melody that plays in some verses (first at 1:11):
e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
Db|--9-11h12-9--9-11h12-9---|
A|-------------------------|
E|---------------------6---|
the melody that plays between some of the verses (first at 1:30):
e|------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------6--------------------------------------|
Db|-7h9-7--9-7---7h9-7-9--9p7---7h9-7-9-7----------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------9-8-6--------------|
E|------------------------------------------------9-8-6-8-9-6-|
lyrics:
Bbm Cm
All I had hoped for
Fm
I kept inside your car
Ab
The rabbit in the barn
Bbm Cm
Most of all I wait
Fm Ab
I wait beside the door; I wait beside the door
etc
Oh! I was wrong! trembling in the cage
I was diamonds in the cage
In seven hours I consider death
And your father called to yell at me
You little boy, you little boy
Found out you cheated me
I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow
Blood in the meadowlark
I punched your ears instead
I punched you in the head
You only laughed and laughed and laughed
How I was wrong! tingling from the kill
Tickle me until you devil bird you evil still
Slept on my arms, I was sleeping in the sill
I was sleeping in the room with you
You little boy, you little boy
How could you run from me now?
The loneliest chime in the house
The loneliest chime in the house
You let it out you let it out
Come to me Calvary still
I'm weeding and raking until
I'm bleeding in spite of my love for you
It bruised and bruised my will
Counting alluvial plains
The breathing inside of the range
You touched me inside of my cage
Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me
Come to me feathered and frayed
For I am the ugliest prey,
For I am the ugliest prey
The owl, the reckless reckless praise
You said you'd wait for me
Down by the Tannery Creek
Far out by the clothesline where we used to kiss behind the sheets
Wrapped in a blanket of red
The Owl and the Tanager said
The Owl and the Tanager said
One waits until the hour is death
Apollo
