"I WANNA LEARN A LOVE SONG" - Verities & Balderdash
Words and Music by HARRY CHAPIN

CHORDS USED
      x02010
       xx0212
        
G        3x000


3 (or just reg

ular G 320033)
    3x0211
       022000


[Intro]
     x4

[Verse 1]
       
I come fresh f

rom the street

,
            
fast on my fee

          
t, kinda lean 

    
and lazy; (OR 

kinda crass an

d corny - live

 version)
           
not much meat 

              
on my bones, a

     
nd a whole lot

 alone,
             
and more than 

          
a little bit c

razy. (OR more

 than a little

 bit horny)
         
The old six st

         
ring was all I

 had
           
to keep my bel

        
ly still,
           
and for each f

         
ull hour lesso

n I gave
             
I got a crisp 

        
ten dollar bil

l.

[Verse 2]
           
She was marrie

      
d for seven ye

ars
             
to a concrete 

    
castle king.
             
She said she w

            
anted to learn

    
 to play the g

uitar
             
and to hear he

        
r children sin

g.
         
So I'd show up

       
 about once a 

week
           
in my faded ti

           
ght-legged jea

ns
           
with a backlog

         
 full of hobo 

stories
          
and dilapidate

  
d dreams.

[Chorus]
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song full 

of happy thing

s."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

              
ove song; won'

      
t you let me h

ear you sing?"
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song, I wa

nna hear you p

lay."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

             
ove song befor

       
e you go away.

"

[Verse 3]
           
So I tried to 

             
teach her a co


uple of chords
           
and an easy me

 
lody;
           
but it always 

              
turned out she

   
'd rather list

en
          
to my guitar a

   
nd me.
         
I could hear h

           
er old man lau

ghing in the d

en,
           
playing stud p

              
oker with the 


boys
           
while I sang s

              
o soft in the 


living room,
             
too scared to 

       
make much nois

e.

[Verse 4]
           
I came one wee

          
k and the den 

was dark
             
and she met me

     
 at the door.
           
And we sat on 

              
the couch and 

   
we sang and ta

lked
             
'til I could n

        
ot sing no mor

e.
         
The silence ke

      
pt on building

,
           
her eyes grew 

         
much too wide;
            
and I could he

             
ar both of our

 
 heartbeats,
          
but there was 

no place to hi

de.

[Chorus]
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song full 

of happy thing

s."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

              
ove song; won'

      
t you let me h

ear you sing?"
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song, I wa

nna hear you p

lay."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

             
ove song befor

       
e you go away.

"

[Verse 5]
           
Well, I guess 

              
you know what 


happened,
            
God, I never b

     
een so clean.
           
Yes, I feel li

              
ke I'm working

      
 in a Hollywoo

d movie
             
or living out 

        
a good bad dre

am.
             
And all them p

          
inup girls in 

    
that tinsel wo

rld
           
never touched 

            
me like she ca

n;
           
it took anothe

              
r man's wife i

      
n the real wor

ld life
   
to make this b

oy a man.

[Chorus]
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song full 

of happy thing

s."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

              
ove song; won'

      
t you let me h

ear you sing?"
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

        
ove song, I wa

nna hear you p

lay."
             
She said, "I w

              
anna learn a l

             
ove song befor

       
e you go away.

"
           
(let ring out)

            

         
I guess you know I stayed.    (ooh, ooh, ooh)