CHAPIN, HARRY - "stranger with the melodies" Tablature

From: dsb@osustat.mps.ohio-state.edu (David S. Blumenthal)

Stranger With The Melodies Harry Chapin
As recorded (approximately :) ) on Legends of the Lost and Found

Information:
TAB: one space equals one eigth note


main pattern repeats through out song (note variations at end of choruses):
D D/G D/E D/A
e|----3---|2---0---|----3---|2---0---|----3---|2---0---|----3---|2---0---|
B|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-|--3---3-|--2---3-|
G|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|-2-2-2-2|-3-3-2-2|
D|0-------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|0-------|--------|
E|--------|--------|3-------|----(2)-|0-------|--------|--------|--------|

end of verse progression:
A A7 A6 A
E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e
o-o-------o o-o-------- o-o-------- o-o-------o
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | 2 2 2 | | | 2 2 2 | | | 2 2 2 2 | | 2 2 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

other verse pattern (I don't know the pick pattern, so I just strum these):
Bm F Am Em
F Em G A A7 A6 A

last chord:
D (final)
E A D G B e
x o o
| | | | | |
| | | 7 7 |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | 10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INTRO:
D D/G D/E D/A
D D/G D/E D/A

D
It was my first night ...
D/G
in the last room ...
D/E
I heard a hoarse voice...
D/A
comin' through the ....
D
A crazy nonsense ...
D/G
it did not mean ...
D/E
But for the first of ...
D/A
this is what I ....

CHORUS:
D
Hold that "D" ....
D/G
'till I find ....
D/E
Drop it down to ...
D/A D D/A
'till the "A" chord rolls ....


D D/G
I had to lay there listening, it ...
D/E D/A
The stranger with the melodies, ...
Bm F
And he repeated it over and over again....
Am Em
It was kind of like a music ...
F Em
And he sang it, he hummed it, ...
G A A A7 A6
He laughed it, and he cried it...

CHORUS:
A D
Hold that "D" ...
D/G
'till I find ...
D/E
Drop it down to old ...
D/A D D/A
'till the "A" chord ...


D D/G
So I lay there in that lumpy bed, ...
D/E D/A
'till I banged on the wall ....
(D) (stop pattern, just base) (G)
A sudden void of ......
(E) (A) D (resume pattern) D/A
"It weren't so long ago....
D D/G
So I said, "It's kind of ....
D/E D/A
He answered, "I need my music most .....
Bm F
You see I've tried gettin' high ....
Am Em
Stayin' dry don't work out better, boy....
F Em
Won't you please let me ....
G A A A7 A6
You see I'm not singin' to .....

CHORUS:
A D
Hold that "D" chord on ....
D/G
'till I find ...
D/E
Drop it down to old ...
D/A D D(strum) D(strum) A
'till the "A" chord rolls ....


C G
That's when I said, if I'm ...
C G
one quick ....
F C A
Why in the hell do you sing ...

(spoken) And this is ...

D D D D/G
I gave her the music...
D/E D/A
Together we'd write the kinds of ...
D D/G
Of course, we'd fight like cats ....
D/E D/A
Still, where ever we'd go, ...
D D/G
I can't remember now if I'd done ...
D/E D/A
Still, all I know is when I let ....
Bm
That's when I said, "You ....
F
He said, "That's ....
Am
But you can't wrap a ....
Em
'cause it really ....
F Em
You see, a song don't have ....
G A A A7 A6 A
What she could do was ....
D
He started singin' again, ....
D/G
and maybe I'd dreamed ...
D/E
about the stranger ....
D/A
who'd gone and ....

CHORUS:
D
Hold that "D" chord on ...,
D/G
'till I ...
D/E
Drop it down to ...
D/A D D(final)
'till the "A" chord rolls ...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ | Dave Blumenthal |
| _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ | dsb@osustat.mps.ohio-state.edu |
| _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/ | The Ohio State University |
| _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ | Statistical Computing Laboratory |
| _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ | (614) 292-5535 |
------ There is a fine difference between insight and insanity. -------