Greyhair by the Fatima Mansions
From the Fatima Mansions’ 1992 Valhalla Avenue album. Written by Cathal Coughlan. No capo.
Note: Okay, so, in my books this is the strangest and one of the ugliest songs in the entire FM catalog. Was it a treat for an amateur player like myself to map out? No. Did I come close to nailing it down? No. Not even close. I’m sure it’s mostly wrong. But it’s a starting point – and if there’s anyone out there who’d like the challenge of mapping this one out, by all means do so, and make sure to share your work with me. Email me at weirwrite at gmail dot com. Thank you kindly.
[Ab] [Gmaj7] [Cmaj7]
[Ab] [Gmaj7] [Bb6] [Cmaj7]
[Ab] [Gmaj7] [Cmaj7]
[Ab] [Gmaj7]
[Cadd+11] Gre [C] yhair [Cadd+11] fool [C], [Cadd+11] sho [C] es un [Am7] done
The [G6/Bb] fie [Bbm6] lds a [G6/Bb] head [Bbm6]
[A7] Lea [C#dim] ves [A7] black [C#dim] as coal
[Cadd+11] La [C] ndmark- [Cadd+11] free, [C] no [Cadd+11] walls, [C] no [Am7] trees
To [G6/Bb] gre [Bbm6] et him [G6/Bb] on [Bbm6] this [G6/Bb] ni [Bbm6] ght
Of [A7] his [C#dim] re [A7] turn [C#dim]
[A7] [C#dim] (x2)
So [Bb7] who will love this [C] lie on [F] legs
Who [Bb7] can’t change skin and is [C] not yet [F] dead?
The [Bb7] universal foreigner
The [C] homeless [F7] greyhair [Bb7] son [C] [F]
[Cadd+11] [Cmaj7] (x4)
[Cadd+11] Scram [C] bles [Cadd+11] blind [C] up [Cadd+11] mud [C] dy [Am7] slope
Then [G6/Bb] silent [Bbm6] shakes
Be [A7] [C#dim] fore [Cadd+11] rus [C] ty [Cadd+11] [C] gates [Cadd+11] [C] [Cadd+11] [C]
[B] So [Bb] who will love this [C] lie on [F] legs
[B] Who [Bb] can’t change skin and is [C] not yet [F] dead?
[B] The [Bb] universal [C] foreign [F] er
[B] The [Bb] homeless [F] greyhair [F] son
There’s a [Fm] house, its roof caved [Edim] in
A [C#maj7] rusty wreck of [F/A] car
A [Bdim] lightning-blasted [Eaug] tree
And a [Fm] man who says, “So here you are”
The [Fm] boy who broke the [Edim] plough
Who [C#maj7] struck his father [F/A] down
Who [Bdim] told us to be [Eaug] damned
And be [Fm] trayed us to the Englishman!”
[B] [Bb] “Who will love this [C] lie on [F] legs?
[B] On [Bb] paving stones I’ve [C] made my [F] bed
[B] Not a [Bb] living soul now [C] speaks my [F] name
[B] But [Bb] here at least I [C] have my [F] shame
[B] I [Bb] thought to come and [C] taste once [F] more
[B] What the [Bb] priestly fables [C] all ig [F] nore
[B] The [Bb] un-eternal consequence,” [C] says the [F] greyhair [Bb] son [C] [F]
[Cadd+11] Grey [C] hair [Cadd+11] fool, [C] [Cadd+11] shoes [C] un [Cadd+11] done [C]
Hill [G6/Bb] [Bbm6] top at [G6/Bb] dawn [Bbm6]
[A7] [C#dim] Now [C#m7] ploughs [C#dim] his [C#m7] plough [C#dim]
[Cadd+11] [C] Wind blows [Cadd+11] [C] on
The [Cadd+11] [C] soil is [Cadd+11] [C] poison
He [G6/Bb] [Bbm6] sets to [G6/Bb] [Bbm6] work
[G6/Bb] [Bbm6] He [C#m7] and [C#dim] his plough [C#m7] [C#dim]
[C#] The final union
He and his plough