The Frond Seller by Cathal Coughlan
From the Cathal Coughlan’s 2010 Rancho Tetrahedron album. Written by Cathal Coughlan. No capo.
INTRO
[G] [Cmaj7] [Bm] [G] (x2)
VERSE 1
[Am] He came home with a bullet in his neck and some sandy old boots, nothing more
[C/G] An accident of birth, with a wasteland of defeat for its home
[Am] No gold, no empire now, no spire, no sea wall stands
[Em] Lawyers pull rickshaws here or stick [D7] labels onto [G] cans
CHORUS 1
[Cmaj7] Water of [Bm] life, [Em] flame at [Am] death
[Em7] Wealth and [Bm6] learning [Am7] passes
[Cmaj7] Come make your [Bm] choice – do you [Em] starve or [Am6] bet
On this [F7] common ground of [Bb7] ashes [F7]
[G] [Cmaj7] [Bm] [G] (x2)
VERSE 2
[Am] Here’s a job for you, soldier boy, at the Temple of Heavenly Grace
[C/G] Down by the silent factories, the last full house in that place
[Am] Aged 12, she casts quite a spell, that virgin visionary
[Em] Palm branches line her path, charge them [D7] 89 cents a [G] piece
CHORUS 2
[Cmaj7] Water of [Bm] life, [Em] smashed can [Am] teen
She [Em7] heals whome’ [Bm6] er she [Am7] passes
The [Cmaj7] salvaged [Bm] lives, [Em] klieg lights [Am6] gleam
On this [F7] common ground of [Bb7] ashes [F7]
BRIDGE
They [Abmaj7] took him over [Gm] seas
To serve the [Abmaj7] Virgin’s devo [Gm] tees
Russians, [Dm] Chinese [Eb] [Dm] [Eb]
Though the [Abmaj7] planes now seldom [Gm] flew
And the [Abmaj7] ships were dank and [Gm] rusty
With [Dm] slaves for crew [Eb] [Dm] [Eb]
[Cm]
VERSE 3
[Am] Town halls, football stadiums and all, how the faithful did boggle and swoon
[C/G] And down the cash did rain, through the humid white nights of June
[Am] He slept in the equipment truck, quite sober, snug and sound
[Em] Each night a little girl or boy, having [D7] buried in their native [G] ground
CHORUS 3
[Cmaj7] Water of [Bm] life, [Em] drink or [Am] float
The [Em7] current [Bm6] swift and [Am7] painless
We would [Cmaj7] swim for [Bm] shore but it’s [Em] gone for [Am6] good
Like the [F7] waking dream of the blameless
CHORUS 4
[Cmaj7] Water of [Bm] life, [Em] flame at [Am] death
[Em7] Health and [Bm6] beauty [Am7] passes
But the [Cmaj7] Virgin’s [Bm] real, as we [Em] like to [Am6] jest
On this [F7] common ground
Some mortal [F7] freedoms at our hunger’s end
Let [F7] all those statues dance and bleed and [G] sing
FADE
[G] [Cmaj7] [Bm] [G]