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I Wanna Learn A Love Song

Harry Chapin
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
 I come fresh  from the street,
fast  on my feet, kinda lean  and lazy;
 not much meat  on my bones, and a whole  lot alone,
 and more  than a little  bit crazy.
 The old  six string was all  I had
 to keep  my belly still,
 and for each  full hour lesson  I gave
 I got a crisp  ten dollar  bill.
She  was married for seven  years
 to a concrete castle king.
 She said she wanted  to learn to play  the guitar
 and to hear  her children sing.
 So I'd  show up about once  a week
 in my faded  tight-legged jeans
 with a backlog  full of hobo  stories
 and dilapidated  dreams.
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song  full of happy things."
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let  me hear you sing?"
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song,  I wanna hear you play."
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song before  you  go away."
 (The rest of the song is played in the same pattern. VERSE 3 has the same chords as
 1, VERSE 4 and VERSE 5 have the same chords as VERSE 2, and the CHORUS chords are all the same.)
 So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
 and an easy melody;
 but it always turned out she'd rather listen
 to my guitar and me.
 I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
 playing stud poker with the boys
 while I sang so soft in the living room,
 to scared to make much noise.
 I came one week and the den was dark
 and she met me at the door.
 And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
 till I could not sing no more.
 The silence kept on building,
 her eyes grew much too wide;
 and I could her both of our heartbeats,
 but there was no place to hide.
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song  full of happy things."
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let  me hear you sing?"
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song,  I wanna hear you play."
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song before  you  go away."
 Well, I guess you know what happened,
 God, I never been so clean.
 Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
 or living out a good bad dream.
 And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
 never touched me like she can;
 it took another man's wife in the real world life
 to make this boy a man.
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song  full of happy things."
 She said,  "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let  me hear you sing?"
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song,  I wanna hear you play."
 She said, "I  wanna learn a love song before  you  go away."
 (let  ring out)
 I guess you know I stayed.

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Readable chord sheet for I Wanna Learn A Love Song by Harry Chapin

I come [Am7]fresh from the street,
[D7]fast on my feet, [C]kinda [Am7]lean and [G]lazy;
not much [Am7]meat on my bones, and a [D7]whole lot alone,
and [C]more than a [Am7]little bit [G]crazy.
The [Dm7/G]old six string was [C]all I had
to [Am7]keep my belly still[Em],
and for [Am7]each full hour [D7]lesson I gave
I got a [C]crisp ten [Am7]dollar bill[G].

[Am7]She was married for [D7]seven years
to a [C]concrete [Am7]castle [G]king.
She said she [Am7]wanted to learn to [D7]play the guitar
and to [C]hear her [Am7]children [G]sing.
So [Dm7/G]I'd show up about [C]once a week
in my [Am7]faded tight-legged [Em]jeans
with a [Am7]backlog full of [D7]hobo stories
and di[C]lapidated dreams.

She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."

(The rest of the song is played in the same pattern. VERSE 3 has the same chords as
1, VERSE 4 and VERSE 5 have the same chords as VERSE 2, and the CHORUS chords are all the same.)

So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody;
but it always turned out she'd rather listen
to my guitar and me.
I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room,
to scared to make much noise.

I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door.
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more.
The silence kept on building,
her eyes grew much too wide;
and I could her both of our heartbeats,
but there was no place to hide.

She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."

Well, I guess you know what happened,
God, I never been so clean.
Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
or living out a good bad dream.
And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
never touched me like she can;
it took another man's wife in the real world life
to make this boy a man.

She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
(l[C]et ring ou[Am7]t)      [G]               [C]                   [Am7]
I guess you know I stayed.

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