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Inflammatory Writ

Joanna Newsom
Versions2
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
Oh,  where is your inflammatory  writ
Your  text that would incite  a light,  "Be lit"
Our  music deserving devotion unswerving
 Cry "Do I deserve her?" with unflagging fervor
 Well, no you do not, if you cannot  get over it
But  what's it mean when suddenly we're spent,  tell me true
Ambition  came and reared its head, and went  far from you
Even  mollusks have weddings, though solemn and leaden
 But you dirge  for the dead, take no jam on your bread
 Just a supper  of salt and a waltz through  your empty bed
 And all  at once it came to  me
 And I wrote  and hunched 'till four-thirty
 But that vestal  light
 It burns  out with the night
 In spite  of all the time that we spent on  it
One  bedraggled ghost of a sonnet
 While outside,  the wild boars root
 Without bending  a bough underfoot
 Oh it breaks  my heart
 I don't know  how they do it
 So don't ask me
 And as for my inflammatory writ
 Well, I wrote it an I was not inflamed one bit
 Advice from the master derailed that disaster
 He said "Hand that pen over to me, poetaster!"
 While across the great plains, keening lovely and awful
 Ululate the last Great American Novels
 An unlawful lot, left to stutter and freeze, floodlit
But  at least they didn't  run, to their undying credit

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Readable chord sheet for Inflammatory Writ by Joanna Newsom

[D] [G] [D] [Gmaj7]

[D]Oh, where is your inf[G]lammatory[A7] writ     [D]
[D]Your text that would incite[G] a light,[A7] "Be lit"   [D]

[D]Our music deserving devotion unswerving

Cry "Do I deserve her?" with unflagging fervor
Well, no you do not, if you cann[G]ot get over it  [A7]      [D]

[Gmaj7]But what's it mean when suddenly we're s[Bm]pent, tell me true
[Gmaj7]Ambition came and reared its head, and w[Bm]ent far from you
[Gmaj7]Even mollusks have weddings, though solemn and leaden
But you [Bm]dirge for the dead, take no jam on your bread
Just a s[D]upper of salt and a waltz [G]through your empty bed [A7]      [D]

And [F]all at once it came [A7]to me
And I wr[Dm]ote and hunched 'till four-t[F]hirty
But that ve[Cm]stal ligh[Gm]t
It b[A7]urns out with the night[D]
In [G7]spite of all the time that we spent o[Dm]n it
[F]One bedraggled ghost of a sonnet
While ou[G]tside, the wild boars ro[D]ot
Without ben[Bm]ding a bough underfoo[A7]t
Oh it br[C]eaks my heart

I don't kn[G]ow how they do it
So don't ask me

And as for my inflammatory writ
Well, I wrote it an I was not inflamed one bit
Advice from the master derailed that disaster
He said "Hand that pen over to me, poetaster!"
While across the great plains, keening lovely and awful
Ululate the last Great American Novels
An unlawful lot, left to stutter and freeze, floodlit
[D]But at least they didn't[C] run, to their undying c[G]redit[A7]   [D]

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