No Provenance
Joanna NewsomVersion1
90
Chords in this song
Strum
D-DU-UDU
Allelu, allelu:
I have died happy,
and lived to tell the tale to you.
I have slept for forty years,
and woke to find me gone.
I woke safe and warm in your arms.
In your arms
Your arms
In your arms
Not informed of the natural law,
squatting, lordly, on a stool, in a stall,
we spun gold clear out of straw.
And, when our bales of bullion
were stored,
you burned me like a barn.
I burned safe and warm in your arms.
In your arms
Your arms
I'm afraid of the Big Return.
There's a certain conversation lost,
and that loss incurred
with nobody remaining,
to register who had passed this way,
in the night,
in the middle of the night
(negating their grace and their sight),
till only I remember, or mark,
how we had our talk:
We took our ride,
so that there was no-one home,
and the lights of Rome
flickered and died.
And, what's more,
I believe that you knew it, too;
I think you saw their flares,
and kept me safely unawares,
in your arms.
In your arms
In your arms.
The grass was tall, and strung with burrs,
I essayed that high sashay which,
in my mind, was my way;
you hung behind, in yours.
Anyhow, she did not neigh.
I do not know
what drew our eyes to hers;
that little black mare did not stir,
till I lay down in your arms.
Poor old dirty little dog-size horse!
swaying and wheezing,
as a matter of course;
swaying and wheezing,
as a matter of pride.
That poor old nag, not four palms wide,
had waited a long time,
coated in salt,
buckled like a ship run foul of the fence.
In the middle of the night,
she'd sprung up,
no provenance,
bearing the whites of her eyes.
And you, with your
'arrangement' with Fate,
nodded sadly at her lame assault
on that steady old gate,
her faultlessly etiolated fishbelly-face;
the muzzle of a ghost.
And, pretty Johnny Appleseed,
via satellite feed,
tell us, who was it
that you then loved the most?
Pretty Johnny Appleseed,
leave a trail that leads
straight back down to the farm.
Lay me down
safe and warm in your arms.
In your arms.
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Readable chord sheet for No Provenance by Joanna Newsom
[Am]Allel[E]u, [G]all[F]elu: I have died [Am]happy, [E]and li[G]ved to [F]tell the tale to you. I have slept for [Am]forty years, [E]and wo[G]ke to find me [F]gone. I woke s[Am]afe and w[G]arm in your[F] arms. In your [C]arms [C7] [F]Your ar[Dm]ms In y[G]our a[C]rms [B/C] [Am]Not in[E]formed o[G]f the [F]natural law, squatting, lordly, [Am]on a stool, i[E]n a stall, [G]we spun gold[F] clear out of straw. And, when our b[Am]ales of bul[E]lion were [G]stored, you[F] burned me like a barn. I burned s[Am]afe and w[G]arm in y[F]our arms. In your a[C]rms [C7] [F]Your arms [Dm]I'm afraid of the Big Retur[A]n. [D]There's a[C#] ce[D]rtain conve[Bm]rsation l[G]ost, and that [F#]loss incurr[B]ed with [D]nobody remaining, to r[E]egister [Am]who had [Bb]passed this [A]way, in the [D]night, [D]in the [C#]mid[D]dle of the [Bm]night (ne[G]gating their [F#]grace and their s[B7]ight), till [D]only I remember, or [E]mark, how we [Am]had our [E]talk: We [G]took[F] our ride, so that there was [Am]no-one home, [E]and the lights of[G] Rome [F]flickered and died. And, what's more, I b[Am]elieve that you kn[E]ew it, too; [G]I think you[F] saw their flares, and kept me [Am]safel[G]y una[F]wares, in [C]your a[C7]rms. In [F]your a[Dm]rms In [G]your [C]arms[B/C]. The[Am] grass wa[E]s tall, a[G]nd strung with[F] burrs, I essayed that high s[Am]ashay which, [E]in my mind, was my [G]way; [F]you hung behind, in yours. Anyhow, she did not[Am] neigh. [E] I do not know [G]what drew our[F] eyes to hers; that l[Am]ittle black [G]mare did [F]not stir, till [C]I lay down in[F] your arms. [Dm]Poor old dirty little d[A]og-size [D]horse! [C#]swa[D]ying [Bm]and w[G]heezing, as a[F#] matter of [B]course; [D]swaying and w[E]heezing, as a [Am]matter of [Bb]pride. That[A] poor old[D] nag, not[C#] fo[D]ur palms [Bm]wide, had[G] waited a[F#] long t[B7]ime, [D]coated in [E]salt, buckled l[Am]ike a sh[Bb]ip run f[A]oul of the fence[D]. [D]In the[C#] mi[D]ddle of the [Bm]night, she'd sprung u[G]p, no [F#]provenance[B], [D]bearing the [E]whites of her [Am]eyes. And [Bb]you, with your 'ar[A]rangement' with Fa[D]te, nodded [C#]sad[D]ly at her la[Bm]me assault o[G]n th[F#]at steady old [B]gate, [D]her faultlessly e[E]tiolated fish[Am]belly-[E]face; [G]the muzz[F]le of a ghost. And, pretty Johnny A[Am]ppleseed, [E]via satellite feed, [G]tell us, who was it that [F]you then loved the most? Pretty Johnny [Am]Appleseed, [E]leave a trail that l[G]eads [F]straight back down to the farm. Lay me down [Am]safe and[G] warm in your [F]arms. In you[Am]r arms.[G] [A]