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The War Criminal Rises And Speaks

Okkervil River
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
 The last two chords don't hold out for the full four-count. There
 are two instances where this progression gets cut in half. The first
 is when the song starts to climax and the last is at the end. When
 this happens, play:
 The heart wants to feel.
 The heart wants to hold.
 The heart takes past Subway,
 past Stop and Shop,past Beal's,
 and calls it "coming home."
 The heart wants a trail
 away from "alone,"
 so the heart turns a sale
 into a well-worn  milestone
 towards hard-won soft furniture,
 fought-for fast food,
 defended end table that
 holds paperbacks and back U.S. News.
 The mind turns an itch
 into a bruise,
 and the hands start to twitch
 when they're feeling ill-used.
 And you're almost back now,
 you can see by the signs;
 from the bank you tell the temperature
 and then the time,
 and the billboard reads some headlines.
 The head wants to turn,
 to avert both its eyes,
 but the mind wants to learn
 of some truth that might be
 inside reported crimes.
 So they found a lieutenant
 who killed a village of kids.
 After finishing off the wives,
 he wiped off his knife
 and that's what he did.
 And they're not claiming that
 there's any excusing it;
 that was thirty years back,
 and they just get paid for the facts
 the way they got them in.
 Now he's rising and not  denying.
 His hands are shaking, but he's  not crying.
 And he's saying 'How did  I climb
 out of a life so boring into  that moment?
 Please stop  ignoring the heart  inside,
 oh you readers at home!
 While you gasp at my bloody  crimes,
 please take the time
 to make your heart my home:
 where I'm forgiven  by time,
 where I'm cushioned by hope,
 where I'm numbed by long  drives,
 where I'm talked off or doped.
 Does the heart wants to atone?
 Oh, I believe that it's so,
 because if I could climb back through time,
 I'd restore their lives and then give back my own:
 tens of times now its size
 on a far distant road
 in a far distant time
 where every night I'm still crying,
 entirely alone.'
But  the news today always  fades away as you drive  by,
 until at dinnertime  when you look  into her eyes,
 lit by evening  sun - that, as usual,  comes
 from above  that straight, unbroken  line,
 the horizon
 - its rising
 is a given,
 just like your living.
 Your heart's warm and kind.
 Your mind is your own.
 Our blood-spattered criminal
 is inscrutable;
 don't worry, he won't
 rise up behind your eyes
 and take wild control.
 He's not of this time,
 he fell out of a hole.

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Readable chord sheet for The War Criminal Rises And Speaks by Okkervil River

[C]  [G]       [Am]  [F]  [Dm]  [G]  [Dm]  [F]  [G]

The last two chords don't hold out for the full four-count. There
are two instances where this progression gets cut in half. The first
is when the song starts to climax and the last is at the end. When
this happens, play:
[C]  [G]  [Am]  [F]  [G]

The heart wants to [C]feel.
The heart wants to [G]hold.
The heart takes past [Am]Subway,
past Stop and Shop,past Beal's,
and calls it "coming ho[F]me."
The heart wants a tra[Dm]il
away from "alon[G]e,"
so the heart turns a s[Dm]ale
into a we[F]ll-worn mil[G]estone
towards hard-won soft furniture,
fought-for fast food,
defended end table that
holds paperbacks and back U.S. News.
The mind turns an itch
into a bruise,
and the hands start to twitch
when they're feeling ill-used.

And you're almost back now,
you can see by the signs;
from the bank you tell the temperature
and then the time,
and the billboard reads some headlines.
The head wants to turn,
to avert both its eyes,
but the mind wants to learn
of some truth that might be
inside reported crimes.

So they found a lieutenant
who killed a village of kids.
After finishing off the wives,
he wiped off his knife
and that's what he did.
And they're not claiming that
there's any excusing it;
that was thirty years back,
and they just get paid for the facts
the way they got them in.

Now he's rising and [C]not denying.
His hands are shaking, but [G]he's not crying.
And he's saying 'How [Am]did I climb
out of a life so boring i[F]nto that moment?
Please s[G]top ignoring the h[C]eart inside,
oh you readers at [G]home!
While you gasp at my [Am]bloody crimes,

please take the time
to make your heart my [F]home:
where I'm forg[Dm]iven by time,
where I'm cushioned by [G]hope,
where I'm numbed by [Dm]long drives,
where I'm talked off or [F]doped.[G]
Does the heart wants to [C]atone?
Oh, I believe that it's so,
because if I could climb back through time,
I'd restore their lives and then give back my own:
tens of times now its size
on a far distant road
in a far distant time
where every night I'm still crying,
entirely alone.'
[Am]But the news today always[G] fades away as you dri[Am]ve by,
until at d[F]innertime when you l[C]ook into her e[G]yes,
lit by e[F]vening sun - that, as u[G]sual, comes
from a[C]bove that straight, unb[C]ro[B]ken lin[Am]e,
the horiz[G]on
- its ri[Am]sing [G]
is a g[C]ive[C]n,[B]   [Am]
just like your living[G].

Your heart's warm and kind.
Your mind is your own.
Our blood-spattered criminal
is inscrutable;
don't worry, he won't
rise up behind your eyes
and take wild control.
He's not of this time,
he fell out of a hole.

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