Scissors, Paper, and Stone chords by Geoff Oelsner
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Verse 1
Kansas (G major) City, the fifties,
my (C major) parents would (G major) take us
to a lake in the (E minor) country. (A minor)
My brother and (D major) me, as daddy drove (G major) on.
(C major) We kids would get restless,
(G major) we had time (C major) on our hand (G major) s,
and we'd (A minor) get a game going.
(C major) Scissor (D major) s, paper, an (G major) d stone. (C major) (G major)
Scissors cut paper.
(C major) Stone pounds them apart, (G major)
but slapped under (D major) paper (E minor) .
(C major) That old stone (A minor) 's in the dark. (D major)
We play on to (G major) gether.
(C major) Count to three, show (G major) your hand,
my kid (C major) brother an (Csus2) (G major) d me
We (A major) kept that game (A minor) going, (C major)
scissors, (D major) paper, and (G major) stone (D major) (E minor) (G major)
(F major) I bet you played that game too,
it (C major) all depends on whether
you can guess what to do
(G major) By intuition, precognition,
or sheer dumb luck
To (F major) crush or cut or cover
the other player's move,
(C major) or else how fast you can react
to what your own op (G major) ponent does.
You begin with clenched (F major) fists
and start to count, one, (C major)
I'm sittin' (G major) pulled upright
right off the bat
in the backseat of daddy's 57 Chevy sedan watchin' (F major) Eric like a hawk,
(C major) gotta I gotta, gotta second -guess him. (G major)
Two, we're definitely
pumping some adrenaline,
the (F major) two of us, totally focused (C major) on this.
(G major) Oblivious to Pat, Broon, Kroon,
and Tammy's in love on the radio.
Don't (F major) smell those strong,
unfiltered palmels.
My (C major) folks are both smoking
in the front seat at all anymore. (G major)
We don't even see the long,
low Raytown lanes building
(F major) with its big flashing sign
with the bowling pins (C major) going down
and up and down and up again
(G major) in an endless life cycle
of strikes and neon resurrection (F major) s,
hmm, two and a (C major) half,
all tensed up on the edge
of (G major) the spring -coiled seat cushion,
hmm, three.
Ha! Gotcha!
Stone breaks scissors
(D major) And scissors cut (G major) paper
(C major) Stone breaks them apart
(G major) Ah, but under that (E minor) pa per
(A minor) That old stone's in the dark
(D major) We'd play on togeth (G major) er
(C major) One, two, three, show your (G major) hand
And my kid (C major) brother and (G major) me,
we'd (A minor) keep that game go (C major) ing
The scissors, (D major) paper, and (G major) stone
Be in (D major) love (G major) for the first time
(C major) Naive and afraid, (G major)
my heart fluttered like (E minor) pa per
(C major) Beneath (A minor) her keen (D major) gaze,
then she tore it in two
(G major) Her (C major) own heart turned (G major) to stone,
I felt (C major) scattered and (G major) tattered
Tossed (A minor) off and alone, (C major)
destin (D major) ation unknown (G major)
(F major) Maybe you've played that game too
It's (C major) one nobody really wins in though
And the stakes (G major) are way, way higher
And the longer the tension builds up
Between the two players,
(F major) the greater's the pain
If you happen (C major) to lose, like I did
(G major) In the late 1960s
Oh, in the (F major) backseat of my daddy's cherry red Thunder (C major) bird with Eileen, (G major)
she was a raving Irish Cath (F major) olic beauty,
actually the bolder sister
of (C major) a pair of devastating long
-haired identical (G major) red -headed twins,
both of whom I pursued like
two rare (F major) elusive butterflies
I had to ad (C major) d to my growing collec (G major) tion,
but sometime toward the
(F major) end of my junior year,
I got (C major) caught, and I fell for her (G major) hard.
Yeah, Eileen (F major) really turned me on.
(C major) I'm breathing hard there
in that Thun (G major) derbird.
Fridge kissing with her,
until it seems like
something's (F major) gotta give.
Her (C major) , hope. or maybe what (G major) it is
that's straining at the inseam
of my bell -bottom (F major) jeans
as we writhe around on the narrow
(C major) vinyl of the back seat
whoa (G major) she suddenly sits straight up
pushes me off and trans (F major) fixes me with those two
sharp (C major) steely blue Irish Eisenbergs
which (G major) aren't smiling at all
and she balls up her fists
I can (F major) I tell she's determined
to say something big.
(C major) Tension's getting so tangible (G major) in the car,
you could cut it with a
pair of scissors.
And I brace (F major) myself,
and then all (C major) in a rush, she blurts it out. (G major)
She doesn't want to see me anymore.
It's not what (F major) she needs
for herself right now.
(C major) It's gotten too intense, so it's (G major) over.
Don't bother to call.
Scissors cut pa (G major) per,
the (C major) stone breaks them apart. (G major)
But under that paper (E minor) ,
that (C major) old stone (A minor) 's in the (D major) dark.
We get back in the (G major) front seat
(C major) And I drive (G major) her home
and roll (C major) off down (G major) the road
To the (A minor) loneliness zone
(C major) And go (D major) home and (G major) get stoned
Scissors cut paper you
Scissors, Paper, and Stone
Geoff Oelsner
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