Key: B minor
Verse 1
Bm
I don't know how far I'm going to have to
go to see my own self
or hear my own voice.
I tuned in on the radio
for hours
and never heard it. Then I went to the
movie picture show
and I never heard it there.
A
Bm
G
I put handfuls of coins in the
Bm
machines
G
Bm
but the voice there was
no voice of mine.
D
Bm
G
I mean, it was not my voice,
Em
Bm
when I walk along and look at faces.
Em
Bm
Em
Bm
F#m
Bm
D
Bm
and I order a hot pastrami
A
D
and I hear the lady ask me,
Em
Bm
Em
Bm
would you like to have a portion
Em
Bm
G
of coleslaw on the side?
Em
G
Bm
that she has my voice.
And I tell her I would like my coleslaw on a side dish,
please.
D
Bm
And I'd like to have a glass of tea with lemon,
please.
And she knows that
I'm speaking her
And a fellow sat across the table
near my wall.
Em
Bm
and drank his beer.
And somehow I had the feeling
as I heard him speak.
And he spoke a long time.
Em
Bm
not one word was my personal language.
D
Em
A
Bm
But I could tell by the deep sound,
G
Bm
the full tone of his voice,
D
A
F#m
that he spoke my language.
D
Bm
And I suppose you may wonder
D
Bm
just how he could speak in a dialect
Em
D
Bm
that I could not savvy or understand,
Bm
D
A
D
sound that he made.
G
Bm
D
G
long time ago,
Bm
D
G
walking up and down the side roads
Bm
G
Bm
A
G
and the main stems of this land here.
Bm
D
I learned to listen this way
G
Bm
when I washed dishes on ships,
G
Bm
G
Bm
Em
Bm
G
and I had to learn how to I knew it when I walked ashore in Africa, an d in Scotland, and Ireland, Britain,
Bm
Em
Bm
Em
A
D
and London, and Britain, an d London, Glasgow, and Liverpool, and Glasgow, and Scots, an d Scotstown,
F#m
A
G
D
and Irish canals, and railroad bridges,
G
Bm
D
and Highlanders' cows, and horses.
G
Bm
here, I knew the speech was
D
G
the same as mine,
Bm
D
Bm
But it was the dialect again.
D
G
Bm
Nasal, nasal, throaty, and deep, and and chesty,
chesty from the stomach, from the lungs,
D
G
Bm
from high, up in the head,
Em
D
Bm
from pitch up, pitch up and down.
G
Bm
G
Bm
D
again to say,
A
Bm
D
G
Bm
this is my language.
D
Em
This is part of my voice
Bm
D
Em
D
Bm
D
Bm
Oh,
D
Bm
Em
C
Bm
A
D
G
G
Bm
These voices on the stages
and screens
Bm
Em
Bm
and jukeboxes and magazines,
or in newspapers,
D
Bm
D
seldom in courtrooms,
Bm
F#m
G
and more seldom when students and policemen are study
Bm
F#m
G
Bm
Em
F#m
G
ing the faces behind the voices.
F#m
G
en street -walking man
Bm
D
G
mutter and spit and curse into the wind
Bm
G
outside of the cafe's plate glass
Bm
G
D
Bm
that maybe if I look closer
G
Bm
I might hear some more
D
Bm
G
of my voice
G
Bm
so as to keep my eyes and my ears
G
D
G
Bm
F#m
D
G
and my feelings wide open
Bm
Em
Bm
And I did hear, I heard all that I came
D
Bm
to hear here in Coney Island's Jewish air.
A
Bm
I heard reflections, recollections,
D
Bm
seen faces in memory.
I heard voices untangle
their words before me.
And I knew by the feeling that I felt
Em
Em
Bm
F#m
D
G
Bm
that here was my voice.
Bm
Em
Bm
G
Bm
G
A
Bm
Bm
Bm
Bm
C
C
Bm
You
How did you like the song?
TunerE A D G B E
ChordsBm A G F#m D...
More songs by Ani DiFranco
Discover chords for more songs to play
Popular chords globally
Most played chords & tabs across all users