This tab is 100% correct. I pulled it from the original songbook of "Verities &
published in 1974. It tooks me two years to find this book, and I bought it just for this song.
luck!
CHORDS USED
Am7 x02010
D7 xx0212
C x32010
G 3x0003 (or just regular G 320033)
Dm7/G 3x0211
Em 022000
"I WANNA LEARN A LOVE SONG" - Verities & Balderdash
Words and Music by HARRY CHAPIN
VERSE 1
I come [Am7]fresh from the street,
[D7]fast on my feet, [C]kinda [Am7]lean and [G]lazy;
not much [Am7]meat on my bones, and a [D7]whole lot alone,
and [C]more than a [Am7]little bit [G]crazy.
The [Dm7/G]old six string was [C]all I had
to [Am7]keep my belly still[Em],
and for [Am7]each full hour [D7]lesson I gave
I got a [C]crisp ten [Am7]dollar bill[G].
VERSE 2
[Am7]She was married for [D7]seven years
to a [C]concrete [Am7]castle [G]king.
She said she [Am7]wanted to learn to [D7]play the guitar
and to [C]hear her [Am7]children [G]sing.
So [Dm7/G]I'd show up about [C]once a week
in my [Am7]faded tight-legged [Em]jeans
with a [Am7]backlog full of [D7]hobo stories
and di[C]lapidated dreams.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
(The rest of the song is played in the same pattern. VERSE 3 has the same chords as
1, VERSE 4 and VERSE 5 have the same chords as VERSE 2, and the CHORUS chords are all the same.)
VERSE 3
So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody;
but it always turned out she'd rather listen
to my guitar and me.
I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room,
to scared to make much noise.
VERSE 4
I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door.
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more.
The silence kept on building,
her eyes grew much too wide;
and I could her both of our heartbeats,
but there was no place to hide.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
VERSE 5
Well, I guess you know what happened,
God, I never been so clean.
Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
or living out a good bad dream.
And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
never touched me like she can;
it took another man's wife in the real world life
to make this boy a man.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
(l[C]et ring ou[Am7]t)[G][C][Am7]
I guess you know I stayed.
published in 1974. It tooks me two years to find this book, and I bought it just for this song.
luck!
CHORDS USED
Am7 x02010
D7 xx0212
C x32010
G 3x0003 (or just regular G 320033)
Dm7/G 3x0211
Em 022000
"I WANNA LEARN A LOVE SONG" - Verities & Balderdash
Words and Music by HARRY CHAPIN
VERSE 1
I come [Am7]fresh from the street,
[D7]fast on my feet, [C]kinda [Am7]lean and [G]lazy;
not much [Am7]meat on my bones, and a [D7]whole lot alone,
and [C]more than a [Am7]little bit [G]crazy.
The [Dm7/G]old six string was [C]all I had
to [Am7]keep my belly still[Em],
and for [Am7]each full hour [D7]lesson I gave
I got a [C]crisp ten [Am7]dollar bill[G].
VERSE 2
[Am7]She was married for [D7]seven years
to a [C]concrete [Am7]castle [G]king.
She said she [Am7]wanted to learn to [D7]play the guitar
and to [C]hear her [Am7]children [G]sing.
So [Dm7/G]I'd show up about [C]once a week
in my [Am7]faded tight-legged [Em]jeans
with a [Am7]backlog full of [D7]hobo stories
and di[C]lapidated dreams.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
(The rest of the song is played in the same pattern. VERSE 3 has the same chords as
1, VERSE 4 and VERSE 5 have the same chords as VERSE 2, and the CHORUS chords are all the same.)
VERSE 3
So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody;
but it always turned out she'd rather listen
to my guitar and me.
I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room,
to scared to make much noise.
VERSE 4
I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door.
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more.
The silence kept on building,
her eyes grew much too wide;
and I could her both of our heartbeats,
but there was no place to hide.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
VERSE 5
Well, I guess you know what happened,
God, I never been so clean.
Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
or living out a good bad dream.
And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
never touched me like she can;
it took another man's wife in the real world life
to make this boy a man.
CHORUS
She said,[G] "I wanna learn a love song[Am7] full of happy things."
She said,[D] "I wanna learn a love song; won't you [C]let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I[G] wanna learn a love song[Am7], I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I[D] wanna learn a love song be[C]fore you[Am7] go a[G]way."
(l[C]et ring ou[Am7]t)[G][C][Am7]
I guess you know I stayed.
