Amanda Palmer – The Thing About Things (Ukulele)

G
I’ve loaned a lot of things to a lot of friends,

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like dresses and records and books

      G
And a lot of the time I never see them again

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And in a weird way I think that that works

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Because the thing about things is they start to turn evil

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When you start to forget what they’re for

       C
And so if you’re not sure what you did with my sweater

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I’ll just have to love you a little bit more

G
I had a ring, it belonged to my grandfather

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He was a mason and gay

       G
And he was distant and bitter for all of my childhood

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We never had much to say

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He wasn’t the type to give tokens of affection

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So I stole the ring when he died

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And then twenty years on when I lost it at a bar

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I thought that’s fine, I don't want him in my life

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Because the thing about things is that they can start meaning things

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Nobody actually said

       C
And if he couldn’t make something mean something for me

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I had to make up what it meant

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I can carry everything I need in one collapsing suitcase

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I can carry everyone I love in one phone application

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Built to maximize the facetime of the friends I’m bent on making

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Actually I want to be alone

             C
To mourn the loss

          A
Of what it cost

  G
I think it’s a poem, and I think it keeps going

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And I’ve borrowed and loaned lots of things

    G
And 3 nights ago in the bar where I lost it

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The bartender gave me the ring

G
I lie in bed, with my phone in my hand

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Thinking what can I fix with which app

G
I call my grandfather, and he doesn’t answer

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And I have to make peace with that fact

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Because the thing about things is that they can start meaning things

G              C
nobody actually said

       C
And if you’re not allowed to love people alive

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then you learn how to love people dead

    C                          D
The thing about things is that they can start meaning things

G              C
nobody actually said

       C
And if you’re not allowed to love people alive

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then you learn how to love people dead