Harry Chapin – I Wanna Learn A Love Song (Ukulele)

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Versions (3)

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Chords

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

       Am7
I come fresh from the street,

D7               C     Am7      G
fast on my feet, kinda lean and lazy;

         Am7                     D7
not much meat on my bones, and a whole lot alone,

    C           Am7        G
and more than a little bit crazy.

    Dm7/G              C
The old six string was all I had

   Am7                Em
to keep my belly still,

        Am7            D7
and for each full hour lesson I gave

        C         Am7        G
I got a crisp ten dollar bill.

VERSE 2

Am7                 D7
She was married for seven years

     C        Am7    G
to a concrete castle king.

             Am7                D7
She said she wanted to learn to play the guitar

       C        Am7      G
and to hear her children sing.

   Dm7/G             C
So I'd show up about once a week

      Am7                Em
in my faded tight-legged jeans

       Am7             D7
with a backlog full of hobo stories

      C
and dilapidated dreams.

CHORUS

         G                          Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things."

         D                                      C
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"

            G                       Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play."

            D                          C       Am7  G
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

(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

         G                          Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things."

         D                                      C
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"

            G                       Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play."

            D                          C       Am7  G
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

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

         G                          Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things."

         D                                      C
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"

            G                       Am7
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play."

            D                          C       Am7  G
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

  C         Am7     G        C   Am7   
(let ring out)

I guess you know I stayed.