Lori McKenna – The Balladeer (Guitar)

   G
The balladeer waits in the wings,

 Em
Tugging on her dress, tuning her strings.

        Am
All her whiskey faded cigarette blown dreams,

           G
She brings herself to her own knees,

     D
with every line so delicate.

    G
She sings every song that she knows.

    Em
The way that she hears 'em, sad and slow.

              Am
They're never gonna play her on the radio.

       G
So she hangs in the darkest bars

     D
with downtrodden bleeding hearts.

  G
A guitar man there who knew all the chords.

        Bm
Said he needed her to help him find the words.

         Am
The balladeer never loved anybody more.

       G
It was magic but she worried,

        D
what if she ran out of the pain...

    G
She carried round with her, so proud.

    Bm
She wore it like a queen wears a crown.

           Am
She didn't know who she'd be if she put it down.

      G
So he brought her to the river

      D
where she could wash the trouble...

         Dm
From her heart and let it shine like gold.

          Bb
Felt like angels pouring mercy on her soul.

        Am
And the weight of the world, she let it go.

        G
And she sang for the first time

         D
with her head held high and so much pride.

    G
It opened up new notes in her throat.

          Em
There was joy in every new song she wrote.

           Am
They got a bus and traveled coast to coast.

         G
Drinking with their friends and strangers

    D
and business people called to say.

     G
That she was finally headed for the stars,

      Em
Or at least the top of the charts.

     Am
They changed her clothes and bought fancy cars.

         G
Till the guitar man caught the eye

     D                                 G
of a pretty background singer with the bluuuuuuessss...

Em  Am  G     D   G   Em   Am   G   D
Oh, oh, oh...

    G
The guitar man cried 'cause he done her wrong.

    Em
The background singer took the next flight home.

           Am
And the balladeer wrote herself a song,

      G                              D
About brokenhearted dreamers who are searching

                            G
for something they'll never fiiiiiiinnnnd........

Am   G       D   G   Em   Am   G   D   G
mmm, mmm...