Paul Simon – Wartime Prayers (Guitar)

Bm                                    C      Bm
Prayers offered in times of peace are silent conversations,

A                G                  C
Appeals for love or love's release

G              D       Gb
In private invocations

Abm             Gbm     Bm       E
But all that is changed now,

C                           Gb  Bm
Gone like a memory from the day before the fires.

Bm                                  Em
People hungry for the voice of God

C                  D      Bm G
Hear lunatics and liars

A                G
Wartime prayers, wartime prayers

C        G            D   D7
In every language spoken,

D7        C      Em            D
For every family scattered and broken.

E       B
Because you cannot walk with the holy,

E
If you're just a halfway decent man.

B
I don't pretend that I'm a mastermind

E
With a genius marketing plan.

B
I'm trying to tap into some wisdom,

Gb7  E
Even a little drop will do.

E      Abm
I want to rid my heart of envy

Dbm
And cleanse my soul of rage

Dbm                        Cmaj7
Before I'm through.

Bm7
Times are hard, it's a hard time

Bm                  Am                    D7
But everybody knows all about hard times.

Gb7      Bm
The thing is, what are you gonna do?

Bm                       C
Well, you cry and try to muscle through

C      Bm
Try to rearrange your stuff

Bm7          A7
But when the wounds are deep enough,

A    G
It's all that we can bear,

C           Em        D         Gb7  B
We wrap ourselves in prayer.

E           B
Because you cannot walk with the holy,

E
If you're just a halfway decent man.

B
I don't pretend that I'm a mastermind

E
With a genius marketing plan.

B
I'm trying to tap into some wisdom,

E
Even a little drop will do.

E      Abm
I want to rid my heart of envy

Dbm
And cleanse my soul of rage

Dbm        Cmaj7      Em
Before I'm through.

Bm7                  Gbm
A mother murmurs in twilight sleep

C                     Bm
And draws her babies closer.

A                    G
With hush-a-byes for sleepy eyes,

C   G              D
And kisses on the shoulder.

C         G      D
To drive away despair

C          G       D
She says a wartime prayer