Radical Face – Family Portrait (Guitar)

D
So we start with my father as a boy barely spoke a word of English

A                             E
Fell in love from a distance, he watched her working from the back fence

D                                                                               A
He learned some words and some clever turns of phrase from his father's book of poets

             A                                 E
She wasn't taken in that instant, but grew impressed with his persistence

D                                   E                         A
They met each other out by moonlight, made love in the nearby woods

                            C#m
Then her folks became suspicious, when her cycle broke that settled it

D                                        E                         A
They stole away without their goodbyes, got married in a foreign town

                                       C#m                     D
Made their way as best as they could. Found jobs and settled down

                    E
And then time moved on

D
I was born in a river of blood on sheets from the wedding day

A                                               E
The room was dark and the stench was thick, my father couldn't stand the smell of it

D
Mama died in the night cause the nearest doctor couldn't stem the blood loss

A                                   E
Father cried out on the back porch. My sister held me at the neighbor's house

D                           E                                  A
Oh my there was a storm then, there was a flood of a different kind

                                                C#m        D
Father's eyes were often vacant, but his hands were rarely quiet

                                      E                               A
Sister learned to take her hits well, both from life and the physical kind

                                   C#m                  D
But I was never one to lie down, despite who picked the fight

                         E
So we designed our hells

D                            E                             A
Father turned into a drinker, a dark bastard with a wooden heart

                        C#m                                    D
Sister learned to be a mother, before she ever played another part

                      E                                  A
And I became a little terror, I lashed out at whatever's around

                       C#m                                        D
Took some time before I settled, to find a mind that was somewhat sound

                    E                 A            D       E
And like it always does, time rushed on

A
Six years later father died in the very same bedroom

D                                       E
Many said it was the grief that did it

                                   A
I have to say it's cause he hung himself

                                                                   D
To be honest, neither sister nor myself ever much regret his passing

                          E                                             A
But I admit it was a nice thing, to always know that we could feed ourselves