The Handsome Family – Teslas Hotel Room (Guitar)

        Am           Em           F            C
In the last days of wonder when spirits still flew,

          Am          Em       F             C
where we sat holding hands in half-darkened rooms,

 C      G            F         C
Nicola Tesla in the hotel New Yorker,

 Am           Em     F            C
nursing sick pigeons by the open window,

  C           G              F          C
dreamed of a death ray to disintegrate matter,

  Am            Em        F        C
detected Morse code from faraway planets

    F                           C
He couldn't stand the touch of hair or of skin

       Dm                        Am
but stroked feathers gently on trembling wings

          F                      C
and drew plans for a camera to photograph thoughts,

 Dm                 F             C C/B
Vacuum tube lights, wireless phones

        Am           Em           F            C
In the last days of wonder when spirits still flew,

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'round bubbling test tubes in half-darkened rooms,

 C          G            F         C
Edison and Westinghouse in silk brocade

     Am           Em            F         C
ate oysters Rockerfeller with French champagne.

 C              G           F      C
But Tesla grew thin eating only saltines,

       Am          Em      F        C
going days in his lab without any sleep

  F                   C
Dreaming of god as an X-ray beam,

       Dm                  Am
he was hit by a cab while crossing the street

 F                           C
Lying on his bedspread he struggled to breathe

     Dm                       F                    C C/B
the light bulbs exploded the air filled with wings

        Am           Em           F            C
In the last days of wonder when spirits still flew,

 Am     Em         F             C
Tesla vacated his half-darkened room