From kb013@stir.ac.uk Sat May 20 09:26:38 1995 Hi there its the mad transcriber from scotland again I'm sending you a transcription from a anti-CCM artist I hope that will be allright cos he's twenty times better than any CCM artist ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL (from the 'ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET' lp) Words and music by Larry Norman Intro:| G | G | G | Gsus4| (fade in and play a few times round) G I was born and raised an orphan C G In a land that once was free Bm Am Am/E Am In a land that poured it's love out on the moon G And i grew up in the shadows C G Of your silos filled with grain Bm Am But you never helped to fill my empty spoon G And when i was ten you murdered law C G With courtroom politics Bm Am Am/E Am And you learnt to make a lie sound just like truth G But i know you better now C G And i don't fall for all your tricks Bm G And you've lost the one advantage of my youth (rythm figure 1) G X You kill a black man at midnight C Just for talking to your daughter Bm Then you make his wife your mistress Am D And you leave her without water G And the sheet you wear upon your face C G Is the sheet your children sleep on Bm And every meal you say a prayer Am D (Dsus4) You don't believe but still you keep on (end rythm figure 1) (rythm fig. 2) C G Am G And your money says 'In God We Trust' C G Am G But it's against the law to pray in school C G Am C You say we beat the russians to the moon C G Am G And i say you starved your children to do it (end rythm fig. 2) (wih rythm fig. 1 for both verses) You are far across the ocean In a war that's not your own And whilst you're winning theirs You're gonna lose the one at home Do you really think the only way To bring about the peace Is to sacrifice your children And kill all your enemies The politicians all make speeches While the news men all take note And they exagerate the issues As they shove it down our throats Is it really up to them Whether this country sinks or floats And i wonder who would lead us If none of us would vote Interlude wih piano play | G | C | G | Bm | Am | D | D (sus4) | (with rythm fig. 1) Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped From whispering through the fence You know every move i make Or is that just coincidence Well you try to make my way of life A little less like jail If i promise to make tapes and slides And send them through the mail (with rythm fig. 2 twice round) And your money says 'In God We Trust ' But its against the law to pray in school You say we beat the russians to the moon And i say you starved your children to do it You say 'all men are equal all men are brothers Then why are the rich more equal than others Don't ask me for the answer i've only got one That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son (transcribed in may 1995 by Mark M Boydell) X:strum and mute at the same time Tricky Chords : Gsus4 : 320103 EADGBe TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE This is a really simple but powerful song I think that Larry used a nylon stringed acoustic guitar on this track (but I'm not sure at all) Sadly this track was released in 1972 ( or 1973 ) and its really hard to get the new CD re-releases in Europe so all I have is a lousy copy of a copy of a scratchy record but I still view at the greatest record ever recorded ( even better than 'sergeants pepper')