A Louse Is Not a Home Peter Hammill
Sometimes it's ve[A#]ry s[F]cary [Gm]here; [D#]somet[D]imes it's ve[A#]ry s[F]ad;[Gm] [D#] [D]
s[D#]omet[Gm]imes [D#]I th[F]ink I'll disap[Gm]pear; b[D#]e_t[F]imes [Gm]I th[D#]ink I h[D]ave.
Th[D#]ere's a l[F]ine sn[Gm]aking d[D#]own my m[D]irror:
sp[D#]lintered gl[F]ass d[Gm]ist[D#]orts my f[D]ace,
[D#]and th[Gm]ough th[D#]e l[F]ight is strong and str[Gm]ange
[D#]it c[F]an't illuminate the m[Gm]usty c[D#]orners of this pl[D]ace.
Th[D#]ere is a l[F]ofty, lonely, Lohengrenic castle in th[Gm]e cl[D#]oud[D]s -
[yD#]es and ]I dr[F]aw m[Gm]y [D#]murky meanings th[D]ere,
b[D#]ut s[Gm]even years' d[D#]ark l[F]uck is just ar[Gm]ound the corner
[D#]and in the sh[F]adows lurks [Gm]the sp[D#]ectre of[D] Despair.
[Dm]A cracked mirror mid the drapes of the landing:
[C]split image, labored understanding -
[A#]I'm only trying to find a pl[A]ace to hide my h[Dm]ome...
[trumpet-like:] Dm C Dm Dm C Dm Dm C D
[Bass-Drums:] G Am C Am, G Am C D Am [twice, witb different timings] x 2
[G]I've l[Am]ived in h[C]ouses composed [Am]of glass
[G]where [Am]every m[C]ovement[D] is ch[Am]arted,
[G]but n[Am]ow the m[C]onitor screens [Am]are dark
[G]and [Am]I can't tell if s[C]ilent [D]eyes are th[Am]ere.
[G]My w[Am]ords are s[C]piders upon the p[Am]age,
[G]they s[Am]pin out fa[C]ith, ho[D]pe and re[Am]ason
[G]but a[Am]re they m[C]eet and just, or only d[D]ust gathe[C]ring ab[D]out my
chair?
[A#]Sometimes I get the f[A]eeling that there's
someone else th[Dm]ere :
[Dm]The faceless watcher [be] makes me uneasy,
[C]I can feel him through the floorboards, and His presence is creepy
[A#]He informs me that [A]I shall be exp[Dm]elled...
W[Dm]hat is that but out of and into :
[C]I] don't know the nature of the door that I'd go through,
[Am]I] don't know the nature of the nature that I am in[A#]side...
[G]I've l[Am]ived in h[C]ouses of brick [Am]and lead
[G]where [Am]all emoti[C]on is s[D]acred,[Am]
[G]and if[Am] you want[C] to devour the [Am]fruit
[G]you mu[Am]st first [C]sniff at[D] the fr[Am]agrance
(same tune and chords, with more intermediate notes played)
[G]and la[Am]y your bo[C]dy before the s[Am]hrine
[G]with p[Am]oems and [C]posies a[D]nd pape[Am]rs -
[G]or, if[Am] you catc[C]h the ruse, you[Am]'ll have to choose
[C]to stay, a mo[D]nk, or le[C]ave, a [D]vagrant.
W[A#]hat is this place y[A]ou call home?
[Dm]Is it a sermon or a confession?
[C]Is it the chalice that you use for protection?
[A#]Is it really only so[A]mewhere you can stay?
[Dm]Is it a rule-book or a lecture?
[C]Is it a beating at the hands of your Protector?
[A#]Does the idol have f[A]eet of clay?
[Dm]Home is what you make it, so my friends all say,
[C]but dont't you know I rarely see their h[Bm]omes in these dark days.
[Dm]Some of them are snails and carry houses on their backs;
[C]others live in monuments wh[Bm]ich, one day, will be racks -
[Dm]I keep my h[C]ome in place with sellotape and t[A#]in-tacks,[(G] [A] [A#)]
[A#]but I still feel there's[Am] some other Force h[Dm]ere:
F Em (4-0)
He who cracks the mirrors and moves the walls
[Dm]keeps staring through the eye-slits of the portraits in my hall;
F Em (4-0)
He ravages my library and taps the telephone -
[Dm]I've never actually seen Him,
but I know He's in my home
[D#]and if he g[F]oes away,
[Gm]I can't st[D#]ay here [D]either.
D# F Gm D# D D# ...
I believe - er - I think - well, I don't know...
[Bere, I only catcb notes, not tbe cbords]
I only live in one room at a time,
but all of the walls are ears, [and] all the windows, eyes :
Everything else is foreign,
'Home' is my wordless chant:
mmmmmaah!
Give it a chance!
[G]I am s[Am]urrounded[C] by flesh and b[Am]one,
[G]I am a[Am] temple[C] of li[D]ving,[Am]
[G]I am a[Am] hermit, [C]I am a dr[Am]one,
[G]and I [Am]am bonin[C]g out a p[D]lace to[Am] be.
[G]With s[Am]ecret gar[C]lands about my [Am]head
[G]uneart[Am]hly sil[C]ence i[D]s bro[Am]ken:
[G]the ro[Am]om is gro[C]wing dark, and [Am]in the stark light
[C]I can s[D]ee a f[C]ace I k[D]now -
[A#]could this be the g[A]uy who never sh[Dm]ows
[Dm]the cracked mirror what he's feeling,
[C]merely mumbles prayers to the ground where he's kneeling :
[A#]"Home is home is home is home is home is
[A]house is house is house is] home is [Dm]me!"
[Dm]All you people looking for your houses,
[C]don't throw your weight around, you might break your glasses
a[A#]nd if you do, you kn[A]ow you just can't [Dm]see
[Dm]and then how are you to find the dawning of the day?
[C]- Day is just a word I use[Bm] to keep the dark at bay,
[Dm]and people are imaginary, nothing else exists
[C]except the room I'm sitting in,
and, of c[Bm]ourse, the all-pervading mist -
[Dm]sometimes I w[C]onder if even that's[A#] real...[(Em] [C)] [Dm]
[D#]Mayb[F]e [Em]I sh[D#]ould de-l[D]ouse this place;
[D#]Mayb[F]e [Em]I sh[D#]ould de-place this lo[D]use;
[D#]Mayb[Gm]e [D#]I'll m[F]aybe my life aw[Gm]ay
[D#]in the c[F]onfines [Gm]of this s[D#]ilent h[D]ouse.
S[D#]omet[F]imes[Gm] [D#]it's very sc[D]ary here; s[D#]omet[F]imes[Gm] [D#]it's v[D]ery sad;
D# Gm D# F Gm D# F Gm D# ... D
sometimes I think I'll disappear; sometimes I think...
Important: The song above is NOT stored on the Chordie server. The original song is hosted at www.azchords.com. Chordie works as a search engine and provides on-the-fly formatting. Chordie does not index songs against artists'/composers' will. To remove this song please click here.
