Ghosts (hidden track located at 2:50 of track 12)
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul
Carnival of Voices
1996
When I saw Ellis in October '98 at the Night Eagle Cafe in Oxford, NY,
I asked him to play this. He said that he didn't remmeber how it went
so he couldn't play it during the show, but if I hung around afterwards
he's do it. So obviously I hung around. And he played it. For me and
about 3 other people. We had to get him started with the lyrics (e.g.
he thought the first line was "I see ghosts all around me" which wouldn't
have helped the rhyming later) but once we did that he was fantastic.
For some reason I really really like this song, perhaps because it shows
off his incredible wit and clarity of vision as a songwriter.
PS Ellis is in standard tuning!
Lyrics
Chords
Capo 5th
INTRO:
Am D/F# G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----0-----------|-----2-----------|-----3-----------|---------------------|
B:-----1-----0---3-|-----3-----1-0---|-----0---------0-|---------------------|
G:-2---2-------2---|-----2---------0-|-----0---------0-|---------------------|
D:-2---------------|-----0-----------|-----0---------0-|---------------------|
A:-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-2h3---------2h3p2p0-|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-3---------------|-----x---x-----------|
Am D/F# D7 G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|----^2-----2-----|-----3-----------|---------------------|
B:-0h1---1-1p0-1-3-|----^3-----1-----|-----0-----------|---------------------|
G:-0h2-x-2-2---2-2-|----^2-----2-2-2-|-----0-----------|---------------------|
D:-0h2-x-2-2---2---|----^0-----0-0-0-|-----0-----------|---------------------|
A:-0-------0---0---|-----------------|-------------2h3-|-2-----------2h3p2p0-|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-3-------x-x-----|-----x---3-----------|
The verse is similar to the intro at first, with one change near the end.
Ellis plays a few different rhythms here, so ad lib a bit:
all around me I see ghosts
Am D/F# D7 G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----2---2-2-----|---------3-------|---------------------|
B:-0h1-1-1-1p0-1-1-|-----3---3-1-----|---------0---0-0-|-----0-0-0-0---------|
G:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----2---2-2-2-2-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0---------|
D:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----0-------0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|---------------------|
A:-0-------0---0---|-----------------|-----------------|-2h3---------2h3p2p0-|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-3---------------|---------------------|
hanging out on balconies mostly
Am D/F# D7 G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----2---2-2-----|---------3-------|---------------------|
B:-0h1-1-1-1p0-1-1-|-----3---3-1-----|---------0---0-0-|-----0-0-0-0---------|
G:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----2---2-2-2-2-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0---------|
D:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----0-------0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|---------------------|
A:-0-------0---0---|-----------------|-----------------|-2h3---------2h3p2p0-|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-3---------------|---------------------|
laughin'...mortals... the brunt...inside joke
Am D/F# D7 G G/F# Em7
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----2---2-2-----|-^3---------------|------------0-0-0-|-----------0-0-0-|
B:-0h1-1-1-1p0-1-1-|-----3---3-1-----|-^0---------------|------------3-3-3-|-----------3-3-3-|
G:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----2---2-2-2-2-|-^0------^0-------|-^0-------0-0-0-0-|-0-------0-0-0-0-|
D:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----0-------0-0-|-^0------^0-------|-^2-------2-2-----|-2-------2-2-----|
A:-0-------0---0---|-----------------|-^2------^0-------|-^2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-^3------^2-------|-^0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
sweet revenge...touch friends and family
Am D/F# D7 G (to chorus...)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----2---2-2-----|---------3-------|-----------------|
B:-0h1-1-1-1p0-1-1-|-----3---3-1-----|---------0---0-0-|-----------------|
G:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----2---2-2-2-2-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|-------0-0-0-0---|
D:-0h2-2-2-2---2-2-|-----0-------0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-0-0-|-------0-0-0-0---|
A:-0-------0---0---|-----------------|-----------------|-2h3---3-3-3-2---|
E:-----------------|-2---------------|-3---------------|-----------------|
The chorus is mostly strummed chords.
This part is the middle part or the chorus...:
know all...come and what is done
F E Am/E D/F# G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-1-------1-----1-|---0---0-0-------|----------------|-------3-----------|
B:-1-------1-----1-|---0---0-0-------|----------------|-------0-----------|
G:-2-------2-----2-|-1-1---1-1-------|-2--------------|-------0-----------|
D:-3-------3-----3-|-2-2---2-2-------|-2---2-2-0-----0|-------0-----------|
A:-3-------3-----3-|-2---------------|-0---0-0-0-----0|---------2h3-2h3p2-|
E:-1-------1-----1-|-0---------------|-0---0-0-0h2---2|h3-----------------|
...and this is the end of the chorus:
come
Am/E D/F# G (to verse...)
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
B:-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
G:-2---------------|-----------------|-----------0---------|
D:-2-------0-------|-0---------------|-----------0---------|
A:-0-----0-0-------|-2-------2h3-----|-------------2h3p2p0-|
E:---------2-----2-|-3-------------x-|-x-------3-----------|
This is the ending:
not... why they...come
Am/E D/F# G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-----------------|-----------------|--------^3-------|-----------------|
B:-----------------|-----------------|--------^0-------|-----------------|
G:-2-----2---------|-----------------|--------^0-------|-----------------|
D:-2-----2---------|-----------------|--------^0-------|-----------------|
A:-0-----0---------|---------2h3---3-|-2---------------|-----------------|
E:---------2-----2-|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
LYRICS:
play intro
All around me I see ghosts
Hanging out on balconies mostly
Laughin' at the mortals like we're the brunt of an inside joke
Sweet revenge that we can touch friends and family
I see ghosts all around me
Crash rock concerts and the symphony
Dress in ebony like wayward funeral clothes
Gentle faces share their empathy
CHORUS
F E
They don't speak to me
F E
It's like they see straight through me
F E Am/E D/F# G (see chorus tab)
Oh they know all that's to come and what is gone
F E F E
And what frightens me is not their fearsome company
F E
It is the future that's prescribed to me
Am/E D/F# G (see chorus tab)
So I will not ask them why they have come
Margaret Putnam was a nurse
In the Civil War she served her country
She walks in through my walls like an actress well-rehearsed
She'd be more frightening if she were less lovely
CHORUS
But she won't speak to me
It's like she sees straight through me
Oh she knows all that's to come and what is gone
And what frightens me is not her fearsome company
It is the future that's prescribed to me
I will not ask her why she has come
I see ghosts all around me
They sleep through lectures in theology
They don't make apologies for the secrets that they know
Like to appear on Unsolved Mysteries
CHORUS
But they don't speak to me
It's like they see straight through me
Oh they know all that's to come and what is gone
And what frightens me is not their fearsome company
It is the future that's prescribed to me
So I will not ask them why they have come
play ending
CHORDS:
Am/E 002210
D/F# 200232 (thumb on 6th string)
To learn why these chords are named this way, check out Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.
Created on 11-7-99 by Daniel E. Smith.