If It Were Up To Me
Cheryl Wheeler

Cheryl Wheeler
Sylvia Hotel
1998
The first time I ever saw Cheryl Wheeler was at the Summer's Eve Song Swap
at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in July '99.  She played this to the ~4000
people in the audience.  When she got to the line "I'd take away the guns"
all 4000 of us stood up and cheered as loud as we could.  She wrote the song
soon after the Georgia school shooting, which was soon after the Colorado
school shooting.  At least someone in the music industry has the BALLS to
write a protest song, sing it, AND make it a single.  Thank you Cheryl for
opening eyes to the idiotic gun laws in this country.  Enough lecturing!

PS Cheryl is great, so go see her!

Lyrics
Chords


Capo 1st This tab includes the INTRO (without electric guitar) and the VERSE: This tab is repeated over and over until the "CHORUS" change noted below. Cheryl slowly strums each chord with the flesh of her thumb. Am F F/G Am F F/G + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + e:-0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---|-0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---| B:-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---1---1---|-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---1---1---| G:-0h2-2---2---0---|-2---2---2---0---|-0h2-2---2---0---|-2---2---2---0---| D:-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------|-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------| A:-0---0---0---0---|-----------------|-0---0---0---0---|-----------------| E:-----------------|-1---1---1-------|-----------------|-1---1---1-------|
The "CHORUS" where she makes her statement: maybe..fertilizer maybe..nose rings maybe..end but I know one thing Am F F/G Am F F/G + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + e:-0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---|-0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---| B:-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---1---1---|-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---1---1---| G:-0h2-2---2---0---|-2---2---2---0---|-0h2-2---2---0---|-2---2---2---0---| D:-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------|-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------| A:-0---0---0---0---|-----------------|-0---0---0---0---|-----------------| E:-----------------|-1---1---1-------|-----------------|-1---1---1-------| if...up to me I'd take...guns F G Am F F/G + + + + + + +. + + + + + + + + + e:-1---1---1---1---|-3---3---3-------|-0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---| B:-1---1---1---1---|-3---3---3-------|-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---1---1---| G:-2---2---2---2---|-4---4---4-------|-0h2-2---2---0---|-2---2---2---0---| D:-3---3---3---3---|-5---5---5-------|-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------| A:-----------------|-----------------|-0---0---0---0---|-----------------| E:-1---1---1---1---|-3---3---3-------|-----------------|-1---1---1-------| INTRO tab keeps repeating...
LYRICS:
play INTRO: | | | Am F F/G Am F F/G repeats...
right before she starts singing, play 2 extra beats with an F chord Am Maybe it's the movies maybe it's the books F F/G Maybe it's the bullets maybe it's the real crooks Am Maybe it's the drugs maybe it's the parents F F/G Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin' Maybe it's the President maybe it's the last one Maybe it's the one before that what he done Maybe it's the high schools maybe it's the teachers Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers Maybe it's the bible maybe it's the lack Maybe it's the music maybe it's the crack Maybe it's the hairdos maybe it's the TV Maybe it's the cigarettes maybe it's the family Maybe it's the fast food maybe it's the news Maybe it's divorce maybe it's abuse Maybe it's the lawyers maybe it's the prisons Maybe it's the Senators maybe it's the system Maybe it's the fathers maybe it's the sons Maybe it's the sisters maybe it's the moms Maybe it's the radio maybe it's road rage Maybe El Niņo or UV rays Maybe it's the army maybe it's the liquor Maybe it's the papers maybe the militia Maybe it's the athletes maybe it's the ads Maybe it's the sports fans maybe it's a fad Maybe it's the magazines maybe it's the internet Maybe it's the lottery maybe it's the immigrants Maybe it's taxes big business Maybe it's the KKK and the Skinheads Maybe it's the Communists maybe it's the Catholics Maybe it's the hippies maybe it's the addicts Maybe it's the art maybe it's the sex Maybe it's the homeless maybe it's the banks Am Maybe it's the clear-cut maybe it's the ozone F F/G Maybe it's the chemicals maybe it's the car phone Am Maybe it's the fertilizer maybe it's the nose rings F Maybe it's the end but I know one thing G Am F F/G If it were up to me I'd take away the guns Am F F/G I'd take away the guns Am F F/G I'd take away the guns keep repeating until fade: | | | Am F F/G Am F F/G

CHORDS:
F/G xxx011 To learn more about slash chords, check out
Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.

Created on 11-8-99 by Daniel E. Smith.