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.