Trolley Car
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul
Carnival of Voices
1996
Ellis Paul is an absolutely incredible singer/songwriter out of Boston.
I saw and met him at the Night Eagle Cafe in Oxford, NY, in May '98, and
his performance was phenomenal. I bought his latest album there, and
fell in love with it. This is the first tune that I've done from it.
I hope you enjoy it! I also hope Ellis doesn't mind me posting his
songs, but when he autographed my album he wrote "spread this music"...
And if you get a chance to see Ellis, do it!
Note: Use your thumb to fret notes on the 6th string
throughout this song; it'll make things a lot easier.
Lyrics
Chords
DADGad (low-to-high); Capo 2nd
INTRO:
D A G
+ + + + + + + +
d:-------0----0-----|------7---5-4-|-5---0---5-0-|-------------0---|
a:-------12---12----|-/7---7-------|-5---0---5-0-|-------------0---|
G:-/11--------------|--------------|-7---7---7---|-2/4\2-0---------|
D:------------------|-/7-----------|-------------|-2/4\2-0-------0-|
A:-/12--------------|--------------|-------------|---------0h2-----|
D:------------------|--------------|-------------|-----------------|
The verse is the same as the intro; simply repeat 4x:
it's a snowy night cops...freeway
D A G
+ + + + + + + +
d:-------0----0-----|------7---5-4-|-5---0---5-0-|-------------0---|
a:-------12---12----|-/7---7-------|-5---0---5-0-|-------------0---|
G:-/11--------------|--------------|-7---7---7---|-2/4\2-0---------|
D:------------------|-/7-----------|-------------|-2/4\2-0-------0-|
A:-/12--------------|--------------|-------------|---------0h2-----|
D:------------------|--------------|-------------|-----------------|
The chorus looks like this (with ad-lib):
play 3x:
you live six miles... trolley car trail
Gmaj7 F#m Em
+ + + + + + + +
d:-----4---2-0-|-----7---5-4-|-----5-----5-|---2-------0---|
a:-----5-------|-----4-------|-----2-----2-|---2-------0---|
G:-------------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
D:-------------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
A:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------0h2-----|
D:-5-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|-2-----------0-|
then finish with this:
we'd drink in the waning hours...polished off the moon
Gmaj7 F#m Em
+ + + + + + + +
d:-----4---2-0-|-----7---5-4-|-----5-----5-|---2-----2---|
a:-----5-------|-----4-------|-----2-----2-|-----0-----0-|
G:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
D:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
D:-5-----------|-4-----------|-2-----------|-2-----2-----|
and who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail
Esus4 E A
+ + + + + + + +
d:---2-----2---|---2-----2---|-0-----------|-------------|
a:-----2-----2-|-----2-----2-|-0-----------|-------------|
G:-2-----2-----|-1-----1-----|-0-----------|-------------|
D:-------------|-------------|-2-----------|-------------|
A:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
D:-2-----2-----|-2-----2-----|-------------|-------------|
This is the bridge:
play 4x
I think snowfall should be measured
Bē7 E5
+ + + + + + + +
d:-------------|-------------|-------------|-----------------|
a:-----0---0-0-|-----0---0-0-|-----2---2-2-|-2---2-2---------|
G:-----7---7-7-|-----7---7-7-|-----4---4-4-|-2h4-4-4-2h4-2-0-|
D:-----9---9-9-|-----9---9-9-|-----2---2-2-|-2---2-2-2---2-0-|
A:-------------|-------------|-------------|-----------------|
D:-9-------9-9-|-9-------9-9-|-2-------2-2-|-2---2-2-2-------|
finish with this, then move right into verse:
last time I rode a subway it was summer in your eyes
G A
+ + + + + + + +
d:-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----7---7---|-----7-------|
a:-----5---5---|-----5---5---|-----7---7---|-----7-------|
G:-----------0-|-----------0-|-----------0-|-------------|
D:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A:-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
D:-5-----------|-5-----------|-7-----------|-7-----------|
The ending is the intro with ad-lib, then simply play this:
D
+ +
d:--------------|
a:--------------|
G:-/11----------|
D:--------------|
A:-/12----------|
D:--------------|
LYRICS:
play intro
It's a snowy night the cops shut down the freeway
Big men in plows are out carving up the streets
Below them jammed on a subway I'm with two hundred overdressed strangers
Brushing snow off coats and shoulders kicking snow off dress-shoe feet
CHORUS
You live six miles down this trolley car's trail
Up above the red line where the street musicians wail
Where baby we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes
We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon
Who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail
"Park Street next station!" says a voice with an accent I've heard
And I see shoppers on the platform where green and red lines diverge
I fight my way through the packages and the bows to a pay phone the operator knows
She says to me "your nervous and it shows" I say "nervous is too kind a word"
CHORUS
She lives miles down this trolley car's trail
Up above the red line where the street musicians wail
Where baby we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes
We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon
Who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail
BRIDGE
I think snowfall should be measured
By how much it takes a city by surprise
By how far back old-timers go to remember
The last time a blizzard stung their eyes
Last time I rode a subway it was summer in your eyes
Your phone rings but it only brings your voice on a message machine
"I'm not here the tape is clear" and I'm off the hook it seems
"I called" I say "to say hello to coax you out where the snowmen grow
but you're not home I gotta go it was good to hear your voice"
CHORUS
You live six miles down this trolley car's trail
Up above the red line where the street musicians wail
Where baby we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes
We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon
Who said the moon would fail it wasn't me above the trolley car trail
repeat intro tab and play ending
hooo...
hooo...
CHORDS:
Bē7 9x9700
To learn why these chords are named this way, check out Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.
Created on 7-29-98 by Daniel E. Smith.