Barr Brothers - Darkness has Arms

[helloimasteve]

Here is what ive got so far. Missing a few lines that I can hear clearly. Any help?

I was holding my breath
as the tightrope walker slipped into the moon glow
sayin' all my children follow me
maybe its time to go
you can be cruel when you're wise
you can be wise when you're blue
and baby if I have
then I have for you

Bribin' the jury to keep me in jail
singin' tea for the tiller man
and although I lie fantasticly
this woman knows of my history
I can be wrong when you're right
even when you're right on cue
and if I die tonight
then I die for you

All I know is they call me son
great grandson, granted grandson
great uncle on some relatives
that judge what I have done
gonna make it right by you
and if it's all I do
well then I do it for you

People have raised a whole lotta hell
about the water in the windmill
(missing line)
it hurts no one but me
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

and the light in the window
to pass the night through
maybe so uncertain
but what can I do
Keepin it on
Keepin it on
and i know i like it
but what does that prove
(missing line)

I was breakin the law (?)
when the straw hit the whipperwill
(missing line)
hungry enough to kill
wherever the white dove goes
it goes unseen
and he sees below
and he knows you're dreamin

I bring to you the reverent hand
all the books and the lullabies
(missing 2 lines)
Maybe the water went dry
with an eye on you
and with an eye on you
it could drown me too

[booher]

Here is what ive got so far. Missing a few lines that I can hear clearly. Any help?

I was holding my breath
as the tightrope walker slipped into the moon glow
sayin' all my children follow me
maybe its time to go
you can be chrome when you're wise
you can be wise when you're blue
and baby if I have
then I have for you

Bribin' the jury to keep me in jail
singin' tea for the tiller man
and although I lie fantastically
this woman knows of my history
It's a miracle I can see
You can be wrong when you're right
even when you're right on cue
and if I die tonight
then I die for you

All I know is they call me son
great grandson, and grandson
great uncle on some relatives
that judge what I have done
gonna make it right by you
even if it's all I do
And if it's all I do
well then I do it for you

People will raised a whole lotta hell
about the water in the windmill
And although I stab ?-ically
it hurts no one but me
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

and the light in the window
to pass the night through
maybe so uncertain
but what can I do
Keepin it on
Keepin it on
and i know i like it
but what does that prove
? ...don't know how to love you

I was breakin the law with a nine pound hammer
when the straw hit the whip poor will (it's a bird)
(down a low ? ... I did
hungry enough to kill
wherever the white dove goes
it goes unseen
and what he sees he knows
and he knows your dreams

I bring to you the reverent hand
all the books and that my lover buys
a white woman got the passioned war (?)
? got the tides
Maybe the water went dry
keepin' an eye on you
and with an eye on you
it could drown me too

Some of the lyrics you had originally might be more correct due to some changes recently, but I made some changes according to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCwIvwd1cmc

[bear]

My interpretations are in Bold. I used this clip : http://youtu.be/6mSi84kgBsY

I was holding my breath
when the tightrope walker slipped into the moon glow
sayin' all my children follow me
maybe its time to go
you can be chrome when you're wise
you can be wise when you're blue
and baby if I have
then I have for you

Bribin' the jury to keep me in jail
singin' tea for the tiller man
and although I lie fantastically
this woman knows of my history
It's a miracle I can see
You can be wrong when you're right
even when you're right on cue
and if I die tonight
then I die for you

All I know is they call me son
great grandson, and grandson
great uncles, aunts and relatives
that judge what I have done
gonna make it right by you
even if it's all I do
And if it's all I do
well then I do it for you

People will raise a whole lotta hell
about the water in the windmill
And although I stab chaotically
it hurts no one but me
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

and the light in the window
to pass the night through
maybe so uncertain
but what can I do
Keepin it on
Keepin it on
and i know i like it
but what does that prove
sometimes I worry I don't know how to love you

I was breakin the law with a nine pound hammer
when the straw hit the Whip-poor-will
down in Lodi, Ohio I did
hungry enough to kill
wherever the white dog goes (a white dove makes more sense but i hear "dog")
he goes unseen
and he sees below
and he knows your dreams

I bring to you with reverent hands
all the books and that my lover buys (or love abides?)
the kind woman that my passion wore
like the shoreline wears the tides
Maybe the water went dry
keepin' an eye on you
and with an eye on you
it could drown me too

People will raise a whole lotta hell
about the water in the windmill
And although I stab chaotically
I swoar an oath on my history
its a miracle i can see
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

and the light in the window
to pass the night through
maybe so uncertain
but what can I do
Keepin it on
Keepin it on
and i know i like it but what does that prove
sometimes I worry I don't know how to love you

[lucasdavidsamuels]

probably some of the best lyrics brad has written to date.

[booher]

probably some of the best lyrics brad has written to date.

Definitely up there.

[booher]

I used this clip : http://youtu.be/6mSi84kgBsY

Hmmmmmm. Capo at 4, sounds like a G shape he's using for the finger picking, but he's on A relative to the capo.... Anyone have a clue of what tuning Brad's in for this?

I'm thinking it could have been the same one he uses for beggar...

[johnhk4]

i tried to figure this out awhile ago with CGCGCe, but it didn't really flow correctly. Sarah is also playing on the nylon string, doing those hammer ons on that main riff on the offbeats, iI have a hard time hearing how it works. she might be in a different tuning? i'll have to watch a few more times.

[Big Bob]

trying to figure it out using this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mSi84kgBsY

open G (DGDGBD) Capo 4. I know some of the chord shapes I am using are not exactly what Brad is using but this works more or less. Corrections/Improvements welcome.

Code: Select all

Part A
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
|2h4-----0h2---------0h2---0-----|
|------0-------0-0h2-------------|x4
|0---0---0---0-------------------|
|----------------2-------2---0---|

Part B
|--------------------------------|
|3h5-----0h3---------0-----------|
|------0-------0-0h2---0h2-0-----|
|----0-------0---------0-----0---|x3
|5-------0-----------------------|
|----------------0---------------|

then it goes into the verse (keep a picking pattern going)


chords: (in order of appearance)
G       5x000x
G/C     x5000x
G/A     x2000x
G/E     2x000x
Cmaj7   x5200x
Em      2x200x
Em/B    x4200x
Gmaj7   x7400x
C       x02010


G
       G
I was holding my breath
when the tightrope walker slipped into the moon glow
       G/C
sayin' all my children follow me
                    G
maybe its time to go
            G/A               G/E
you can be chrome when you're wise
           G/A               G
you can be wise when you're blue
         G/A  G/E
and baby if I have
       G/A       G
then I have for you

Bribin' the jury to keep me in jail
singin' tea for the tiller man
and although I lie fantastically
i swore an oath on my history
It's a miracle I can see
You can be wrong when you're right
even when you're right on cue
and if I die tonight
then I die for you

All I know is they call me son
great grandson, and grandson
great uncles, aunts and relatives
that judge what I have done
gonna make it right by you
even if it's all I do
And if it's all I do
well then I do it for you

(part B of intro)

People will raise a whole lotta hell
about the water and the windmill
And although I stab chaotically
it hurts no one but me
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

      Cmaj7         G
and a light in the window
   G/A             Em
to pass the night through
           Cmaj7   G
you make me so uncertain
    G/A       Cmaj7
but what can I do
 Em/B    Cmaj7
Keepin it on
 Em/B    Gmaj7
Keepin it on
      Cmaj7   G          G/A             Em
and i know i like it but what does that prove
    Cmaj7    G                 G/A          G
sometimes I worry I don't know how to love you

(Parts A and B of intro, then instrumental break)

I was breakin the law with a nine pound hammer
when the straw hit the Whip-poor-will
down in Lodi, Ohio I did
hungry enough to kill
wherever the white dog goes
he goes unseen
and he sees below
and he knows your dreams

I bring to you with reverent hands
all the books and my lullabies
the kind woman that my passion wore
like the shoreline wears the tides
Maybe the water went dry
keepin' an eye on you
and with an eye on you
it could drown me too

People will raise a whole lotta hell
about the water and the windmill
And although I stab chaotically
I swore an oath on my history
its a miracle i can see
even the darkness has arms
but they aint got you
and baby I have it
and I have you too

      Cmaj7         G
and a light in the window
   G/A             Em
to pass the night through
           Cmaj7   G
you make me so uncertain
    G/A       Cmaj7
but what can I do
 Em/B    Cmaj7
Keepin it on
 Em/B    Gmaj7
Keepin it on
      Cmaj7   G          G/A             Em
and i know i like it but what does that prove
    Cmaj7    G                 G/A          G
sometimes I worry I don't know how to love you

(part B of intro) G  C G

Thanks for your lyrical transcriptions, guys. I altered a few lyrics to what I hear. Some of those lines are hard to pick out.

[booher]

Awesome. Wouldn't have guessed open G. Definitely going to try this out now.

[isocrafty]

Thanks! Playing this over the past few days has been a lot of fun... my wife is wondering if anyone has a good mandolin tab for this?

[booher]

I haven't any mandolin tabs.

But there are a lot of references in this song. Is 'kind woman that my passion wore' a nod to Buffalo Springfield? Kind of the same way "breakin' the law with a nine pound hammer" is to John Prine? I'm sure there are others in here.

[Big Bob]

isocrafty, are you looking for detailed tablature for the mandolin or just a chord chart to strum along to? I'm not a mandolin player but I could lay out a more accurate chord chart for you.

I suppose during the intro the mandolin could fill the role of the 2nd guitar in the song, repeating the hammer-ons immediately after the guitar does. That might sound real nice.

[isocrafty]

my wife has been transposing andrews line to mandolin even though that instrument is obviously not a mandolin (it looks like it's strung more like a banjo). i'm just wondering if someone else has come up with anything for the solo or andrews line. thanks!

[booher]

Was poking around with this tune this morning. Decided to take to YT to see if anyone tried anything out, and sure enough, found these. First is the run through, and the second is the tutorial for how he plays it. It's a little rough, and he seems to do it in standard tuning (capo at 4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDMhy0FuYbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6YHz7K665w

[Big Bob]

Cool. I take it that he's playing it in standard tuning? Did you try it this way?