Hammer And A Nail by Indigo Girls guitar tab (text):

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HAMMER AND A NAIL (Emily Saliers)

---------------------------------

[Actually in B; capo 4.]

[Each chord is about half a measure, except in the instrumental parts.

 "Ds" is really Dsus4; "Cs9" is Csus9.]

[See the tablature at the end of the file for chord fingerings in the verse.]



G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9   | G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9  |

[intro; see tab at bottom]



G          Dsus        Em7   C(9)   G            Dsus        Em7         C(9)

  Clearing webs from a hovel         a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel

G           Dsus        Em7     Em7    Csus9  Csus9  Csus9  Csus9

  I've been digging too deep, I always do

G          Dsus        Em7     C(9)   G         Dsus       Em7   C(9)

  I see my face on the surface;        I look a lot like Narcissus

G          Dsus      Em7       Em7             Csus9     Csus9     Csus9  Csus9

  A dark abyss of an emptiness standing on the edge of a drowning blue



Em9        Em9      C(9)          C(9)  Em9    Em9     C(9)    C(9)/B

  I look behind my ears for the green,     and even my sweat smells clean

Am      Am/B      C    A        D   D(9)/C   G/B      G/D

  Glare off the white hurts my eyes             Gotta get out of



 G         D            C(9)  D             G   D   C(9)     D 

bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands; Not just my

 G                 D          C(9) C(9)         Am     Am         Em7       Em7

head, I'll think myself into jail; Now I know a refuge never grows  from a chin

      C        C               A      A          C(9)       C(9)     C(9)  C(9) 

in a hand in a thoughtful pose; Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose



G  Ds Em7|Em7  C(9) G|G  Ds Cs9|Cs9  |

[instrumental, same as intro]



I had a lot of good intentions; sit around for fifty years and then 

   collect a pension

Started seeing the road to hell and just where it starts

But my life is more than a vision; the sweetest part is acting after 

   making a decision

I started seeing the whole as a sum of its parts



I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean

Glare off the white hurts my eyes

Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands

Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows

From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose

Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose



My life is part of the global life; I'd found myself becoming more immobile

When I'd think a little girl in the world can't do anything

A distant nation my community, a street person my responsibility

If I have a care in the world I have a gift to bring



I look behind my ears for the green, and even my sweat smells clean

Glare off the white hurts my eyes

Gotta get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail, learn how to use my hands

Not just my head, I'll think myself into jail; now I know a refuge never grows

From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose

Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose



G  G/F# | G/F    | C      | Cm      | G      | D      | G   C   | G.

[ending; see below]





INTRO:

  G         Ds  Em7         C(9) G            Ds  Csus9

E 3---3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3----------- ||

B 3---3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3---x-3---3-|----3-----------.||

G 0---0---x-2---0-|----0---x-0---0-|----0---x-2---5-|----5----------- ||

D 0---0---x-0---2-|----2---x-2---0-|----0---x-0---5-|----5-----------.||

A 2---2---x-0---2-|----2---x-3---2-|----2---x-0---3-|----3----------- ||

E 3---3---------0-|----0---------3-|----3-----------|---------------- ||

  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . 

[Note that for most of this, your ring and pinky fingers never move.]

[If you don't like barre chords, play Csus9 as x30033.]





ENDING:

           G       G/F#     G/F              C                Cm

E --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

B --------|3-----3-----3---|3---3---3=5-3---|1-----0-1---1---|1-------1=3-1---|

G ----4---|----4-----4-----|--4-------------|----2-----------|------0---------|

D 5-------|--5-----4-----4-|3-----3---------|2---------------|1---1-----------|

A --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

E --------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

  ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . 



  G                D                G       C        G

E ----------------|----------------|----------3-----|3---------------|

B 0-------------0-|----3-----------|------------1---|3---------------|

G ----------0-----|--2-----4=2-0=2-|0---------------|0---------------|

D 0---0-0=2---2---|0-----0---------|----0-0=2-------|0---------------|

A ----------------|----------------|----------------|2---------------|

A ----------------|----------------|----------------|3---------------|

  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .







- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com