Chords for David Crosby: "What we got right, and what we got wrong" Live on BRI.TV
Tempo:
94.975 bpm
Chords used:
E
D
C
Ab
Bb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
What do you see when you [Eb] look back on [D] your early writing that still continues to be very popular?
You say you had no [E] hits, but there are certainly songs of yours [N] that endure and have endured for decades.
[D] They were written at a different time in your life.
How do you see that [E] now with some perspective?
Do they still appear the same to you or do you [C] see them in a different light?
[E] The biggest continuing threat [Dbm] is love.
[N] I write love songs.
Over and over.
I've written tons of them.
And that's what's taking me.
I
[E] Sometimes songs engender streams of communication.
It's interesting to look back on.
Like, wouldn't shit.
You know, things are getting kind of screwed [F] up, we're going to sail away to some place
where it'll be better.
I've inspired [E] Jackson to write for everyone.
It's a [C] direct answer.
That gives you some perspective.
[N]
Well, what about all those of us who don't have a sailing boat, David?
You know.
I look back on the things that I've said and I don't think we were wrong about a whole
lot of stuff.
I think the ideas that we espoused in the 60s are probably mostly right.
[Ab] The main thing we were wrong about was drugs.
Hard drugs absolutely, completely ruin.
They ruin your [E] creativity, they ruin your life, they ruin your [C] family, they ruin everything.
We were wrong about that.
Not wrong about civil rights.
Not wrong [N] about women's rights.
Not wrong about war.
War being a terrible, terrible thing.
There are so many musicians who produced great music under the influence of drugs of various types.
And sometimes [Em] people looking back say that was their best [E] period when they were most
tortured and most under the influence.
[D] Is there any currency to that or is that?
I don't think so.
[Db] I think it's a thing that a [E] lot of musicians say.
You know, they have to have tortured lives because that's where they're out of the turmoil
[Ab] comes the most.
You know, you look at Coltrane, you look at great musicians, stunners, you know.
Look how many we lost.
Just look at that.
Janis, Jimmy, yeah, probably more than that.
[E] How good would Janis [N] Joplin be singing by now?
How good would Jimi Hendrix be playing by now?
How hard could John Volusia make you laugh by now?
If they hadn't killed themselves with hard drugs.
So no, I don't give any currency to it at all.
I don't give [E] any credence to that theory at all.
My own personal [E] experience was the more hard drugs I did, the [Bb] less I wrote.
[E]
And the writing is a direct window into your soul.
And at a certain point, you know, the drug use got so intense that the writing stopped.
And it wasn't until I stopped the drug use, forcibly by being put in prison, that the
writing came back.
I can only draw one conclusion from that.
[N] Those under the pretext, impossible to avoid.
How do you argue with that?
I did more [E] and more drugs and drugs until I couldn't write, stopped doing the drugs,
the writing came back.
I can only [Bb] draw one conclusion.
I've [D] talked to a number of recovering musicians.
[Eb] And what's interesting [D] is that I think as far as that theory goes, it relates to [D] people
like Jimi [E] and Janice, who in fact [D] had no further chapter to their lives.
And so their great production was prior to their deaths.
But the people who've come through [Ab] and recovered create beautiful things.
[E] And we worthwhile lives.
Jesus, look at James Taylor.
[Ab] Lord, I'm messy.
He's one of the best [N] singer-songwriters of this century.
You know, look at Bonnie.
She'd be a quarter of a day drunk.
Look at her.
Look how she is since she got sober.
Give you a break.
Best singer [Bb] in the world.
You know, I [C] think you [Bm] hit the nail on the head.
You know, they say, [B] well, it was a great period.
Well, that was because they were young and at the most intense period of creativity they
were going to have, [E] it would have been way better [N] if they hadn't been carrying that load.
[Ab] What they would have done if they hadn't would have been [E] much more intense and lasted a whole lot longer.
That's my feeling about it.
And I could [C] get a whole lot of people to tell you that they agree [D] with me, who are pretty
good creators of music.
You say you had no [E] hits, but there are certainly songs of yours [N] that endure and have endured for decades.
[D] They were written at a different time in your life.
How do you see that [E] now with some perspective?
Do they still appear the same to you or do you [C] see them in a different light?
[E] The biggest continuing threat [Dbm] is love.
[N] I write love songs.
Over and over.
I've written tons of them.
And that's what's taking me.
I
[E] Sometimes songs engender streams of communication.
It's interesting to look back on.
Like, wouldn't shit.
You know, things are getting kind of screwed [F] up, we're going to sail away to some place
where it'll be better.
I've inspired [E] Jackson to write for everyone.
It's a [C] direct answer.
That gives you some perspective.
[N]
Well, what about all those of us who don't have a sailing boat, David?
You know.
I look back on the things that I've said and I don't think we were wrong about a whole
lot of stuff.
I think the ideas that we espoused in the 60s are probably mostly right.
[Ab] The main thing we were wrong about was drugs.
Hard drugs absolutely, completely ruin.
They ruin your [E] creativity, they ruin your life, they ruin your [C] family, they ruin everything.
We were wrong about that.
Not wrong about civil rights.
Not wrong [N] about women's rights.
Not wrong about war.
War being a terrible, terrible thing.
There are so many musicians who produced great music under the influence of drugs of various types.
And sometimes [Em] people looking back say that was their best [E] period when they were most
tortured and most under the influence.
[D] Is there any currency to that or is that?
I don't think so.
[Db] I think it's a thing that a [E] lot of musicians say.
You know, they have to have tortured lives because that's where they're out of the turmoil
[Ab] comes the most.
You know, you look at Coltrane, you look at great musicians, stunners, you know.
Look how many we lost.
Just look at that.
Janis, Jimmy, yeah, probably more than that.
[E] How good would Janis [N] Joplin be singing by now?
How good would Jimi Hendrix be playing by now?
How hard could John Volusia make you laugh by now?
If they hadn't killed themselves with hard drugs.
So no, I don't give any currency to it at all.
I don't give [E] any credence to that theory at all.
My own personal [E] experience was the more hard drugs I did, the [Bb] less I wrote.
[E]
And the writing is a direct window into your soul.
And at a certain point, you know, the drug use got so intense that the writing stopped.
And it wasn't until I stopped the drug use, forcibly by being put in prison, that the
writing came back.
I can only draw one conclusion from that.
[N] Those under the pretext, impossible to avoid.
How do you argue with that?
I did more [E] and more drugs and drugs until I couldn't write, stopped doing the drugs,
the writing came back.
I can only [Bb] draw one conclusion.
I've [D] talked to a number of recovering musicians.
[Eb] And what's interesting [D] is that I think as far as that theory goes, it relates to [D] people
like Jimi [E] and Janice, who in fact [D] had no further chapter to their lives.
And so their great production was prior to their deaths.
But the people who've come through [Ab] and recovered create beautiful things.
[E] And we worthwhile lives.
Jesus, look at James Taylor.
[Ab] Lord, I'm messy.
He's one of the best [N] singer-songwriters of this century.
You know, look at Bonnie.
She'd be a quarter of a day drunk.
Look at her.
Look how she is since she got sober.
Give you a break.
Best singer [Bb] in the world.
You know, I [C] think you [Bm] hit the nail on the head.
You know, they say, [B] well, it was a great period.
Well, that was because they were young and at the most intense period of creativity they
were going to have, [E] it would have been way better [N] if they hadn't been carrying that load.
[Ab] What they would have done if they hadn't would have been [E] much more intense and lasted a whole lot longer.
That's my feeling about it.
And I could [C] get a whole lot of people to tell you that they agree [D] with me, who are pretty
good creators of music.
Key:
E
D
C
Ab
Bb
E
D
C
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ What do you see when you [Eb] look back on [D] your early writing that still continues to be very popular?
You say you had no [E] hits, but there are certainly songs of yours [N] that endure and have endured for decades.
[D] They were written at a different time in your life.
How do you see that [E] now with some perspective?
Do they still appear the same to you or do you [C] see them in a different light?
[E] The biggest continuing threat [Dbm] is love.
[N] I write love songs.
Over and over. _
I've written tons of them.
_ And that's what's taking me.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I_
[E] Sometimes songs engender streams of _ communication.
_ _ It's interesting to look back on.
Like, wouldn't shit.
_ _ You know, things are getting kind of screwed [F] up, we're going to sail away to some place
where it'll be better.
I've inspired [E] Jackson to write _ for everyone.
_ It's a [C] direct answer. _
_ _ _ That gives you some perspective.
[N] _
_ Well, what about all those of us who don't have a sailing boat, David?
You know.
_ _ _ I look back on the things that I've said and I don't think we were wrong about a whole
lot of stuff.
I think the ideas that we espoused in the 60s are probably mostly right.
[Ab] The main thing we were wrong about was drugs.
Hard drugs _ absolutely, completely ruin.
They ruin your [E] creativity, they ruin your life, they ruin your [C] family, they ruin everything. _
_ We were wrong about that.
_ _ Not wrong about civil rights.
Not wrong [N] about women's rights.
Not wrong about war.
War being a terrible, terrible thing.
There are so many musicians who produced great music under the influence of drugs of various types.
And sometimes [Em] people looking back say that was their best [E] period when they were most
tortured and most under the influence.
[D] Is there any currency to that or is that?
I don't think so.
[Db] I think it's a thing that a [E] lot of musicians say.
You know, they have to have tortured lives because that's where they're out of the turmoil
[Ab] comes the most.
_ You know, you look at Coltrane, you look at great musicians, stunners, you know.
_ Look how many we lost.
Just look at that.
_ Janis, Jimmy, _ _ _ yeah, probably more than that.
[E] How good would Janis [N] Joplin be singing by now?
How good would Jimi Hendrix be playing by now? _
How hard could John Volusia make you laugh by now? _
If they hadn't killed themselves with hard drugs. _ _ _
_ _ _ So no, I don't give any currency to it at all.
I don't give [E] any credence to that theory at all.
My own personal [E] experience was the more hard drugs I did, the [Bb] less I wrote.
_ [E]
And the writing is a direct window into your soul.
_ And at a certain point, you know, the drug use got so intense that the writing stopped.
And it wasn't until I stopped the drug use, _ forcibly by being put in prison, that the
writing came back.
I can only draw one conclusion from that.
[N] Those under the pretext, _ impossible to avoid.
How do you argue with that?
I did more [E] and more drugs and drugs until I couldn't write, stopped doing the drugs,
the writing came back.
I can only [Bb] draw one conclusion. _ _
I've _ [D] talked to a number of recovering _ musicians.
[Eb] And what's interesting [D] is that I think as far as that theory goes, it relates to [D] people
like Jimi [E] and Janice, who in fact [D] had no further chapter to their lives.
And so their great production was prior to their deaths.
But the people who've come through [Ab] and recovered create beautiful things.
_ [E] And we worthwhile lives.
Jesus, look at James Taylor.
[Ab] _ Lord, I'm messy.
He's one of the best [N] singer-songwriters of this century.
_ You know, look at Bonnie.
She'd be a quarter of a day drunk.
Look at her.
Look how she is since she got sober.
Give you a break.
Best singer [Bb] in the world. _
You know, I [C] think you [Bm] hit the nail on the head.
You know, they say, [B] well, it was a great period.
Well, that was because they were young and at the most intense period of creativity they
were going to have, [E] it would have been way better [N] if they hadn't been carrying that load.
_ [Ab] _ What they would have done if they hadn't would have been [E] much more intense and lasted a whole lot longer.
That's my feeling about it.
And I could [C] get a whole lot of people to tell you that they agree [D] with me, who are pretty
good creators of music. _ _ _
_ What do you see when you [Eb] look back on [D] your early writing that still continues to be very popular?
You say you had no [E] hits, but there are certainly songs of yours [N] that endure and have endured for decades.
[D] They were written at a different time in your life.
How do you see that [E] now with some perspective?
Do they still appear the same to you or do you [C] see them in a different light?
[E] The biggest continuing threat [Dbm] is love.
[N] I write love songs.
Over and over. _
I've written tons of them.
_ And that's what's taking me.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I_
[E] Sometimes songs engender streams of _ communication.
_ _ It's interesting to look back on.
Like, wouldn't shit.
_ _ You know, things are getting kind of screwed [F] up, we're going to sail away to some place
where it'll be better.
I've inspired [E] Jackson to write _ for everyone.
_ It's a [C] direct answer. _
_ _ _ That gives you some perspective.
[N] _
_ Well, what about all those of us who don't have a sailing boat, David?
You know.
_ _ _ I look back on the things that I've said and I don't think we were wrong about a whole
lot of stuff.
I think the ideas that we espoused in the 60s are probably mostly right.
[Ab] The main thing we were wrong about was drugs.
Hard drugs _ absolutely, completely ruin.
They ruin your [E] creativity, they ruin your life, they ruin your [C] family, they ruin everything. _
_ We were wrong about that.
_ _ Not wrong about civil rights.
Not wrong [N] about women's rights.
Not wrong about war.
War being a terrible, terrible thing.
There are so many musicians who produced great music under the influence of drugs of various types.
And sometimes [Em] people looking back say that was their best [E] period when they were most
tortured and most under the influence.
[D] Is there any currency to that or is that?
I don't think so.
[Db] I think it's a thing that a [E] lot of musicians say.
You know, they have to have tortured lives because that's where they're out of the turmoil
[Ab] comes the most.
_ You know, you look at Coltrane, you look at great musicians, stunners, you know.
_ Look how many we lost.
Just look at that.
_ Janis, Jimmy, _ _ _ yeah, probably more than that.
[E] How good would Janis [N] Joplin be singing by now?
How good would Jimi Hendrix be playing by now? _
How hard could John Volusia make you laugh by now? _
If they hadn't killed themselves with hard drugs. _ _ _
_ _ _ So no, I don't give any currency to it at all.
I don't give [E] any credence to that theory at all.
My own personal [E] experience was the more hard drugs I did, the [Bb] less I wrote.
_ [E]
And the writing is a direct window into your soul.
_ And at a certain point, you know, the drug use got so intense that the writing stopped.
And it wasn't until I stopped the drug use, _ forcibly by being put in prison, that the
writing came back.
I can only draw one conclusion from that.
[N] Those under the pretext, _ impossible to avoid.
How do you argue with that?
I did more [E] and more drugs and drugs until I couldn't write, stopped doing the drugs,
the writing came back.
I can only [Bb] draw one conclusion. _ _
I've _ [D] talked to a number of recovering _ musicians.
[Eb] And what's interesting [D] is that I think as far as that theory goes, it relates to [D] people
like Jimi [E] and Janice, who in fact [D] had no further chapter to their lives.
And so their great production was prior to their deaths.
But the people who've come through [Ab] and recovered create beautiful things.
_ [E] And we worthwhile lives.
Jesus, look at James Taylor.
[Ab] _ Lord, I'm messy.
He's one of the best [N] singer-songwriters of this century.
_ You know, look at Bonnie.
She'd be a quarter of a day drunk.
Look at her.
Look how she is since she got sober.
Give you a break.
Best singer [Bb] in the world. _
You know, I [C] think you [Bm] hit the nail on the head.
You know, they say, [B] well, it was a great period.
Well, that was because they were young and at the most intense period of creativity they
were going to have, [E] it would have been way better [N] if they hadn't been carrying that load.
_ [Ab] _ What they would have done if they hadn't would have been [E] much more intense and lasted a whole lot longer.
That's my feeling about it.
And I could [C] get a whole lot of people to tell you that they agree [D] with me, who are pretty
good creators of music. _ _ _