Chords for LED ZEPPELIN'S JOHN BONHAM & HIS DEATH

Despite the success of In Through the Outdoor,
discernible cracks were beginning to form
within Led Zeppelin's airtight [Am] organization [Dm] as well.
I've witnessed [F] Bonzo just [Bb] cut loose.
He had definitely a split [C] personality,
when he was drinking, when he wasn't drinking.
He was a big teddy bear.
[Dm] He wasn't one of the ones who messed around a lot at all.
He wanted to [Am] go home to his wife and kids.
He was [Bb] such a good father, and he really loved his wife,
and he really loved his kids, Zoey [C] and Jason.
I think that John's only problem
was he had a [Dm] classic drinking problem.
His personality completely, he was a different person sober
than he was drunk, [Bb] and when he became drunk,
he became loud and boisterous and a different [C] person.
But when he was sober, he was like gentle as a lamb.
With [Dm] Bonzo, it was like going out with a sailor
who had [Am] 12 hours to live, because he packed it all in.
He [F] was a lovely guy.
At the end of one tour, [C] I went up to say goodbye,
knocked on his door, come in, [F] and there he was.
[Bb] He was packing his suitcase.
He was very fastidious, John.
He had all his clothes [F] hung and very neat and tidy,
but he was wrapping these [C] Japanese dolls
and little dolls that he collected
from [F] various countries and [Bb] towns [F] for Zoey,
his little daughter, and he was wrapping them individually.
[C] He said, this is for Zoey.
I don't see enough of her, and they were all laid out
in a row in his suitcase.
[F] Wow.
People don't realize how much time
they spend away [Bb] from home.
So he would get really drunk [F] and then become
a whole other human being, a [C] real angry guy.
The mixed feelings would come when he had to [F] go to work,
and he didn't particularly wanna go to work.
He wanted to be at home with his wife
and maybe having the baby [Bb] or something like that.
By September, Led [C] Zeppelin was ensconced in rehearsals
for their upcoming highly [Dm] anticipated tour of America,
but it was during these rehearsals
that the group was dealt an unthinkable blow.
Bonzo, when he got drunk, was, whew,
he didn't wanna be in the raw end with him.
Well, he's just very, gets very nasty, very wild.
The booze, the booze, I mean, that's what [Cm] killed him.
_ [Gm] John Bonham was known as a man [Cm] who loved his alcohol.
On September 24th, 1980, Bonham was picked up
from his hotel for rehearsals at Bray [Cm] Studios.
During the journey, Bonham consumed a steady diet
of quadruple screwdrivers and [Bb] continued
to drink heavily at the [Cm] studio.
A halt was called to the rehearsals late in the evening,
and the band retired to Jimmy Page's house [Bb] in Windsor.
[Cm] After midnight, Bonham had fallen asleep
[Gm] and was taken to bed.
[Em] He died in his sleep later that night.
He was only 32.
Shocked, I mean, I was just shocked.
No one knew at that moment how he died.
We knew that they were rehearsing,
but how could he die in a rehearsal?
[Bm] You know, this was the [Cm] thing.
We didn't realize at the time [Gm] he'd drunk
and they put him to [Cm] bed, and you know,
the classic rock and roll death, you know,
choking on his own vomit.
So [Bb] I thought he had a car [Cm] crash, it was drugs,
I had no idea.
[F] I just knew something [C] terrible,
the fallout from this was gonna be disastrous
because it was such a tight-knit band,
and if one went, that was it.
Yeah, there were four equal [N] members, you know,
when they were on that stage.
I mean, as I say, you know, one would shine more
than the other for a certain part,
but I mean, together they were a unit.
I mean, I think that's why they broke up, though.
You know, Bonham was an integral part,
but that was what [C] Led Zeppelin was, was those four guys.
When he died, the band _ evaporated,
and I think those guys just knew
that you couldn't put anybody else in there
and do [G] what Bonham did and make that band work.
I think everybody probably wanted Led Zeppelin to continue,
and there were [Ab] plenty of contenders
for [N] the job of being the drummer with Led Zeppelin.
Cozy Powell, Carmine, the piece, _
people that could have played it,
they could have done the gig,
but it wouldn't have been the same
because John Bonham was so special
and his personality was so powerful,
and of course, as I mentioned before,
they were a team and they were friends,
and you couldn't really replace him,
and I think in retrospect it was the best thing to do.
Part of my charisma is, you know,
is reliant on the other three, you know,
and the same with everybody else, you know.
We really get off on playing together.
That's the whole secret of,
I couldn't really go away and play with anybody else
because if I wanted to play,
who else would I need for a drummer but Bonzo, you know?
And the same with Jimmy and Jonesy.
I don't think it could, it [Am] wouldn't be right.
Bonzo was one of Robert's best friends
from a very early age, so Robert was [Em] almost mortally wounded.
He was wounded forever after.
It took a big toll on Robert,
[Am] and I think it took a big toll on the other two as well.
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _