Chords for Peter Katz - The Fence (Matthew Shepard's Song) - Live at the Music Gallery (2010)

This is a song that I wrote for a young man named Matthew Shepard.
And Matthew was a victim of a hate crime because he was gay.
He was a 19-year-old student from a small town in the U.S. called Laramie, Wyoming.
And he was picked up at a bar by these two guys and was driven outside a town
and was tied to a fence and beaten up and left there all night.
He was out there by himself for 18 hours, was found the next day.
But they beat him up so badly that he actually ended up dying from his injuries a few days later.
But out of this terrible thing came this really incredible thing, I feel,
where this theater company from New York City went down to the town of Laramie
and they interviewed hundreds of people from the town.
And they compiled all those interviews and they turned them into a play called The Laramie Project,
which they then performed in Laramie.
And from there it went on to New York City, it went on to London's West End.
At this point it's literally been done thousands of times all over the world.
It was turned into a movie.
And I was very fortunate enough to be in a production of The Laramie Project
and was asked to write some music for the show.
I had the great honor of playing this song a couple months ago before Judy Shepard, Matthew's mom, spoke.
And, you know, sometimes I've shied away from playing this song
because it's not my intention to depress you on a Friday night.
But one of the things she said was, you know, the only way that something like this will never happen again
is if people talk about it, if it's out there in the open,
and it's not just sort of swept under the rug and forgotten about.
Judy [D#m] lost her son 11 years ago and she's still out there speaking
and if she can do that over 200 days a year then I can play a song for you.
So this is called The Fence.
And thank you. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And I sing it for hope.
[N] _ _ _ _ [D#m] _ _ _ _
_ [C#] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ [B] _
_ _ Look [D#m] _ _ [C#] at this now
Me [F#] on my own
Here with the [B] stars
Sleeping alone
[F#] It's just like the [C#m] times
[C#] When I was not grown
[F#] But [B] _
_ [F#] _ _ [D#m] _ _ now things [C#] have changed
It's somehow [F#] more cold
It's somehow [B] more strange
I'm somehow less old
I [F#] think once I [C#m] find my shoes
[F#] _ [C#] I'd like to go home _ _
[B] _ _ [C#] Come out [G#m] and find me
[G#] I'm here on [C#] the fence
[F#] I'm only [G#m] just slightly
_ [B]
Broken
[C#] And [D#m] bent
Now [C#] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] _
_ _ _ [D#m] _ _ come on [C#m] you two
It's time to [F#] go in
Let's call [B] it a tie
So everyone wins
[C#] Our mothers are calling
You [F#] know we're [B] all boys in the end _ _
[F#] _ _ [C#] Come out and [G#m] find me
[G#] I'm here on [C#] the fence
[F#] I'm only just [G#m] slightly
_ [B]
Broken [C#] and bent
[F#] This game of [G#m] go hide and [F#] no seek's been [C#] okay
But seems I [G#m] had plans
With [F#] my family
And I'm going away [C#] _ [B] today
_ Now [F#] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C#] _
_ [A#] _ _ [B] _ _ come on [F#] you stars
Shine now [B] for me
Light up [C#] this night
[D] This darkness [B] I see
[B] I must [C] confess
I'm somewhat [B] afraid
I mean no [C#m] offense
But [C#] I wish to [B] leave [F#] this place
[B] _
[F#] Come _ out and [G#m] find me
[B] I'm here on [C#] the fence
[F#] I'm only [G#m] just slightly
_ [B]
Broken [C#] and bent
[F#] This game of [G#m] go hide and [B] no seek's been [C#] okay
[F#] But seems I [G#m] had plans
[B] With my family [C#] today
[F#] Come [G#m] out and join [F#] me
I'm here [C#] on the fence
[F#] It's an outdoor [G#m] adventure
[F#] A one [C#] night event
The stars and the [G#m] moon
And the [B] sky are just right
[F#] We keep our eyes [G#m] open
[B] We'll make it [C#] through [B] the night _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _