1. White Crosses
Intro C, F, C, G, C
Verse
C
I wake up in the morning and I drink from the fountain.
I wake up in the morning with the same unanswered questions.
F G C
I don't know what's going to cure my unsettled stomach.
Street kids collect spare change in a conch shell on the side walk;
their teeth are yellow, their hair is tangled.
F G C
Their minds are vapid and they laugh wild in their depravity.
Dm G C F
I'll make my way back home to you, head north on San Marco Avenue.
Dm G C F
White crosses on the church lawn, I want to smash them all.
C F
I want to smash them all.
C, F, C
Pony tails swinging back and forth behind beach blonde college girls out for a jog.
F G C
Saint Augustine, shine your light down on me!
Pop hits from the 90's echo out of tourist filled bars.
F G
I am met with arms crossed under dirty looks, I am treated like a common
C
thief.
Chorus
Am
Eaves-dropping in on conversation, I wander aimless leering at strangers.
F G C
Strung out on the amphetamines that you gave to me.
Am
Eye-balled with suspicion by a pencil skirt in high heels,
you realize that you're talking to yourself.
F G C
Cannon fire explodes out over the bay.
Chorus
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2. I Was A Teenage Anarchist
Capo 3
Verse1:
G
I was a teenage anarchist
G
Looking for a revolution
Em
I had the style, I had the ambition
Em
Read all the authors I knew the right slogans
G
There was no war but the class war
G
I was ready to set the world on fire
Em
I was a teenage anarchist
Em
Looking for a revolution
Chorus:
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
Verse2:
G
I was a teenage anarchist
G
But the politics were too convenient
Em
In the depths of their humanity
Em
All I saw was bloodless ideology
G
With freedom as their doctrine
G
Guess who was the new authority
Em
I was a teenage anarchist
Em
But the politics were too convenient
Chorus:
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G
When you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
Verse3:
G
I was a teenage anarchist
G
But then the scene got too rigid
Em
It was mob mentality
Em
They set their rifle sights on me
G
Narrow visions of autonomy
G
You want me to surrender my identity
Em
I was a teenage anarchist
[stop]
The revolution was a lie
Chorus:
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G D C G
Do you remember when you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G
When you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G
When you were young
D C
And you wanted to set the world on fire
G
I was a teenage anarchist (4x)
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3. Because Of The Shame
Intro:
D A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa
D A G
whoa oh oh oh whoa
Bm A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa
D A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa
D G
We used to get high together, instead of getting high alone.
Bm
I can't remember the last time I saw you.
A
I can't remember the last time we talked.
D
You left home for a fresh start,
G
working as a waitress down in Bradenton.
Bm A G
With my name tattoo'd into your skin.
D G
Because of the shame I associate with vulnerability
Bm Bm/A
I am numbing myself completely.
G
Can you hear me right now?
D G G/A
I watched your mother bury you today, with tears in her eyes.
Bm A G
well, It wasn't her words that shook me, it was the resemblance you shared.
D A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa X2
D G
Don't it seem so detached and unreal? Don't it seem so far away?
Bm A
Like the past never happened, or like nothing's ever changed.
D
With your casket open in front of me,
G
your eyes closed and your lips silent.
Bm A G
With my name tattoo'd into your skin.
D G
Because of the shame I associate with vulnerability
Bm Bm/A
I am numbing myself completely.
G
Can you hear me right now?
D G G/A
I watched your mother bury you today, with tears in her eyes.
Bm A G
well, It wasn't her words that shook me, it was the resemblance you shared.
D A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa x2
D
I didn't listen to the preacher.
G
I couldn't look your husband in the eyes.
Bm
I'm not sure what I meant to you then,
A
so I'm not sure what I owe you now.
D
But if something I said hurt you
G
I swear it was not my intention.
Bm A G
With your name tattoo'd into my skin.
Bm A G
With your name tattoo'd into my skin.
D G
Because of the shame I associate with vulnerability
Bm Bm/A
I am numbing myself completely.
G
Can you hear me right now?
D G G/A
I watched your mother bury you today, with tears in her eyes.
Bm A G
well, It wasn't her words that shook me, it was the resemblance you shared.
Bm A G
well, It wasn't her words that shook me, it was the resemblance you shared.
D A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa
D A G
whoa oh oh oh whoa
Bm A G
Whoa oh oh oh whoa
D A
Whoa oh
G A
Can you hear me right now?
G A D
Can you hear me right now?
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4. Suffocation
INTRO/VERSE: Bm D
Bm
We were young heartbreakers estranged from our wealthy parents,
D
doing key bumps in a handicap bathroom.
Bm D
Stoned complacent, ambivalent, mass communicating with shared subconscious.
CHORUS:
D A
Suffocation.
G D
Modern life in the western world.
D A G
Bm
Homosexual sons of unfulfilled fathers.
D
Divorced from reality, free and young.
Bm
We were bashing our brains out on a kitchen cabinet.
D
It was a televised crucifixion.
D A
Suffocation.
G D
Modern life in the western world.
D A G
BRIDGE: Bm D
Bm
We were star-crossed, we were destitute.
D
Our words spoke mass destruction.
Bm
We watched the sun rise in the morning.
D
Daughters in arm, we all are orphans.
D A
Suffocation.
G D
Modern life in the western world.
D A G
D A G
In the western world.
D A G
G D
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5. We're Breaking Up
B E C# B
This is the only voice I know.
B E
These are the only words I have.
F# E
E
This is the only way I know how to say, we're not in love anymore.
D G
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
B E C# B
We used to like all the same bands.
B E
We used to have all the same friends.
F#
What do we have left in common?
E B E
Just shared memories of good times long since past. (Long since past)
D G
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
A G
You can't get what you want from me, and I can't get what I need from you.
D G
This is the only voice I know.
D A
These are the only words I have.
A G
This is the only way I know how to say, we're breaking up.
D G
It's the same way that it's always been.
It's the same way that it's always been.
A
I'm not giving up on us.
G D
I'm not giving up on us.
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6. High Pressure Low
Intro:
B F# E X4
E (low) Eb C#
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/a/against_me/white_crosses_album_crd.html ]
B
There was a high pressure low developing off the coast of Africa,
E
uplift in the atmosphere pushed waves
B
across the ocean towards Antilles and Bon Air.
F# E E F# E(low)
I paced in Agitation.
B
I drew the curtains closed.
I turned the air conditioner on.
E
I pressed a warm wash cloth to my face.
B Bb-B F# E E F# Ab F#
Somewhere out there a hurricane was coming.
E B F#
There's just no future left for us to dream of,
E B F#
living in an era of instability.
E
So caught up in the culture of their rivals,
B F#
fear breeds in honest men.
B F#
It's a high pressure low.
E B F# E
It's a high pressure low.
B
7 missiles flying over the sea of japan.
E
Tales of feral children sleeping in wolf dens.
B
And the pious preacher commands.
F# E E F# E (low)
I hold my breath in anticipation.
B
Into the shelter of the jungle noble savages run.
E
Vestal virgins triumph over life long inhibitions.
B Bb -B F# E E F# Ab F#
And I wonder, what is real? What is fiction?
E B F#
There's just no future left for us to dream of,
E B F#
living in an era of instability.
E
So caught up in the culture of their rivals,
B F#
fear breeds in honest men.
B F#
It's a high pressure low.
E B F# E
It's a high pressure low.
D
Would anyone forgive Robert McNamara?
G
In retrospect he had to admit;
D A G A
there was mistake in going to war without first asking all the questions.
D
Yes, Robert Strange McNamara,
G
there are those who just cannot forget.
D C#2-D A G A
And I wonder, have I lost my own compassion?
G D A
There's just no future left for us to dream of,
G D A
living in an era of instability.
G
So caught up in the culture of their rivals,
D A
fear breeds in honest men.
D A
It's a high pressure low.
G D A
It's a high pressure low.
G D A
It's a high pressure low.
G D A G
It's a high pressure low.
Outro:
G F# E-F#-E D A D
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7. Ache With Me
Standard tuning, capo on 6th fret.
C Am (4x)
F Dm (2x)
Verse:
C Am
I've walked down high streets looking through windows.
C Am
I've been lost in crowds of strangers.
F Dm F Dm
Searched record shops and cosmetic aisles, phone books, want ads, bus stops and libraries.
C Am C Am
Newspaper headlines, mannequin faces, television stations, billboard advertisements.
F Dm
Your voice echoes in the back of my mind.
F Dm
I see your face when I close my eyes.
Chorus:
F G C
Do you share the same sense of defeat?
F
Have you realized all the things you'll never be?
Dm G C F
Ideals turn to resentment, open minds close up with cynicism.
F
I've got no judgment for you.
G Am C
Come on and ache with me.
G Am C
Come on and ache with me.
Verse:
C Am
Through bar rooms, cafés, jail cells and court rooms.
C Am
Theaters, restaurants, graveyards and churches.
F Dm
I've spent every dollar that I've ever earned.
F Dm
I'll bleed my heart out, I'll give every word.
C Am C Am
I've asked preachers, doctors and lawyers, socialites, pariahs, mothers and fathers.
F Dm F Dm
You may not find all that you're after, in the end I hope it doesn't matter.
Chorus:
F G C
Do you share the same sense of defeat?
F
Have you realized all the things you'll never be?
Dm G C F
Ideals turn to resentment, open minds close up with cynicism.
F
I've got no judgment for you.
G Am C
Come on and ache with me.
F G C
Do you share the same sense of defeat?
F
Have you realized all the things you'll never be?
F
I've got no judgment for you.
G Am C
Come on and ache with me.
G Am C
Come on and ache with me.
G
Come on and ache with me.
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8. Spanish Moss
CHORUS:
C G
You just need to find some place to get away.
D
You can forget your name.
F
And there's no need to apologize.
C
WHOAS
VERSE:
C
It could be a good life.
It could be such a very good life.
F
We could find a place for just me and you.
C
Need some place to stay safe, need some place to stay safe and warm.
F
Why don't we deserve the same?
CHORUS
C
Look into the Spanish moss.
Let your mind conjure up old ghosts.
F
Ride you bike through lost Florida streets.
C
Everything we've said and done, can be so easily forgotten.
F
You can always change who you are.
CHORUS
BRIDGE:
F D G
I caught a glimpse of this life, it could be such a very good life.
F
We could find a place for just me and you.
F
But it's not yours to keep.
D
Yeah, the truth will tear your heart out.
G F
In a world run by gangsters you're stuck standing in a bread line.
CHORUS
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9. Rapid Decompression
Intro: C
C G C
How much is too much?
C G C
I'm tired of predicting to lose.
F C
But before you point your finger,
F C
before you cast your stones,
F# (slide to) G
take a look at yourself.
C
How can you expect from someone what you won't do yourself?
G F C D
C
C G C
There's no bottom to your reality.
C G C
Your desperation is utter and complete.
F C F C
What you can't love about yourself you have to steal from someone else;
F# (slide to) G C
and what you can't steal you have to deny.
G F C D
C
(palm mute)
C
Rapid Decompression.
G x2
Rapid Decompression.
F C
Rapid Decompression.
F C
Rapid Decompression.
F# (slide to) G C
Sometimes it feels like your whole world is coming to an end.
G F C D C
Coming to an end
G F C D C
Coming to an end.
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10. Bamboo Bones
Intro (x2)
---------------------5------(7)---------------------|
---------------------5------(7)---------------------|
-9-6--4-6-9-6-13-11--6------(8)---------------------|
-x-x--x-x-x-x-x--x---7------(9)---------------------|
-7-4--2-4-7-4-11-9---7------(9)---------------------|
---------------------5------(7)---------------------|
Verse: E,B,A,A
Chorus: C#m,A,E,B
E B
Don't let them break you.
A A
Don't let them tell you who you are.
E B
Doesn't matter where you come from,
A A
you'll always have a floor to sleep on.
E
And you have your bamboo bones,
B
nervous energy,
A
blind ambition,
A
skin of your teeth.
E B
Push back, push back, push back,
A
with every word and every breath.
C#m A
What god doesn't give to you,
E B
you've got to go and get for yourself.
E
I'm embarrassed to admit it,
B
I've got no grip.
A A
I'm leading with my jaw.
E
Can you see it from a distance?
B
Does it look ridiculous?
A A
I guess that's just what I have to live with.
E
Still I have a mind to think,
B
knees to break,
A A
you standing beside me.
E B
I'm going to push back, push back, push back,
A
with every word and every breath.
C#m A
What god doesn't give to you,
E B
you've got to go and get for yourself.
On Last "What god..." part play:
E B
What god doesn't give to you,
A
you've got to go and get for yourself
Am Ab C#
for yourself
