#This file is the author’s own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#——————————————————————————##
From: winston campbell
Subject: THE CYGNET COMMITTEE by David Bowie
This song took me two hours to figure out. It is probably, in my opinion,
one of the greatest David Bowie songs. It is off of -Space Oddity- and
quite a track coming in at over nine minutes. It is quite a piece moving
through so many key changes and other things. Those are things
characteristic of -Space Oddity-, figuring out songs off that album is
quite difficult. I was quite frustrated trying to get some of it but now
that I got all of it, I am quite proud and happy I did it. I am typing
this on a word processor program that does not show any quotation or
apostrophe marks. So to not cause any confusion on the lyrics, I will
use a ~ for an apostrophe and ~~ for both open and closed quotation marks.
I took the lyrics right off of the album and even capitalized a lot of
things that were capitalized on the album sleeve. I hope you enjoy this,
(it took me a really strenuous long time to do but I did enjoy doing it
anyway):
THE CYGNET COMMITTEE
by David Bowie
D D/C
I bless you madly
Bm Bb D
Sadly as I tie my shoe
D/C
I love you badly
Bm Bb D D/C
Just in time, at times, I guess
Bm Bb D D/C
Because of you I need to rest
Bm Bb D
Because it~s you that sets the test
Eb Bbm
So much has gone and little is new
Bbm A
And as the sparrow sings
F#
Dawn chorus for
Bbm
Someone else to hear
Bbm A
The thinker sits alone
F# Bbm
Growing older
And so bitter
F Bbm
~~I gave Them life, I gave Them all
C Fm
They drained my very soul…dry
F Bbm
I crushed my heart to ease Their pains
C Fm Ab
No thought for me remains there
Bbm Db
Nothing can they spare
C
What of me?
Am F
Who praised Their efforts to be free?
G C
Words of strength and care and sympathy
Am F
I open doors that would have blocked their way
G C
I braved Their cause to guide for little pay
Am F
I ravaged at my finanace just for Those
G C
Those whose claims were steeped in peace, tranquility
Am F
Those who said a new world, new ways ever free
G C
Those whose promises stretched in hope and grace for me.~~
Am F G
D D/C
I bless you madly
Bm Bb D
Sadly as I tie my shoe
D/C
I love you badly
Bm Bb D D/C
Just in time, at times, I guess
Bm Bb D D/C
Because of you I need to rest
Bm Bb D
Because it~s you that sets the test
Eb Bbm
So much has gone and little is new
Bbm A
And as the sunrise stream
F# Bbm
Flickers on me
Bbm A
My friends talk of glory, untold dream
F# Bbm
Where all is God and God is just a word
F Bbm
~~We had a friend, a talking man
C Fm
Who spoke of many powers that he had
F Bbm
Not of the best of men but Ours
C Fm Ab
We used him, We let him use his powers
Bbm Db
We let him fill our needs
C
Now we are strong.
Am F
And the road is coming to its end
G C
Now the damned have not time to make amends
Am F
No purse of token fortunes stands in Our way
G C
The silent guns of love will blast the sky
Am F
We broke the ruptured structure build of age
G C
Our weapons were tongues of crying rage
Am F
Where money stood we planted seeds of rebirth
G C
And stabbed the backs of fathers, sons of dirt
Am
Infiltrated business cesspools
F
Hating through Our sleeves
G
Yea, and We slit the Catholic throat
C
Stoned the poor on slogans as:
-Wish You Could Hear-
Am
-Love Is All We Need-
-Kick Out The Jams-
-Kick Out Your Mother-
F
-Cut Up Your Friend-
G
-Screw Up Your Brother or He~ll Get You In the End-
C Am
And We Know the Flag of Love is from Above
F
And We Can Force You to Be Free
G C
And We Can Force You to Believe.~~
Am
And I close my eyes and tighten up my brain
F
For I once read a book in which the lovers were slain
G
For they Knew not the words of the Free States~ refrain,
It said:
C
~~I Believe in the Power of Good
Am
I Believe in the State of Love
F
I Will Fight For the Right to be Right
G
C
I Will Kill for the Good of the Fight for the Right to be Right.~~
Am F
And I open my eyes to look around
G
And I see a child laid slain on the ground
C Am
As a love machine lumbers through desolation rows
F G
Ploughing down man, woman, listening to its command
C
But not hearing anymore-
Am F
Not hearing anymore
G
Just the shrieks from the old rich
C
And I Want to Believe
G
In the madness that calls ~Now~
C
And I Want to Believe
G
That a light is shining through somehow
Bb
And I Want to Believe
F
And You Want to Believe
C
And We Want to Believe
G
And We Want to Live
Ab
Oh, We Want to Live
Bb
We Want to Live
C
We Want to Live
(marching-type beat configuration appears)
G
We Want to Live
Ab
We Want to Live
Bb
We Want To Live
C
I Want to Live
G
I Want to Live
Ab
I Want to Live
Bb
I Want to Live
C
I Want to Live
G
I Want to Live
Ab
Live
Bb
Live
C
Live
(it continues with the G-Ab-Bb-C chords until it fades)
The Chords Used Are:
E A D G B E
———–
D x x 0 2 3 x
D/C x 3 x 2 3 x
Bm x 2 4 4 3 2
Bb x 1 3 3 3 x
Eb x 6 5 3 4 3
Bbm x 1 3 3 2 1
A x 0 2 2 2 0
F# 2 4 4 3 2 2
F 1 3 3 2 1 1
C x 3 2 0 1 0
Fm 1 3 3 1 1 1
Ab 4 6 6 5 4 4
Db x 4 6 6 6 x
Am x 0 2 2 1 0
G 3 2 0 0 0 3
Make sure to play the marching chords at the end in barre form.
And that is pretty much it. Please send my email and comment if you find
any errors or anything else not of that nature. Bye-bye.
(This thing came out a bit screwed up, especially with the chords above the
words, but I hope you get the idea)
