G
The balladeer waits in the wings,
 Em
Tugging on her dress, tuning her strings.
        Am
All her whiskey faded cigarette blown dreams,
           G
She brings herself to her own knees,
     D
with every line so delicate.

[Verse 2]
    G
She sings every song that she knows.
    Em
The way that she hears 'em, sad and slow.
              Am
They're never gonna play her on the radio.
       G
So she hangs in the darkest bars
     D
with downtrodden bleeding hearts.

[Verse 3]
  G
A guitar man there who knew all the chords.
        Bm
Said he needed her to help him find the words.
         Am
The balladeer never loved anybody more.
       G
It was magic but she worried,
        D
what if she ran out of the pain...

[Verse 4]
    G
She carried round with her, so proud.
    Bm
She wore it like a queen wears a crown.
           Am
She didn't know who she'd be if she put it down.
      G
So he brought her to the river
      D
where she could wash the trouble...

[Verse 5]
         Dm
From her heart and let it shine like gold.
          Bb
Felt like angels pouring mercy on her soul.
        Am
And the weight of the world, she let it go.
        G
And she sang for the first time
         D
with her head held high and so much pride.

[Verse 6]
    G
It opened up new notes in her throat.
          Em
There was joy in every new song she wrote.
           Am
They got a bus and traveled coast to coast.
         G
Drinking with their friends and strangers
    D
and business people called to say.

[Verse 7]
     G
That she was finally headed for the stars,
      Em
Or at least the top of the charts.
     Am
They changed her clothes and bought fancy cars.
         G
Till the guitar man caught the eye
     D                                 G
of a pretty background singer with the bluuuuuuessss...
Em  Am  G     D   G   Em   Am   G   D
Oh, oh, oh...

[Verse 8]
    G
The guitar man cried 'cause he done her wrong.
    Em
The background singer took the next flight home.
           Am
And the balladeer wrote herself a song,
      G                              D
About brokenhearted dreamers who are searching
                            G
for something they'll never fiiiiiiinnnnd........
Am   G       D   G   Em   Am   G   D   G
mmm, mmm...