Chords for Austin City Limits Hall of Fame 2015: Townes Van Zandt

Townes, can we have [F] a few more chords, please? _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F]
A [C] volatile mix of raw honesty tempered with [A] a devious sense of humor,
_ _ _ Townes Van Zandt was [G#m] known for his [E] quick wit and his hard partying ways.
Well, finally got to be party [Dm] time.
I got me a great big old jug of wine.
I [B] went back to the house in about an hour and everybody's drinking whiskey sours. _ _
Brandy, Alexander's, frozen daiquiris.
[N] With stories that cut to the heart of the human condition, _ _
[E] Townes revealed his connection to the blues. _
_ Play a [Dm] couple more.
This is a blues song.
Can't [A#] play a set without playing a blues song.
[Bm] It's a Lightnin' [E] Hopkins song.
_ _ _ _ [D] _ [Em] _
_ [E] _ _ _ Townes' _ [Em] performance on Austin City [A] Limits.
You're [F#m] seeing [G] Townes at the peak [E] of his powers [A] as one of the greatest [G] solo performers I've ever [B] seen.
_ Thanks.
_ _ _ I'll play this one.
It's called If I Needed You.
Well, if I needed you, _ would you _ come to me?
Would you come [E] to me?
_ _ [B] And ease my pain?
_ _ _ _ If you needed me, _ I would come to you.
_ I'd swim [E] the seas [F#] for to [B] ease your pain.
_ _ _ His head was up, his eyes were closed nearly all the time.
It was very, very intense.
_ _ It inspired you to be quiet [E] in the woods.
The wind shines [B] with [F#] the lights of [B] love.
Townes' performance of If I Needed You captures the pure essence of what Austin City Limits tries to do.
_ _ _ It's the greatest [E] document of how good Townes [D] Van Zandt was. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
He [A] traveled the back roads between Texas, San Francisco, and Nashville,
[G] leaving a trail of influence along the way.
I [E] actually picked up [G] Townes Van Zandt hitchhiking through Lubbock [D] one time.
Living on the road, my friend, [A] _ was gonna keep you free and clean.
_ _ [G] Now you wear your skin like iron.
[D] He had this [E] old beat-up backpack _ full of albums, [G] and he pulled one out and gave it to me.
I played that for my friends Butch and Jimmy, and _ _ [Am] we played that record over and over.
Just literally wore the grooves off of [G] it.
_ _ _ [E] _
[Bm] _ Townes Van Zandt passed before his time.
_ [C] _ Pancho was a bandit boy.
_ [G] _ His horse was fast as polished steel.
And we were [F] proud to honor his legacy with a tribute special in 1998.
_ [C] _ For all the [G] honest world to feel.
_ _ [F] _
_ Pancho met his match in hell.
Through the years, his influence [C] on singers, songwriters, and solo [F] performers has only grown.
He is a true legend of the Texas songwriter [G] scene, and rightly so.
Ever since I found Townes Van Zandt, I [F] really gravitated towards him.
_ [Am] You know, he's a weird dude, or whatever, like he's human.
And I [D#] like that aspect of that.
I don't think there's a single [G] living singer-songwriter that wouldn't [D] claim Townes Van [B] Zandt as an influence. _ _ _
_ _ _ A critical success, if not a commercial one, Townes Van Zandt [E] deserves all the honors and [C] accolades.
[B] And we're proud to honor him here at the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
To you, _ I'd swim [E] the seas for [F#] to [B] ease your pain.
_ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ [B] _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _