Chords for Bird's Word-THE LAST POETS

_ _ Everything was silent. _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[G#] _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ _
_ _ [F#] _ _ And [Fm] then Ma Rainey spread black news [F#] by way of the backwater [Fm] blues.
As Bessie [F] Smith picked up on [F#] it and spread the word, the [E] music, [Fm] the song.
And the message passed [F#] on to Chick Webb, [E] King Oliver, Buddy Bolton, and [Fm] Jelly Roll Morton.
[F#] And they played the word and [C] passed it [Fm] along to Louis Armstrong, Fats [F#] Navarro, Charlie Ventura, [Em] Roy Erwidge, [Fm] and Fats Waller,
who was known [F#] to holler the joiners [E] jumping with [Fm] a fat man's joy as [F#] everybody started [C] stomping at [Fm] the Savoy.
Then the [F#] word grew strong [C] as the immortal bird came along [F#] and blew all the blackness that [C] was true
with some bebop brand [C#] new, turning [C] everybody on with his unforgettable [Fm] horn.
As Lester [F#m] Young became the first [C] president of our race, and we [F] turned around and dug [F#] on the beautiful face of Billie [Fm] Holiday.
As Billie began to [F#] sing praises to the black [Fm] man's thing, and the good brother monk doing some [D#] punk so that the whole world could see
[C] what he is, [A#m] was, and always will be, [Fm] a genius [Gm] creatively.
_ [F#] And [G#] Miles began [Fm] to set new styles and put us miles [F#] ahead.
As Dizzy set [Fm] us free to be ourselves and ride to [F#] heaven from hell [Fm] in the latest El _ Dorado, [E] coming for to carry us home.
[Fm] _ _
Then [F#] Dinah sang final.
[F] As Duke and Ella rode the fame, [F#] going to Harlem on the A [Fm] train.
[E] And we tuned in the Charlie [F#] Mingus bass, setting a soulful [Fm] pace that let us taste the down [F#] sound
that found our hearts beating [F] to the boys and drums [Fm] of Abbey Lincoln and [F#m] Max Roach [F#] in their hip approach to [F] [Fm] blackness.
As Eddie Jefferson [F#] pruned an original tune, and [Fm] Lamb Hampton Ross scattered a new [F#] cause,
and we sampled King [F] Pleasure's Treasure and listened to James [F#] Moody's Moans.
And then, though, [F] the dynamite drums of brother Philly [F#] Joe Jones.
As [F] Milt Jackson played the vibes and leaps [F#] and strides with the [Fm] MJQ,
that fed our pride [F#] into sophisticated funkiness.
[Fm] Meanwhile, Sonny Rollins was [F#] building a bridge for us to leave [C] behind our grief,
[G#] for the soulful relief to [Fm] find our own black [F] lines.
The tuning on Bud [F#] Powell, who played [Fm] the piano with funky hands,
as he filled the seats and made [F#] them stand on funky nights down [Fm] Birdland.
[F] Then the Mighty [F#] Hawk made his horn talk, and we [Fm] heard Baby Ray play What I Say,
[F#] and jammed the set to [Fm] Jake Ornette, as Art Blakely broke [F#m] free,
spreading the message to [F] you and me to dig on the trumpet of KD,
[F#m] as we broadened our [Fm] range and counted our chains with Basie.
[F#] As Earl Farmer [Fm] Hines blew our minds, and we grew [F#] fonder of Errol Garner,
[F] as Eddie Harris bent our ear talking [F#] about Listen Here,
and [Fm] Eric Daufey made his stand with his side [F#] called Iron Man.
[Fm] And Gene Ammons told his soul [F#] that we mined the hearts of [Fm] silver that bought funky gold.
[F#] And Oscar Brown and [Fm] Joe Williams got down, and we spun around, spun [F#] around, spun around, spun [F] around,
spun around, spun [Fm] around, spun around, spun around, spun around, spun around, spun around, spun around,
[F] and Doug [C] Clifford Brown, [Fm] blowing a sweet funky sound of soul with the [F#] rhythm of gold.
And [Fm] along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and [F#] along, [Fm] and along, and along, and along, [F#] and along, and along, and along, [Fm] and along, and _ _ [C#] along, and along, and along, and along, and along, _ [Fm] and along, and along, and _ [F#] _ along, and [Fm] along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and [F#] along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and [Fm] along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and along, and [F#] along, and _ [Fm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ [Fm] _ along
[F#] _
and bring back peace, and bring back peace [C] to black [Fm] people.
And everybody heard majestic words [F#] of trains [F] horn, telling us of a love supreme [F#] for black people that grew strong.
[Fm] and on, and on, and [B] on, and [Fm] on, and oh, and on, and on, and [F#] oh, [Fm] and on, and oh, and on, and oh, and on , and oh, and on, and [F#] on, and _
[Fm] from the souls, from the [F] hearts, from the [F#] spirit, from the [Fm] brain, from the love of Brother [F#]
John _ [Fm] Coltrane."
And Jimmy Smith got funky with it
And [F#] preached a sermon not to [Fm] walk on the wild side
But ride with Wes [F#] Montgomery
[C#] Who played his best every [C] day of our life
And Shirley Scott's [D#] organ got [Fm] hot
And she and Stanley [D#] set more fuck [F#] free
As Alma [G#] Jamal played with renewed ability
[Fm] To give our minds some [F#] tranquility
So that we could listen to [C] her in soul depth
Brother Archie Sheff
[F#] And Jackie McLean broke on the [Fm] scene
Blowing mean and hotter
[C#] For everybody to listen to [Fm] Betty Carter
As Sun Ra shines
And [F#] Cannonball's horn [Fm] whined Mercy! _ _ _
[F] Mercy! _ _ _
Mercy!
_ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [Fm] _ [C] _
_ _ _ So Sonny [Fm] Stitt started piping it
[Gm] We couldn't get [Fm] enough of Brother Jack [A#] McDonnell
As Freddie [Fm] Huck began to bug
And we heard from [F#] Donald Byrd
And there'll be [F] no others like the Aller Brothers
Then [F#] Wayne Shorter grew taller
[Fm] And our ship left dock with Herbie Hancock
[F#] As we rode with Lee Morgan
[F] And grooved on Richard Holmes' organ
[F#] And then Dr.
Solo, Art Tatum
[Fm] Produced the sound that made him
As [C#] Rufus Hawley flew an old new [Fm] type bagpipe
And put the pants back on a [F#] man
And Nina Simone [F] groaned Mississippi, God [Fm] damn
And Brother [F#m] McCoy gave us [F] peace and joy
As [Fm] Elton brought our freedom Jones down on us
And Charles [Gm] Floyd filled the void
[F#] And we [Fm] watched Roland Kirk work
And with a sigh of relief
[F#] Listened to Yusef Lateef
[Fm] Blowing a flow of flurries of peace from the east
[F#] As Pharaoh's son exploded [Fm] down in awe
With Brother Leon [F#] Thomas
To hurl the promise [Fm] of peace and happiness throughout the land
[F#m] All praises due to [F] the creator of the Black man
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