Chords for Brandi Carlile on Austin City Limits "Mother"

[Ab] _ _ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ That was my daughter, Evangeline.
She [Ab] _
_ _ _ flew out here to meet me yesterday. _
We have a rule where it's like if mama's working, it doesn't matter what's going on, she can come on stage and get a kiss.
Takes me by [Bbm] surprise sometimes, but_
_ [Ab] _ _
She's amazing.
She is about to be four in June.
[N] _
_ _ She's my firstborn.
I just had another daughter, a little Elijah, a couple weeks ago.
[Ab] _ _ _ _ Yeah.
[Eb] Couple baby girls.
A lot of girls in my family, because I also have a wife.
_ [Ab] _
_ I feel_
Thank you.
[N] I feel that it's important to stand before you in the great state of Texas and tell you about my family and our right to exist in the world today.
And _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ [N] _ _ I should also be pretty honest with you and tell you that becoming a mother was not easy for me.
I thought it was going to be easy.
I got told by a lot of folks it was going to be easy.
_ Moms and dads, gay moms, gay dads, straight moms and straight dads, that you're going to be in the delivery room, this baby's going to come out,
and you're going to feel a tidal wave of love, instinct, understanding.
It's just going to be this natural shift.
And I was waiting for them in the delivery room, I'm waiting, and the baby's coming out, and I was like_
God, I feel nothing. _
_ _ _ Which just _ blossomed into several months of shame.
_ _ Only once I started talking about the fact that becoming a parent wasn't an easy thing for me initially,
and then I had to really earn my love for Evangeline, did all these other parents go, oh yeah, me too.
_ [Abm]
Yeah, definitely.
The thing I said to you before was like the thing we say to each other, but it's not.
It's not.
Just give it some thought.
So I was like, well you know what, [Ab] I mean, I'm a songwriter, and I feel like I'm going to tell the truth about this right now.
So in case you're wondering _ about having kids or what it feels like, it can feel like anything that you want it to.
You will earn your love for your child in due time.
Whether you're a mom or a dad or a gay mom or a gay dad or a trans mom or a trans dad.
_ [Bbm] _
_ _ _ This is about my sweet Evangeline, _
_ [Eb] _ and all the things she took from me.
_ [Bbm] _
_ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Welcome to the end of being alone inside your mind.
[Db] You're tethered to another [Ab] and you worry all the time.
_ [Eb] You always knew the melody, [Ab] but you never heard it [Bbm] rhyme. _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] She's fair and she is quiet, Lord.
She doesn't look like me.
[Db] She made me love the morning.
[Ab] She's a holiday at sea.
[Eb] The New York streets are as busy [Db] as they [Ab] always [Bbm] used to be.
_ [Ab]
But I am the mother [Eb] of [Ab] Evangeline. _ _
_ _ _ _ The first things that she took from me were selfishness and sleep.
[Db] She broke a thousand heirlooms [Ab] I was never meant to keep.
[Eb] She filled my life with color, [Db] canceled plans and trashed [Bbm] my car.
_ [Ab] But none of that was ever who we [Eb] are.
_ _ _ [Ab] Outside of my windows are the mountains and the snow.
I [Db] hold you while you're sleeping and I [Ab] wish that I could go.
[Eb] All my rowdy friends are [Db] out [Ab] [Bbm] accomplishing their dreams.
[Ab] But I am the mother [Eb] of [Ab] Evangeline. _ _ _ _
And they [Eb] still got their morning viber [Db] and their coffee [Ab] and their time.
And [Eb] they still enjoy their evenings [Ab] with the skeptics and the wine.
Oh, [C] but all the wonders I have seen [Dbm] I [Ab] will see a second [Bbm] time.
_ _ [Ab] From inside of the ages [Eb] through your eyes.
_ _ [Ab] You are not some accident where no one thought it through.
[Db] The world that stood against us [Ab] made us mean to fight for you.
[Ebm] And when we chose your name we knew [Dbm] that [C] you'd fight [Bbm] the power too.
_ [Eb] _ [Bbm] _ _ _
[Ab] _ You're nothing short of magical and beautiful to me.
[Db] I'll never hit the big [Ab] time without you. _
_ [Eb] So they can keep their treasure [Db] and their ties to the [Bbm] machine.
_ [Ab] Cause I am the mother [Eb] of [Fm] Evangeline.
_ _ _ [Db] They can keep their treasure and their [Bbm] ties to the machine.
_ _ [Eb] _ [Bbm] _ _
[Ab] _ I am the mother of [Eb] _ [Ab] Evangeline.
_ _ [Db] _ _ [Bbm] _ _ [Ab] _ _
_ _ [Db] _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ _ [Db] _ _ [Bbm] _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _