Chords for Empire of the Sun Interview (LINER NOTES)
Tempo:
112.95 bpm
Chords used:
Bb
G
A
F
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
In
[Am]
[Bb] [F] [Am]
[G] the moment of creation [F] and making things, [G] you don't really know what you're doing.
I mean, you are doing it.
You're in the moment.
[Ab] You understand?
It's like maybe a marathon runner or something like that.
[Bb] They're just trying to get [A] there.
You know, you're not actually
you want to hope and [Bb] think that you put that great
line in, you always loved and that you [Ab] rhymed that so [A] perfectly and this makes
you don't really know.
You know, you come out of [G] that experience, that haze or whatever you want [Bb] to call it.
[F] Let the dust settle and then you can look back at your work.
The first record's so [E] easy that God [Bb] kind of, [F] you know, put a few hurdles and [Bb] tests and
[F] you know, tried us [Dm] a bit more on how [Eb] passionate we were [Cm] about [Am] breaking through to the other side.
[Dm]
[Bb] We have an interesting process.
I [Bb] end up writing most of the words but to be honest, I'm just interpreting what he's singing.
Luke will get on the mic often, we'll have [D] some idea, [G] chords, you know, bass, whatever
[Gb] and he [E] will just espouse [A] from the mouth [Bb] and the amazing [A] crazy sounds, all [Ab] manner and myriad
of colors and designs and everything and [Bb] I can actually hear all the words completely
clearly and he can't even hear them.
They're just like [Ab] sounds and notes but we kind of write to that.
I've never done it with anyone else [A] but [Bb]
[A] we do that and then we start sculpting.
Now there are themes and [Bb] lots of other things that we deal [Gm] with, you know, lyrically on
[Bb] the record but [A] certainly within the process [Bb] there is this [A] kind of [N] chance element, if you like.
[B] Everything can be written about in [Gm] some way or another [G] and then you come back to these
books and a year, two years, [A] five years later and that same bit of text that you wrote,
you personally as the author, you know where [G] you were when you wrote that, you know, it's
odd like that but someone else will read it and they'll get an entirely [A] different interpretation
and that's what I love about the [Ab] written word and also what I love about songwriting is
that you can [B] create something that is such a [Ab] defined moment [G] and emotion within yourself
that someone else will have an entirely different interpretation which is as valid, you [Gbm] know,
as anything else.
Every song [F] seemed to really become a character [Eb] on this record, like every song went through
[E] a whole [Eb] different change of [D] clothes and [N]
[E] then sort of left the room and came back, you know,
[Eb] it really had to [Gb] belong.
I would say the [A] centre and the small [Ab] hours in between [A] the [G] highlight and the kind of bacchanalia
[Gb] of the live and DNA and all these kind of [Ab] very out there, you know, almost camp moments
and then to that [G] quiet moment within the centre and then we kind of [Gb] unroll out of there into
the dawn of the new day which is Keeper of the Watch, [G] you know, so [Ab] I feel that the record,
it [F] does have a kind [E] of an [F] evening or an arc journey to it.
[A] There was something that needed to be [F] addressed on this record and [G] principally it was the
tyranny of distance that we had had from each other [Bb] when Luke [G] performed and went out
and did all that and I [Bb] had another life [C] and so when we came back [G] together initially it
felt like a secret affair and it was great but then as you run deeper into that relationship
again there were things [F] that we communicated to each other and, you know, I mean, we're
songwriters, we're not [Dm] orators [G] so we don't mean to communicate it verbally but we do
it through the nature of song, you [A] know.
So I think there was a large part of what we were writing about [F] was distance [G] and longing
and [Bb] [F] I guess some way of kind of sending out a message to the wider world like that there
is a force field that protects all of us [Ab] and no matter where you are, if you feel for someone
and [G] they're in your heart then you're always with them in some [Bb] sense.
[F]
[Am]
[Bb] [F] [Am]
[G] the moment of creation [F] and making things, [G] you don't really know what you're doing.
I mean, you are doing it.
You're in the moment.
[Ab] You understand?
It's like maybe a marathon runner or something like that.
[Bb] They're just trying to get [A] there.
You know, you're not actually
you want to hope and [Bb] think that you put that great
line in, you always loved and that you [Ab] rhymed that so [A] perfectly and this makes
you don't really know.
You know, you come out of [G] that experience, that haze or whatever you want [Bb] to call it.
[F] Let the dust settle and then you can look back at your work.
The first record's so [E] easy that God [Bb] kind of, [F] you know, put a few hurdles and [Bb] tests and
[F] you know, tried us [Dm] a bit more on how [Eb] passionate we were [Cm] about [Am] breaking through to the other side.
[Dm]
[Bb] We have an interesting process.
I [Bb] end up writing most of the words but to be honest, I'm just interpreting what he's singing.
Luke will get on the mic often, we'll have [D] some idea, [G] chords, you know, bass, whatever
[Gb] and he [E] will just espouse [A] from the mouth [Bb] and the amazing [A] crazy sounds, all [Ab] manner and myriad
of colors and designs and everything and [Bb] I can actually hear all the words completely
clearly and he can't even hear them.
They're just like [Ab] sounds and notes but we kind of write to that.
I've never done it with anyone else [A] but [Bb]
[A] we do that and then we start sculpting.
Now there are themes and [Bb] lots of other things that we deal [Gm] with, you know, lyrically on
[Bb] the record but [A] certainly within the process [Bb] there is this [A] kind of [N] chance element, if you like.
[B] Everything can be written about in [Gm] some way or another [G] and then you come back to these
books and a year, two years, [A] five years later and that same bit of text that you wrote,
you personally as the author, you know where [G] you were when you wrote that, you know, it's
odd like that but someone else will read it and they'll get an entirely [A] different interpretation
and that's what I love about the [Ab] written word and also what I love about songwriting is
that you can [B] create something that is such a [Ab] defined moment [G] and emotion within yourself
that someone else will have an entirely different interpretation which is as valid, you [Gbm] know,
as anything else.
Every song [F] seemed to really become a character [Eb] on this record, like every song went through
[E] a whole [Eb] different change of [D] clothes and [N]
[E] then sort of left the room and came back, you know,
[Eb] it really had to [Gb] belong.
I would say the [A] centre and the small [Ab] hours in between [A] the [G] highlight and the kind of bacchanalia
[Gb] of the live and DNA and all these kind of [Ab] very out there, you know, almost camp moments
and then to that [G] quiet moment within the centre and then we kind of [Gb] unroll out of there into
the dawn of the new day which is Keeper of the Watch, [G] you know, so [Ab] I feel that the record,
it [F] does have a kind [E] of an [F] evening or an arc journey to it.
[A] There was something that needed to be [F] addressed on this record and [G] principally it was the
tyranny of distance that we had had from each other [Bb] when Luke [G] performed and went out
and did all that and I [Bb] had another life [C] and so when we came back [G] together initially it
felt like a secret affair and it was great but then as you run deeper into that relationship
again there were things [F] that we communicated to each other and, you know, I mean, we're
songwriters, we're not [Dm] orators [G] so we don't mean to communicate it verbally but we do
it through the nature of song, you [A] know.
So I think there was a large part of what we were writing about [F] was distance [G] and longing
and [Bb] [F] I guess some way of kind of sending out a message to the wider world like that there
is a force field that protects all of us [Ab] and no matter where you are, if you feel for someone
and [G] they're in your heart then you're always with them in some [Bb] sense.
[F]
Key:
Bb
G
A
F
Ab
Bb
G
A
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
In _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ [Am] _
_ _ [G] the moment of creation [F] and making things, [G] you don't really know what you're doing.
I mean, you are doing it.
You're in the moment.
[Ab] You understand?
It's like maybe a marathon runner or something like that.
[Bb] _ They're just trying to get [A] there.
You know, you're not actually_
you want to hope and [Bb] think that you put that great
line in, you always loved and that you [Ab] rhymed that so [A] perfectly and this makes_
you don't really know.
You know, you come out of [G] that experience, that haze or whatever you want [Bb] to call it.
[F] Let the dust settle and then you can look back at your work.
The first record's so [E] easy that God [Bb] kind of, [F] you know, put a few hurdles and [Bb] tests and
_ [F] you know, tried us [Dm] a bit more on how [Eb] passionate we were [Cm] about _ [Am] breaking through to the other side.
_ [Dm] _
_ _ _ _ _ [Bb] We have an interesting process.
I [Bb] end up writing most of the words but to be honest, I'm just interpreting what he's singing.
Luke will get on the mic often, we'll have [D] some idea, [G] chords, you know, bass, whatever
[Gb] and he [E] will just espouse [A] from the mouth [Bb] and the amazing [A] crazy sounds, all [Ab] manner and myriad
of colors and designs and everything and [Bb] I can actually hear all the words completely
clearly and he can't even hear them.
They're just like [Ab] sounds and notes but we kind of write to that.
I've never done it with anyone else [A] but [Bb] _
[A] we do that and then we start sculpting.
Now there are themes and [Bb] lots of other things that we deal [Gm] with, you know, lyrically on
[Bb] the record but [A] certainly within the process [Bb] there is this _ [A] kind of [N] chance element, if you like.
[B] Everything can be written about in [Gm] some way or another [G] and then you come back to these
books and a year, two years, [A] five years later and that same bit of text that you wrote,
you personally as the author, you know where [G] you were when you wrote that, you know, it's
odd like that but someone else will read it and they'll get an entirely [A] different interpretation
and that's what I love about the [Ab] written word and also what I love about songwriting is
that you can [B] create something that is such a [Ab] defined moment [G] and emotion within yourself
that someone else will have an entirely different interpretation which is as valid, you [Gbm] know,
as anything else.
Every song [F] seemed to really become a character [Eb] on this record, like every song went through
[E] a whole [Eb] different change of [D] clothes and [N] _ _
[E] then sort of left the room and came back, you know,
[Eb] it really _ had to [Gb] belong.
I would say the [A] centre and the small [Ab] hours in between [A] the [G] highlight and the kind of bacchanalia
[Gb] of the live and DNA and all these kind of [Ab] very out there, you know, almost camp moments
and then to that [G] quiet moment within the centre and then we kind of [Gb] unroll out of there into
the dawn of the new day which is Keeper of the Watch, [G] you know, so [Ab] I feel that the record,
it [F] does have a kind [E] of an [F] evening or an arc journey to it.
[A] There was something that needed to be [F] addressed on this record and _ _ [G] principally it was the
tyranny of distance that we had had from each other [Bb] when Luke _ [G] performed and went out
and did all that and I [Bb] had another life [C] and so when we came back [G] together initially it
felt like a secret affair and it was great but then as you run deeper into that relationship
again there were things [F] that we communicated to each other and, you know, I mean, we're
songwriters, we're not [Dm] _ orators [G] so we don't mean to communicate it verbally but we do
it through the nature of song, you [A] know.
So I think there was a large part of what we were writing about [F] was distance [G] and longing
and [Bb] _ [F] I guess some way of kind of sending out a message to the wider world like that there
is a force field that protects all of us [Ab] and no matter where you are, if you feel for someone
and [G] they're in your heart then you're always with them in some [Bb] sense.
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ [Am] _
_ _ [G] the moment of creation [F] and making things, [G] you don't really know what you're doing.
I mean, you are doing it.
You're in the moment.
[Ab] You understand?
It's like maybe a marathon runner or something like that.
[Bb] _ They're just trying to get [A] there.
You know, you're not actually_
you want to hope and [Bb] think that you put that great
line in, you always loved and that you [Ab] rhymed that so [A] perfectly and this makes_
you don't really know.
You know, you come out of [G] that experience, that haze or whatever you want [Bb] to call it.
[F] Let the dust settle and then you can look back at your work.
The first record's so [E] easy that God [Bb] kind of, [F] you know, put a few hurdles and [Bb] tests and
_ [F] you know, tried us [Dm] a bit more on how [Eb] passionate we were [Cm] about _ [Am] breaking through to the other side.
_ [Dm] _
_ _ _ _ _ [Bb] We have an interesting process.
I [Bb] end up writing most of the words but to be honest, I'm just interpreting what he's singing.
Luke will get on the mic often, we'll have [D] some idea, [G] chords, you know, bass, whatever
[Gb] and he [E] will just espouse [A] from the mouth [Bb] and the amazing [A] crazy sounds, all [Ab] manner and myriad
of colors and designs and everything and [Bb] I can actually hear all the words completely
clearly and he can't even hear them.
They're just like [Ab] sounds and notes but we kind of write to that.
I've never done it with anyone else [A] but [Bb] _
[A] we do that and then we start sculpting.
Now there are themes and [Bb] lots of other things that we deal [Gm] with, you know, lyrically on
[Bb] the record but [A] certainly within the process [Bb] there is this _ [A] kind of [N] chance element, if you like.
[B] Everything can be written about in [Gm] some way or another [G] and then you come back to these
books and a year, two years, [A] five years later and that same bit of text that you wrote,
you personally as the author, you know where [G] you were when you wrote that, you know, it's
odd like that but someone else will read it and they'll get an entirely [A] different interpretation
and that's what I love about the [Ab] written word and also what I love about songwriting is
that you can [B] create something that is such a [Ab] defined moment [G] and emotion within yourself
that someone else will have an entirely different interpretation which is as valid, you [Gbm] know,
as anything else.
Every song [F] seemed to really become a character [Eb] on this record, like every song went through
[E] a whole [Eb] different change of [D] clothes and [N] _ _
[E] then sort of left the room and came back, you know,
[Eb] it really _ had to [Gb] belong.
I would say the [A] centre and the small [Ab] hours in between [A] the [G] highlight and the kind of bacchanalia
[Gb] of the live and DNA and all these kind of [Ab] very out there, you know, almost camp moments
and then to that [G] quiet moment within the centre and then we kind of [Gb] unroll out of there into
the dawn of the new day which is Keeper of the Watch, [G] you know, so [Ab] I feel that the record,
it [F] does have a kind [E] of an [F] evening or an arc journey to it.
[A] There was something that needed to be [F] addressed on this record and _ _ [G] principally it was the
tyranny of distance that we had had from each other [Bb] when Luke _ [G] performed and went out
and did all that and I [Bb] had another life [C] and so when we came back [G] together initially it
felt like a secret affair and it was great but then as you run deeper into that relationship
again there were things [F] that we communicated to each other and, you know, I mean, we're
songwriters, we're not [Dm] _ orators [G] so we don't mean to communicate it verbally but we do
it through the nature of song, you [A] know.
So I think there was a large part of what we were writing about [F] was distance [G] and longing
and [Bb] _ [F] I guess some way of kind of sending out a message to the wider world like that there
is a force field that protects all of us [Ab] and no matter where you are, if you feel for someone
and [G] they're in your heart then you're always with them in some [Bb] sense.
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _