Chords for Ink and Needles by Diane Cluck

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ [G] _ Someone's _ ink and needles _ have [C] written skin [B] riddles _ on his body bare [B] before me except
[D] for these sketches.
_ _ _ [G] Signal and semaphore for things [C] he won't talk about.
_ Quiet and [B] shut about [D] his padlocks [G] and latches.
[Em] My fingers trace his pictures [D] and at each [G] his breath catches.
_ [C] He says, why are you bare?
Bare as the day, day you were [Em] born, [D] born from. _ _
_ _ I [C] say, so you can [Em] tattoo me [Am] with [D] the marks of a lie. _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ The red [G] trails of his fingernails, the bumping [Em] palate of his bony hip, [C] the sharp tooth beneath
his [B] softest lip, the [D] kiss obscures the bite.
[C] He sketched [Em] his designs on [D] me all [G] through the night.
_ [C]
He finished and was sleeping [E] so I jumped the [G] early flight.
_ _ [C] Now a thousand [Em] miles away with the passing of the _ [C] days, your [Em] colors fall from my skin
like [D] the moon smooths out the _ waves.
[C] So quietly they left [D] that I didn't see them.
_ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ I don't [G] need ink and needles to write me [C] my excuse.
[B] The body does tattoo itself [D] with old age and abuse.
With [C] lines [Em] pulled from the inside, drawn [D] from pain and [G] _
reverie.
_ [C] My body will tattoo herself [D] with what_
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
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