Charlie Parker Chords by Jack Kerouac

_ _ _ _ [Dm] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ [Gm] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [D] Charlie Parker [Abm] looked [B] like [Gm] Buddha.
_ [F] Charlie Parker, [Bb] who [F] recently died laughing at a juggler on TV. _
[Bb] After [Bb] weeks of strain and sickness, _ [F] was called the perfect musician.
_ _ [G] And his expression on his [F] face was as calm, [C] beautiful, [Ab] and [Bb] profound as the image of the Buddha,
_ represented in the East.
_ The lidded eyes, [Eb] the [F] expression that says, [G] all is well. _ _
_ [Am] _ _ _ [Abm] _ This was what Charlie [Gm] Parker said when he [Fm] played, all [E] is well.
He had the [Gm] feeling of early in the morning, [Bb] like a hermit's joy,
[F] or like the perfect cry of some wild gang at a jam session, whale, [G] whop! _ _
[Bb] Charlie burst his lungs to reach the speed of what the speedsters [Bbm] wanted,
and what they [Db] wanted was his eternal _ [Gm] slowdown. _
[Db] _ _ A great musician, [Am] and a great creator of forms,
that ultimately [Dm] find expression [Bb] in mores and what have you. _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] Musically as [Eb] important as [Bb] Beethoven, yet not regarded [F] as such at all.
_ [Eb] A genteel [D] conductor of string [Am] orchestras, in front of which he [E] stood,
[Abm] proud and [Gm] calm, _ like a leader of music in the [C] great historic world [G] night.
_ [Bb] And wailed his little saxophone, the alto, [F] _ [Am] with piercing [Gm] clear lament,
[F] _
in perfect tune and shining [G] harmony, [Gb] toot! _
[F] As listeners reacted, [Bb] without showing it, _
[F] _ and began [G] talking,
and soon [Db] the whole joint is rocking and [D] talking, and everybody [Abm] talking,
and Charlie Parker [Bb] whistling them on to the brink of eternity
with his Irish St.
Patrick [Bb] batoodle stick.
_ _ And like the holy mist, we blop and we plop, in the waters of slaughter, _
[F] and white meat, and [E] die, one after [G] one, in [A] time.
_ [Am] _ _ [Abm] And how sweet a story it is [Gm] when you hear Charlie Parker tell it,
_ [C] either [Bb] on records, or at sessions, [Eb] or at [Gm] official bits in [Db] clubs, _
[F] _ shots in the arm for the [Bb] wallet. _ _
[F] Gleefully he whistled [Ab] the perfect horn, [Gm] anyhow it made no [C] difference. _
_ [Cm] Charlie Parker, forgive me, _ _ [Bb] forgive me for not answering your eyes, _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ for not having made an [Gm] indication of that which you can [Am] devise.
_ _ [F] Charlie Parker, [Bbm] pray for me, _ pray for me [Eb] and everybody,
_ _ in the [F] nirvanas of your [B] brain, where [F] you hide, indulgent [Ab] and huge.
[Gb] No [Am] longer, Charlie Parker, with the secret [Abm] unsayable name,
[Gm] that carries with it merit, not to be measured from here to up, [C] down, east or west.
_ [G] _
[Db] Charlie Parker, _ [F] lay the bane [Db] off me and everybody.
[F] _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _ _ _