Chords for Jewel “Who Will Save Your Soul” on the Stern Show (2013)

When you write a great song like Who Will [G] Save Your Soul, when you write a song like that, [A#] it comes out of your misery in a way?
[N] So, like, you're not miserable anymore.
Like, it's almost_
I never wrote miserable.
You know, I wrote Who Will Save Your Soul when I was 16.
I was hoboing.
Where were you at in your life?
Hoboing?
Well, it's interesting.
You know, when I was 16, I got a scholarship to a very prestigious fine arts school.
The money I lacked, I did a fundraiser in my hometown and they helped raise the money to send me to school.
Wow.
Which is remarkable.
How nice is that?
It's amazing.
For spring break, you had to leave campus and I couldn't afford_
I didn't know you had to buy books.
I was so ignorant.
I just showed up with the tuition.
But that's how I was empowered, too.
Nobody prepared you for college or what school is.
You have these two weeks spring break and I had nowhere to go with no money.
And so I thought_
It was amazing to me how here in the States, all the states are so close together.
In a matter of hours, you can be in a whole new state.
Right.
And so I thought I'd hobo by train across the country to San Diego and I'd hitchhike from Tijuana to Cabo
and then take a ferry to the mainland side of Mexico and then_
Isn't it amazing?
What an adventurer you are.
Isn't it amazing?
It sounds incredibly dangerous.
I got on a Greyhound from Traverse City to Detroit.
I spent the night in the Detroit city bus station.
So that's a miracle in itself.
Right.
And then got on a train and I made it to [E] Chicago and that was my first stop.
And my plan was to street [F] sing, except I didn't know anybody's music.
I had just learned chords.
I learned A minor, [F#] C, G and D.
Right.
And I just started making up lyrics.
My dad had taught me to improvise as a kid and just improvise about what was happening.
And so I'd made up lyrics about people walking by and it was my first time in a city, my first time seeing skyscrapers, my first time seeing pop culture, my first time_
I come from a rural community.
It's very grounded, very down to earth and there wasn't this worship of_ Things.
[E] Television and things and wanting to be other people.
And so that's, you know, people living their lives for you on TV.
They wish they were better than you and you agree.
Right.
And just about wealth and power and you love somebody if you're in their will and_
So you start freestyling right on the street and that's where Who Will Save Your Soul came from.
Yeah, I wrote it that whole trip.
So I'd take my change to the office window at the ticket station of Amtrak and they'd give me a ticket for maybe 20 miles down the road or something.
Wow.
And I'd get out and I made it.
It was about three days to San Diego and then I hitchhiked from Tijuana down to Cabo and then took a ferry to the mainland side.
And I took trains all through the Copper Canyons, the Copa de Broncas.
And I just kept writing this song and it got longer and longer and longer and that ended up becoming Who Will Save Your Soul.
Who Will [C] Save Your Soul.
_ _ [G] _ How much of it do you want?
[D] As much as you can handle.
[Am] People living their [C] lives for you [G] on TV.
They say they're [D] better than you and you [Am] agree.
She says hold [C] my calls from behind [G] those cold brick walls.
Just come here [D] boy, there's nothing for free.
Another [A] burger, [C] another hot dog, some [G] fries.
You wishing well, [D] hope your health don't go to [E] hell.
Well, [C] another doctor's bill, a lawyer's bill, [G] another cute, cheap thrill.
You know you'll love them [D] if you put them in your will.
[Am] But who will [C] save your [G] soul when it [D] comes to the flower?
Who [C] will [G] save your soul after [D] all those lies that you told?
[Am] _ [C] Who will save [G] your soul if [D] you won't save your own?
_ _ [C] _ _
[G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ [A] We tried to hustle [C] and tried to bustle and tried to cuss.
And [G] then the cops won't send a [D] bus down on Orleans Avenue.
[Am] Oh, another day, another dollar, another [G] war, another tower went up.
Well, the homeless had their homes.
So we prayed [Am] to as many different gods [G] as there are flowers.
[D] We called religion our [Am] friend.
We're so worried [C] about our safe and our [G] souls.
Afraid that God will take his toll [D] that we forget to begin.
[Am] But who will [C] save [G] your soul when [D] it comes to the babies?
And who your [C] baby will save your soul [D] after all those lies that you told, boy?
[E] Who [C] will save [G] your soul [D] if you won't save your [A] own?
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ And some are walking, some are talking, some are stalking.
They're killed by Social Security.
But that won't pay your bills.
[Am] There's addictions to feed [C] and there are mouths [G] to pay.
So you bargain [D] with the devil, say you're okay today.
[Am] Say that you love them, take [C] their money and run.
[G] Say it's been swell, sweetheart, but it [D] was just one [Am] of those things,
those [C] strings, those flings [G] you got to cut.
So get out on the streets, [D] girls, and bust your [A] butts.
Who [C] will save [G] your soul [D] if it comes to the memories [Am] you had?
[D] Who will save your soul after all those lies that you told?
And who [C] will save your soul [D] if you won't save your [A] _ own?
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ Beautiful.
_ _ [F#m] Wow. _
[B] [N] Oh, I will save your soul, Jewel. _ _ _ _