Chords for Roy Book Binder on Rev. Gary Davis

_ _ Being in New York City back in the, even in the mid-60s, everybody knew that Gary Davis
was in town and he charged $5 for a guitar lesson.
_ I forget who it was, gave me _ Reverend Davis' phone number and I dialed him up.
I was living, I had an apartment by then on East 7th Street I think.
_ _ And I was going to college _ at the New School on some kind of experimental program I wangled myself into. _
_ _ _ And I called up Reverend Davis.
I had the phone number for about two weeks.
I was shy to call him up.
I finally called him up and he said, _ you know, come on over.
So he said, when do you want to come over?
So I said, well, maybe a week from Thursday.
I was a little nervous about it.
_ And he laughed and said, I better come and get it while it's still there.
_ So I went over there on the subway train and the bus and _ _ had a guitar lesson.
It was a frightening experience.
I really wasn't _ capable of absorbing all that he had to give, but it was a nice relationship.
I enjoyed it.
And I went back a few other times.
And then he told me not to come by for two weeks because he was going on tour. _ _ _
_ Manny Greenhill, his manager, had set him up a tour.
He was going to _ _ Chicago to play the _ Quiet _ Night in Old Town.
And then _ in Detroit he was playing the _ Chessmate. _
And then he was doing a Buffalo Folk Festival and a gig at John Hopkins University in Maryland.
_ _ _ So I told him I had $50 saved up, maybe I'd go with him.
And he laughed at me and said that _ $50 wouldn't get me very far.
But before the day was over, he said to be there at 6.30 the next morning and he'd carry
me with him.
_ He said, I need the time with him.
_ And of course I did.
And I took the subway home and _ _ decided to drop out of school and give up my GI Bill
and take a shot, _ never regretting it.
Next morning I was at his house banging on the door at 6.30 and Mother Davis, _ I think
we still called her Sister Davis then before she got promoted, _ and she says, what are you doing here?
I said, well, Reverend Davis said to be at 6.30,. I'm going on tour. She said, well, the train don't leave until 6.30 tonight. _ You come on inside, I'll make you some breakfast. _ I wasn't too crazy about her soul food cooking. I got roped into a few dinners. I was a long-haired vegetarian with a mustache at the time. _ But I ate some _ horrendous things. _ _ _ And then I had to have the breakfast. And it was really a great experience. Reverend Lawrence came over in the afternoon and we all held hands and said a prayer. And off we went to the train station. I guess it was Grand Central Station. Got a flat tire on the way yet, even after the prayer. _ But Reverend Davis and I took the train. It was like 36 hours from _ New York to Chicago. So Reverend Davis kept commenting. He said, good God, to my, this train stopped at every pig path on the road. _ _ I ain't never going to get there. I always used to put him in the smoking car. _ He'd smoke his cigars. _ _ And then _ _ _ I'd go sit down in a regular place for a while. And then I'd come and get him. And he could be in heated _ discussions with old black porters about religion and stuff. It was pretty amazing. Then we got to Chicago, and that was cool. Got picked up by some kid. _ _ Reverend Davis played four nights there. I still have the contract from that gig. Reverend Davis was guaranteed $400 _ _ versus _ 80% of the door _ for the four days. And _ the cover charge was $2. _ _ Didn't make a lot of money. _ He used to get paid and put all the money down as long johns. He used to have his long johns tied off with a string. _ Didn't like to change clothes on the road. _ But Sister Davis gave me instructions, you know, make sure by Tuesday he puts the brown suit on. I said, Reverend Davis, today's Tuesday. He says, yeah. I said, you better put the brown suit on, Sister Davis said. He says, where's Sister Davis? I said, she's home. He said, where are we? I said, _ we're in Chicago. He says, well, we're on the road. We're on the road. I said, yes, sir, Reverend Davis. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Eb] _
_ [F] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [Eb] _
[D] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ Tell you [Eb] a [D] story about a man [C] I once knew. _ _ _ _ [F] Was a blind street [Eb] singing [D] preacher that played [C] some blues. _ _ _ _ _ [Am] His fingers picked the guitar. [F] _ _ [Am] _ They danced up and [F] down the board. [Am] _ Past his days [G] just singing and waiting on [C] the Lord. _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ People [Eb] heard his message. [Fm] They came [C] from miles around. _ _ _ _ _ [F] His pulpit was on the streets [D] up in Harlem. [C] _ Sometimes way downtown. _ _ _ [Am] _ _ Preacher picked [F] the guitar. _ [Am] His hands made the magic [F] chords. _ _ [Am] Past his days [G] just singing, waiting [C] on the Lord. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ One day [Eb] the angels [F] heard him sing. [C] Thought he should be heard. _ _ _ [F] They opened the ears [Eb] around the world [F] so he could [C] spread the word. _ _ _ _ [Am] And his fingers picked the guitar. [F] _ [Am] They danced up and down the [F] board. _ [Am] Past his days [G] just singing and waiting [C] on the Lord. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ [F] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F] Well, he sailed across the ocean [D] of London [C] and France. _ _ _ _ [F] Thanking Jesus every day for giving him [C] that chance. _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ Preacher picked the [F] guitar. _ _ [Am] His hands made the magic [F] chords. [Am] _ Past his days [G] just singing, _ [C] waiting on the Lord. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ [Am] _ _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ _ [Am] _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F] One day his voice [Eb] was quiet. [F] _ [C] His time had come. _ _ _ [F] He knew where he was [Eb] going. [D] _ [C] Where he had just come from. _ _ _ [Am] _ His fingers picked the [F] guitar. [Am] They danced up and down [F] the board. _ [Am] Past his days just [G] singing and waiting. _ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] Well, I told you [Eb] a story [D] about a man [C] I once knew. _ _ _ He [F] was a blind street [Eb] singer and [D] preacher that [C] made some blues. _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ Fingers [F] picked the guitar. [Am] _ They danced up and down [F] the board. _ [Am] Past his days [G] just singing and waiting [C] on the Lord. _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _