jeffrey-lewis-chelsea-hotel-oral-sex-song.txt

        C
Walkin' up 23rd Street
      F
I was tired and alone
       C
It was late my housemate
          F
Would be asleep when I got home
          C
The sign ahead glowin' red
         F
Said the Chelsea Hotel
      C
Where Nancy and Sid Vicious
       F
And my friend Dave once dwelled

               C
The street was black under my feet
         F
Which continued their walkin'
             C
Though I was vaguely interested
       F 
In the folks behind me talkin'
C
Two guys maybe gay
        F
Wearin' Reber type suits
      C
And a girl wearin' glasses
    F
Who looked kinda cute
    C
Her hair was short and curly
          F
She had a tattoo on her back
              C
Which I could see cos her red shirt
F
Was sleeveless with straps
      C
But I only saw this later
F
Not in my first glance
            C
But I could hear her talkin behind me
F
 And as if by chance
        C
She was tryin' to describe
  F
A song I knew well
    C
The Leonard Cohen song
          F
About the Chelsea Hotel

      C
And I smiled a smile 
     F
to myself When she said
             C
That was the song where he talks about
        F
Someone giving him head
       C
On the bed that's unmade
            F
And how the song was outrageous
    C
And that's when I got
           F
Uncharacteristicly courageous
             C
I could have left the three of them laughin'
    F
And just gone on home
      C
But I turned and I faced her
           F
And I said Leonard Cohen?
                     C
.....just like that....

F
        C
She was shocked and surprised
        F
But she looked very happy
         C
That she now had a witness
   F
To back up her story
    C
She looked at me
         F
With her spectacled eyes
    C
And said "see I told u"
       F
To the two other guys

C
My tale might have ending 
F
right there and then
    C
But we started talkin' 
      F
about Leonard Cohen
        C
How his lyrics were cool
           F
And how he sang so sincere
        C
That it must have been true
       F
And it happened right here
           C
And though usually women 
             F
right of the bat don't find me that great
    C
But there we were
             F
laughin' and strollin' like we could really relate
C         
 Although we didn't mention the head line
F
 It was alluded
        C
And our conversation was better
        F
Cos her friends were not included
              C
The guys were more into each other
                F
At least that's how it seemed to me
  C
I heard the faint knocking 
   F
of opportunity
              C
Although it's easy for me now
 F
Upon my looking back
            C
To think of all the things I could have said
   F
To make me the mac
              C
Just keep the sad truth in mind
     F
As I tell this to you
        C
That we really only talked
      F
For a minute or two
      C
And I never got her name
        F
And she never got mine
            C
But in this couple short minutes
         F
We had a pretty good time

C        
 And on top of that
        F
Tho you may not believe it
    C  
You know what she says to me next
F   
 As I repeat it
     C
That line about gettin the blow job
F
That Leonard sings
    C
She said it made her
          F
Want to do naughty things
C
Right about then
              F
I should have asked if she knew
C
 What the Chelsea charged
      F
If we got a room for two
      C
But I didn't and I know
      F
I'm a schmuck, don't you doubt it
    C
The only thing I did
               F
Was write this stupid song about it
   C
If I was Leonard Cohen
              F
Or some other song writing master
            C
I'd know to first get the oral sex
         F
And then write the song after
        C
You can practice writing songs
      F
About romance every day
       C
But if you haven't loved
                 F
Then you'll have nothing to say
              C
We could have given each other head
             F
On Leonard's same unmade bed
          C
But I was too shy to suggest it
F
And so instead
         C
When the three of them stopped
        F
To look through a pub window
C
I said good night
      F
Tho I had not quite meant to
    C
And waved as we walked
         F
though I would not forget her
C
Especially since she mysteriously said
F
said see you later

       C
So now every time I'm walking
  F
I hope that we'll meet
       C
And on purpose
               F
I always go up 23rd Street
          C
Where the sign glowin' red
         F
Says the Chelsea Hotel
      C
Where Nancy and Sid Vicious
       F
And my friend Dave's once dwelled
C
Life doesn't work out
           F
The way it does in old songs
       C
That's why we sing new ones
            F
To say what really goes on
        C
So if I see her again
       F
And we pick up right where it ended
C
 Maybe I'll play her this song
          F
Maybe she wouldn't get too offended
C                      
 Now if you listen I'll 
F
 tell u why
        C
There's more to this situation
     F
Than meets the eye
    c
You may think it's sad
F
 You may think it's pathetic
     C
That I sing this song
         F
And that she'll never know it
C
 But think a minute 
F
 'bout what that means
C
 And you'll realise it's actually 
  F
a wonderful thing
     C
That all around the world
             F
There may be folks singin' tunes
        C
For the love of other folks
     F
That they barely knew
       C
And it puts a smile 
      F
on my face, yes it do
           C
And let me tell you
                F
You ought to be smilin too
        C
Cos the next time you feelin'
      F
Kinda lonesome and blue
                C
Just think that someone somewhere
         F
Might be singin' about you
C
 So who knows if I'll ever 
F
 see her again
            C
Maybe we'll see this whole time
                    F
She could have been singing about me
C
 Probably not
       F        C  F  C
But it could be