Tar And Cement:Verdelle Smith.
#38 on BB Hot 100 on CAPITOL
Records in 1966.

INTRO: G A

#1.
A                                  E
The town I came from was quiet and small..

we played in the meadows where the grass 
        A
grew so tall.
A                          Gbm       E
In summer the lilacs would grow everywhere..
E                                           A
the laughter of children would float in the air.
A                        E
As I grew older I had to roam..far from my family, 
            A
far from my home.
A                                 E
Into the city, where lives can be spent..lost in 
                       A
the shadows of tar and cement.

CHORUS:
A         Gbm
And every night I'd sit alone and learn what 
           A               Gbm    Db   Gbm
loneliness meant..up in my rented room above the 
                 A
world of tar and cement.

#2.
A                                    E    Bm
Each day I'd wake up and look at the sky..think of 
                  E         A
the meadows where I used to lie.
A                               E
Then I'd remember all of that's gone..you're in the city, 
                A
you better push on.
A                                      E
Get what you came for, before it's too late..get what 
                              A
you came for, the meadows can wait.

CHORUS:
A         Gbm
And every night I'd sit alone and learn what 
           A               Gbm    Db   Gbm
loneliness meant..up in my rented room above the 
                 A
world of tar and cement.

#3.
A                          E
Many years later, tired at last, I headed for home to 
            A
look for my past.
A                                        E
I looked for the meadows, there wasn't a trace..six lanes 
                           A
of highway had taken their place.
                                        E
Where were the lilacs and all that they meant..nothing but 
                 A
acres of tar and cement.

BRIDGE:
           Gbm                                        A
Yet, I can see it there so clearly, now..where has it gone?
A          Gbm                                        A    E Gbm
Yes, I can see it there so clearly, now, where has it gone?

OUTRO:
A                       Gbm
Where are the meadows? (tar and cement)
A                      Gbm
where are the lilacs? (tar and cement)
A                             Gbm
And where is the tall grass? (tar and cement)
    A                      Gbm
The laughter of children? (tar and cement)
A                  Gbm              A
Nothing but acres (tar and cement)..acres and acres..
 Gbm
(tar and cement) (Fade.)


A sixties smash from Kraziekhat.