Wartime Prayers


                         Words and Music by Paul Simon


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  Csus2 (x32010@1)                        C#? (x43121@1)
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                Prayers offered..

   Cadd9 (x32010@1)Bm7 (x20202@1)      A7sus4 (x02020@1)  A|---3S2---|-----0----|-^2--------|---5-----|------------|-12----9-----------| (x02220@1)|-3-----2-|-----3----|-^3--------|-3-------|-------2----|---------10--------|
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|---------|-5--------|-^4--------|-------2-|---2--------|---------------12--|
|---------|----------|-^2--------|---------|-0----------|-------------------|
|---------|----------|-----------|---------|------------|-------------------|
       are silent                           Appeals for love 

                      C (x32010@1)      Em (022000@1)       D (xx0232@1)         
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     Or loves..             in private invocations

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      But all that is changed now                   Gone like amemory (x02210@1)from 

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the day..         People hungry for the voice of God

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|---------|-5--------|---4---------|-------2-|---2------|------------|
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Hear lunatics..                   Wartime prayers
                   
                           C (x32010@1)       Em (022000@1)     D (xx0232@1)|--------------|---------|-----3---|-----3---|---------------|
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|--------------|---------|---------|---------|---------------|
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       Wartime..           In every language spoken,

            C (x32010@1)       Em (022000@1)      D (xx0232@1)       Bbdim (x1333x@1)|---------|-----3---|-----3---|---------|-^0--0--|
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    For every family scattered and broken.

 B (x2444x@1)          A (x02220@1)                  E|--------------7-----7---7-7-----|-0-----0-----0-----0---0-0-0-0-| (022100@1)|--------7-----7-7---7---7-7-----|-2-----2---2-2-2---2---2-0-0-0-|
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|-7------7---7---7---7-------7S2-|---------------------------0-0-|    

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|-7---7---7---7---7---7-------7S2-|---------------------------0-0-|
     Because you... 

    B (x2444x@1)        A (x02220@1)       E (022100@1)   C#m (x13321@4)                 Cmaj7 (x32000@1)         C#? (x43121@1)    strum      strum        3x strum      strum
||--7--------|-0---------0--||-4--------|-4--------|---------------|------------|
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    cannot..   halfway..      rid my..  cleanse..    feel..
    pretend..  genius..
    tap..      little..

   Em (022000@1)         Bm (x24432@1)        Cadd9 (x32010@1)|--0------0-----0-----|---7----5----3----2--|-^2--^2--|---3-^2-|---^0---^0----|
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    Times are hard..   but..   all about hard times

       C#? (x43121@1)                       Bm|-------------------|-----------0--|----------2--|-2--2--2--0-h2--| (x24432@1)|-/10--8p7--------7-|---------0----|---10--8--0--|-0--0--0---0----|
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The thing is, what..            ..you cry?                  and try to  

  Cmaj7 (x32000@1)          Bm7 (x20202@1)            A7sus4 (x02020@1)|---------0------|-------2--------|---5-----|
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 muscle through?   And try to.. but when the   

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wounds are..           and it's all that we can bear,
  
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        We..    selves..   pray   -aay       -ers.        
   
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    B (x2444x@1)        A (x02220@1)       E (022100@1)   C#m (x13321@4)                 Cmaj7 (x32000@1)         C#? (x43121@1)    strum      strum        3x strum      strum
||--7--------|-0---------0--||-4--------|-4--------|---------------|------------|
||o-7--------|-2---------0-o||-5--------|-5--------|-5---5-------5-|-------5----|
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    cannot..   halfway..      rid my..  cleanse..    feel..
    pretend..  genius..
    tap..      little..
   
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    A mother..    twilight sleep

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                   And..    closer 
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       With..                  for..               and kisses

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  on her   shoulders                     to drive 

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 away  despair                         she..    wartime   prayer


Lyrics:

Prayers offered in times of peace are silent conversations, 
Appeals for love or loves release, in private invocations. 

But all that is changed now,  
Gone like a memory from the day before the fires. 
People hungry for the voice of God 
Hear lunatics and liars 

Wartime prayers, wartime prayers 
In every language spoken, 
For every family scattered and broken. 

Because you cannot walk with the holy, 
If you're just a halfway decent man. 
But I don't pretend that I'm a mastermind 
With a genious marketing plan. 

I'm trying to tap into some wisdom, 
Even a little drop would do. 
I want to rid my heart of envy  
And cleanse my soul of rage 
Before I feel. 

Times are hard, hard times, 
But everybody knows all about hard times. 
The thing is, what are you gonna do? 
Will you cry? 
And try to muscle through? 
And try to rearrange your stuff? 
But when the wounds are deep enough, 
And it's all that we can bear, 
We wrap ourselves in prayer. 

Because you cannot walk with the holy, 
If you're just a halfway decent man. 
But I don't pretend that I'm a mastermind 
With a genious marketing plan. 

I'm trying to tap into some wisdom, 
Even a little drop would do. 
I want to rid my heart of envy  
And cleanse my soul of rage 
Before I'm through. 

A mother murmurs in twilight sleep 
And draws her babies closer. 
With hush-a-bies for sleepy eyes, 
And kisses on the shoulder. 
To drive away despair 
She sends a wartime prayer.