Tabbed by: Johan Watchtower

Intro   E ? A ? F#m ? A

E               A  
Lord, I'm discouraged
F#m                                    A
The circles have sucked in her eyes
E               A  
Lord, I'm discouraged
F#m                                                A
Her new friends have shadowed her life
E               A  
Lord, I'm discouraged
F#m                                      A
She ain't come out dancing for some time

E                                    A  
And I'm trying to light candles
F#m                              
But they burn down to nothing
A
And she keeps coming up with
E      D9      A
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
E                         D9
There's a house on the south side
                      A
Where she stays in for days at a time

I know I'm no angel
I ain't been bad that way
Can't you hear her?
She's that sweet missing songbird
When the choir sings on Sundays
And I'm almost busted
[ The Hold Steady Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ] 
But I bought back the jewellery she sold

And I come to your altar
And then there's just nothing
And she keeps insisting
The sutures and bruises are none of my business
She says that she's sick
But she won't get specific
The sutures and bruises are none of my business
This guy from the north side
Comes down to visits
His visits, they only take five or six minutes

Bm           C#m          A (Not sure about this part)
Lord, I'm sorry to question your wisdom
But my faith has been wavering
Won't you show me a sign,
And let me know that you're listening?

Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
I know it's unlikely she'll ever be mine
So I mostly just pray she don't die



Awesome song from one of the best albums 2008.