Hope and Despair

Edwyn Collins

/ Hope And Despair
Coffee Table Song
50 Shades Of Blue
You’re Better Than You Know
Pushing It To The Back Of My Mind
If Ever You’re Ready
Darling, They Want It All
Wheels Of Love
Beginning of the End
Measure Of A Man
Testing Time
Let Me Put My Arms Around You
Wide Eyed Child In Me
/ Hellbent On Compromise
Means To An End
You Poor Deluded Fool
It Might As Well Be You
Take Care Of Yourself
Graciously
Someone Else Besides
My Girl Has Gone
Now That It’s Love
Everything And More
What’s The Big Idea
Time Of The Preacher / Long Time
Gone
/ Gorgeous George
The Campaign For Real Rock
A Girl Like You
Low Expectations
Out Of This World
If You Could Love Me
North Of Heaven
Gorgeous George
It's Right In Front Of You
Make Me Feel Again
Keep On Burning
I've Got It Bad
Subsidence
The Moron Song
/ I’m Not Following You
It’s A Steal
Magic Piper (Of Love)
Seventies Night
No One Waved Goodbye
Downer
Keep On Burning
Running Away With Myself
Country Rock
For The Rest Of My Life
Superficial Cat
Adidas World
I’m Not Following You
/ Doctor Syntax
Never Felt Like This
Should've Done That
Mine Is at
No Idea
The Beatles
Back to the Back Room
Splitting up
Johnny Teardrop
20 Years Too Late
It's a Funny Thing
Calling on You

Hope and Despair

Coffee Table Song

What is your number?
My number is zero
And what is your colour?
My colour is blue
What is your secret?
Why that would be telling
Well what is your problem?
My problem is you
I'll turn my back on it all
I'll stand, and I'll face
My living room wall
Well that's really something
What is your star sign?
You've got to be kidding
Well what is the answer?
I wish I knew
What is the time?
It's time I was leaving
Why what is your problem?
My problem is you
Tell me something that I don't know
Make it brief, to the point, like a fatal blow
Since time out of mind I have loved you so
There's a place I know where we both could go
I would swim the seven seas
I would crawl upon my knees
Just to get there
I would crawl upon my knees
I would swim the seven seas
Just to get there or be there, somewhere out there
Like a fatal blow, like an open sore
Like a heart that's torn in two
That's really something

50 Shades Of Blue

Intro

F# A E F# A E

E F#

Sally Blue, sheup and left me;
A B E

She couldn't stand to live in poverty.

E F#
So I painted a self-portrait in 50 shades of blue

A
And in this moment of weakness

E
I'm showing it to you.

Chorus:

E F#

Maybe I'm wrong and maybe she's right

A E
I see things in shades of blue, she sees things in black and white.
E F#

She told me once, and she told me twice

A E
I never listened to her advice,now I'm payin' a heavy price.

I've been blessed with some bright ideas,
so bright I thought that they were heaven-sent.
But now I'm 6 months in arrears
divine inspiration sure don't pay the rent.
So I'm wrong and maybe she's right;
I see things in shades of blue,
she sees things in black and white.
She told me once and she told me twice;
I never listen to her advice,
now I'm payin' a heavy price.
Sally, do you think that we could start anew?
It's getting mighty lonesome without you.
Well, she told me once and she told me twice;
I never listen to her advice,
now I'm payin' a heavy price.
So I'm wrong, just maybe she's right;
I see things in shades of blue,
she sees thing in black and white.
Fifty,
fifty shades of blue.
Oh, yeah!
Fifty,
fifty shades of blue.
Yeah!
Fifty,
fifty shades of blue.

You’re Better Than You Know

Intro (based on A A7 Asus4 Dm I think??)

A A7 D Dm

Haven’t you guessed they just couldn’t care less

A A7 D Dm

And don’t believe them when they say they do

A A7 D Dm

They’ve just got to sell their message to you

A A7 D Dm A

And I’m beginning to doubt that there’s any way out

Chorus:

A Am7

But then again I tell you

D A

You’re better than you know

A Am7

And given time and encouragement

D A

Your confidence will grow

Am7

Then turn your back on them

You’re better than you know

So bide your time and maybe you’ll find

That you’ve nothing but your troubles to lose

Don’t let these words of sound advice be misconstrued

Cause I’m beginning to see

that it’s all down to me

Chorus

I just dropped by to tell you

You’re better than you know

And given time and encouragement

Your confidence will grow

Then turn your back on them

You’re better than they know

You’re so much better, you’re better than they know

Pushing It To The Back Of My Mind

Intro (Steel guitar plays a G Gmaj7 AmDsus2/Dsus4 thing)

Am Am7 D Dsus2 G Gmaj7 G6 G7

Looks like all my high falutin plans have fallen through

Am Am7 D Dsus2 G Gmaj7 G6 G7

Leaving me to pick up the pieces and start anew

Bm C

I’m well aware there’s something wrong

Bm C

Something I don’t care to put my finger on

So I’ll keep

Chorus:

Gmaj7 G6 Am D

Pushing it to the back of my mind

Gmaj7 G6 Am D

You see to all intents and purposes I’m fine

Gmaj7 G6 Am D

Long as I keep pushing it to the back of my mind

Am G Am G

‘Cause this is not the place and this is not the time

Am G Am Bm C

To open up my heart and lay it on the line

Looks like my high flying fair weather friends have flown

Leaving me to cope with this problem on my own

They’re well aware there’s something wrong

Something I don’t care to put my finger on

So I’ll keep

Chorus:

Bm C

This old world has long since shed it’s innocence

Bm C D

And the smile upon my face is only worn as a defence

Key change here. The chords go G#maj/G#maj7, A#m (or Bbm?), D#maj (or Ebmaj?) for the outro.

Chorus

I’ll keep pushing it

Darling, They Want It All

You can chop and change it

And you can rearrange it

Darling, they want it all

G# D#

Darling, they want it all

But you can’t escape them and you can’t placate them

Darling, they want it all

G# D#

Darling, they want it

Those picked/sliding notes over the next bit go something like this

An all you’ve got to give them is

Something for everyone

G# A#

They’ll make you walk or before you crawl

D# C#

Darling, they want it all

G# D#

Darling, they want it all

They may make or break you

They may grow to hate you

Darling, they want it all

‘Cause it’s break or bust

If you catch my thrust

Darling, they want it all

So why try to defy them

Deny, decry or pacify them

You’ll learn to walk or else you’ll crawl

Darling, they want it all

(the rest of the song uses the same chords with slight variations)

Wheels Of Love

Intro

D Dmaj7 G Asus4 A

Tom was a lush with a crush on a girl named Rene

D Dmaj7 G Asus4 A

At evening his longing would turn to abject dismay

Bm G

Evil comes in many guises

F#m G

Many shapes and many sizes

Em D

It’s in the bottle it’s in the glass

A D

That falls to the floor with a sickening crash

He needs her right now

And he wants her and how

Chorus: (This sounds like it is based on a D G Em Asus4/A chord sequence but the open shape of the intro gets played. Spacious and free)

D G Em? Asus4/A

He’s got a notion to set the wheels of love in motion

Tom took a drive to the dive where he drank every day

He looked up askance when by chance in walked Rene

She sat down beside him indulged him a little

Bowling him over like a skittle

But feeling certain that she was bored

He lowered his eyes to the swirling floor

He needs her right now

And he wants her and how

Chorus:

He’s got a notion to set the wheels of love in motion

G F#m Em

Now Tom don’t need no keepsake to remember that girl by

G F#m Em A

If they mention her in passing he’ll turn his head and sigh

Chorus:

He’s got a notion to set the wheels of love in motion

A drunken notion to set the wheels of love in motion

Beginning of the End

Intro

A F#m G A

Am G D

He wore a crooked smile

Am G D

Upon his stupid face

Am G D

Shambling down the twisting pathway

Am G D

With a studied lack of grace

Am G D

Cursing and a swearing

Am G D

To goad some passer-by

Am G D

Then he stands with scarecrow arms askew

Am G D

Beneath a light of cobalt blue

Chorus:

A C

And it’s just the beginning, the beginning of the end

G D

And before too long you know they’ll be coming for you my friends

Cursin’ and a swearing

To goad some passer-by

Then he throws down the gauntlet

And he looks straight in the eye

Of the one eyed vagabond

Who promptly knocks him to the ground

Leaving him bruised and bankrupt

By the all-night filling station

Lying on his back on the cold tarmac

Crying with frustration

Chorus:

Well he picked himself up off the ground

Then he dusted himself down

Then he walked out under a starless night

In dire need of a guiding light

Ranting and raving, a bitter tirade

Heading for nowhere fast

Except, perhaps, an early grave

Chorus:

Don’t tell me this is the beginning

The beginning of the end

‘Cause I heard these lines

A thousand times before my friends

Measure Of The Man

Chorus:

He turned his back and ran

G#m F#m A B

And now the people say that’s the measure of the man

He said catch me if you can

G#m F#m A

And now the people say that’s the measure of that man

(??? Chords here)

C#m G#m

All that he had left behind

G#m7 F#m7

He’d gladly trade for better times

C#m G#m G#m7 F#m7

Oh, how sad he can’t cope it’s too bad

Chorus:

Escaping from the daily grind

Searching for some peace of mind

Chorus:

The lonesome whistle blows now

The factory gates are closed now

And they’ve all gone home

Testing Time

D (alternate with Dmaj 7)

I’m uncertain where I stand

Bm G(Gmaj7) A

Should I run to you like a broken man

G A

My cap in my left hand my heart in my right

Bm G F#m Em

It seems to me that the end’s in sight

Chorus:

It’s a testing time

Yes it’s a testing time

C G

And I can’t see the reason nor the rhyme

In this testing time

In September the storm clouds gathered

Now the ill winds are howling a-fowling the air

With a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye

I’d give anything to put paid to this lie

Chorus:

And we’re laying our lives on the line

In this testing time
Let Me Put My Arms Around You

Dm F

All washed up with no place to go

Am I to walk these naked streets

For a hundred years or more?

Bbmaj7 Fmaj7

I had a taste of just how good it could be

There’s some place just beyond my grasp

Where I’ll find sanctuary

Chorus:

Bb Dm

Let me put my arms around you

F/Fmaj7

Like I done when we were young

How will I find my heart’s desire?

I’ll jump out of the frying pan

And into your arms

Come on surprise me, go on, tantalise me

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

I’ll find my sanctuary

Chorus:

Let me put my arms around you

Like I done when we were young

Outro:

Bb Dm

Let me put my arms around you

Fma7 B G

Like I done so many times before, before

Before la la

Aaug

La la la la___la la

La la la__ la la la la la la

Bbm

La la la la la la

Wide Eyed Child In Me

D A

Just give me two good reasons

D G

Why you find me so displeasing

D A D

And I’ll gladly go the way I came

D A

But there’s no method in your madness

D G

Only unforgiving sadness

D A D

And to leave right now just seems insane

Chorus:

I guess it’s just the pace of life

That’s tearing us apart

Running rings around our hearts

D D7

Before we’ve even started

And yet the wide eyed child in me

D Bm

Still controls my destiny

G A D

Still believes our dreams will be fulfilled

And if I’m too demanding

It’s just a lack of understanding

‘Cause I know sometimes it’s hard for you to cope

But I’ve given you a rainbow

Vaguely wishing that our love could grow

Now I’ve nothing left to offer you but hope

Chorus

Ghost Of A Chance

D A

I ain’t longing for an earth shaking romance

D A

Ain’t partaking in some revolutionary stance

D A

I ain’t trying to find some place to hide

D A

I’m quite content on the outside

D A

I ain’t searching for a brand new sound

D A

I’m quite happy with the one I found

D A

I’m just looking for the ghost, the ghost of a chance

D A

All I want is the ghost, the ghost of a chance

Some people like to waste each precious day

Viewing life through an alcoholic haze

Well despite what you’ve been told or think

I ain’t never touched the demon drink

‘Cause I’m sound of body and of mind

And what’s more I’m witty and refined

So just give me the ghost, the ghost of a chance

All I want is the ghost, the ghost of a chance

C#m Bm D (E) A

I know you gave me credit, credit where it’s due

C#m Bm D A

But if one of us is lying the likelihood is it’s you

So don’t write off what you don’t understand

So much power in such cruel unfeeling hands

And you’d like to think you sympathise

But there’s one thing you don’t realise

But it’s not enough to say you care

Yet still be really unaware

That the people need the ghost of a chance, the ghost of a chance

Everybody needs the ghost, the ghost of a chance

Why don’t you give me the ghost of a chance

Hope And Despair

G C G

Now is the time

G C G

To show that you care

Am D

You were offered hope

G C G

But you chose despair

Well you won’t know what hit you

When it all comes down

You will crawl through the rubble

Of your one-horse town

But beware the false prophet

Who foretells of this doom

Sitting smug and complacent

In his mansion house room

C Am C/Am7 (D) G

Well he poisoned the bride and ran off with the groom

C Am Am7 D D7

Now he travels by night ‘neath a world weary moon

He’s a wandering minstrel

In a badly cut suit

Resplendent with afro

And electric lute

And he’s speaking in riddles

And he’s speaking in tongues

Whilst he plays through a fuzzbox

To an audience of one

And he’s speaking in riddles

And he’s shrieking in tongues

But his words fall like snowflakes

Which melt in the sun

So now is the time

To show that you care

You were offered hope

But you chose despair

You were offered hope

So why chose despair?

Hellbent on Compromise

Means To An End

Am F

Seduced by your indifference and your lack of inhibition

G Am

He feels he has to take you cause he wants what you can’t give him

Am F

You’ll receive your invitation, you’ll be summonsed to his chambers

G Am

Where he’ll talk at you for hours in the gibberish of an idiot.

Chorus:

F G Am

But you’ve heard too many lies, who cares? Who’s keeping score?

F G Am

You’ve heard too many lies,who cares about one more?

F G Am

One more lie – it’s just the means towards an end

F G Em

Justifying the need for our pretence

F G Am F

In the end there’s no shelter from the rain

So he offers you the world

And you say ‘beggars can’t be choosers’

There’s no time for indecision

Indecision is for losers

Now his money’s on the table

So you know he was not bluffing

Go and sell all you believe in

For a tiny stake in nothing

But you’ve heard too many lies

Who cares? Who’s keeping score?

You’ve heard too many lies

Who cares about one more?

One more lie – it’s just the means towards an end

Justifying the need for our pretence

In the end there’s no shelter from the rain

You Poor Deluded Fool

G Gmaj7 F C F

What in the world’s it coming to? There was a time I felt you knew

C G

And in desperation I followed you

G Gmaj7 F

They said you were wise beyond your years

C F

Not for yourself you cried those tears

C G

But no one asked you for your sympathy

Chorus:

F C G

He rides into town astride a mule

F C G Gaug

Pity the poor deluded fool

Cmaj7

It’s not that no one wants you.

It’s just your past that haunts you

G Gaug

When you broke every rule

Cmaj7 G7

Ignored every cue

C D G

You poor deluded fool

You were so headstrong and so proud

How could they think that you’d kow tow?

That’s the one thing you could not allow

You were the first, you’ll be the last

Something that’s far beyond their grasp

No matter. What’s passed has passed

He rides into town astride a mule

Pity the poor deluded fool

And if they should reject you

You know I’ll still respect you

When they’re playing it cool and

So unspeakably cruel

Good luck you crazy fool

It Might As Well Be You

F Bb F Bb Bb F

You might think that I’ve had it ea---sy

F Bb F Bb F

That’s not the way it’s been

F Bb F Bb Bb F

Let me tell you that I’ve had to struggle

F Bb F Bb F

To hold on to my dream

Call me self-indulgent

Admittedly that’s true

But right now I need a sounding board

Gm C