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A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers

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Van der Graaf Generator - A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
play some power chords if you want, or feel free to complete it for me. 
(Eyewitness)
DmStill wait ing for  my  sav-iour, storms tear me limb from limb
Cmy fingers feel like seaweed. I'm  so  far  out I'm too far Dmin.
DmI am a lonely man, my solitude is true,
Cmy eyes have borne stark witness and now my nights are nuDmmbered, too.
CI've seen the smiles on Amdead Bmhands,
Emthe stars shine, but they're Cnot for Amme.
DmI prophesy disaster and then I count the cost...
CI shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am aDmlmost lost.
DmOn the table lies blank paper and my tower is built on stone;
CI only have blunt scissors, I only have the bluDmntest home.
CI've been the witness and the Amseal of Bmdeath
Emlingers in the molten wax that Cis my Amhead.
DmWhen you see the skeletons
Bbof sailing-ship spars sinking low
AbYou'll begin to wonder if the points of all the ancients myths
Gare solemnly directed straight Dmat you...
DmNo time now for contrition, the time for that's long past,
Cthe walls are thin as tissue and if I talk I'll crack Dmthe glass.
CSo I only think on how it Ammight have Bmbeen,
Emlocked in silent monologue, in Csilent Amscream.
DmI am much too tired to speak
Bband as the waves crash on the bleak
Abstones of the tower I start to freak
Gand find that I am ovDmercome....
(S.H.M.)
G"Unreal, unreal" ghost  helmsmen scream and fall in through the sky,
Gnot breaking through my seagull shrieks - no breaks until I die.
AmThe spectres scratch on window-slits,
Bmthe hollowed faces and mindless grins
Care only intent on Am/Bdestroying what they've Amlost.Ab  G  F#  
GI crawl the wall till steepness ends in the vertical fall;
Gmy pain has sailed into the sea -no joking hopes at dawn.
AmWhite bone shine in the iron-jaw mask,
Bmlost mastheads pierce the freezing dark
Cand parallel my Am/Bisolated Amtower...
no Gparaffin Ffor the Emflame,
no Dmharbour Cleft to Bmgain.Am  
(Presence of the night / Kosmos tours)
  Am                      Fmaj7 (or Am/F or Am6 call it what you want)
---------------------------------------|
---1----------------------1------------|
---2----------------------2------------|
---2----------------------2------------|
-0-----------------2----------------0--|
---------------------3----1-----0h1----|
                 Am[     B  G]      Fmaj7[ E   F  A]
'Alone, alone' the ghosts all call,
                Am[   B  G]    Fmaj7[ E   F  A]
pinpoint me in the light.
          Am[   B  G]    Fmaj7[ E   F  A]
The only life I feel at all
                    Am[ B  G]   Fmaj7[ E   F  A]
is the presence of the night.
   Am[ B  G]   Fmaj7[ E   F  A]   repeated
[ E   F  G] Am  
[ E   F  G] Am  
n.C.         
Would you cry if I died?
--G----Em-6-Dm5---Em-6-Dm5---| -Am----Am-8--Em-7----Am-8--Em7--|
-------8-6----8-6---| ------10--8-----10-8--|
-------7-7----7-7---| ------9---9-----9--9--|
--5-----------------| ----------------------|
--------------------| --0-------------------|
--------------------| ----------------------|
GWould Emyou Dmcatch the Emfinal Dmwords of mine?
GWould Emyou Dmcatch Emmy Dmwords?
AmI kAmnow Emthat there's Amno Emtime,
AmI kAmnow Emthat there's Amno Emrhyme,
false signs find me.
(You don't have to play it this way, I just thought it would be fun.)
          Am        Em/B       Am/C         Em/D       Am/E  Em/ F  
----8---------7---------8--------7----------8--------7------|
------10--------8---------10-------8----------10-------8----|
------------------9------------------9-------------------9--|
-------------------------------0----------------------------|
--0---------------------------------------7--------8--------|
------------7---------8-------------------------------------|
--Am8-----8-------Em7-----7------Am5--|
----10----10------8-----8----5--|
-------9-----8------9-----9--5--|
-----------------------------7--|
--0-----0--------------------0--|
----------------0-----0---------|
AmI don't Emwant to hateAm, I just Emwant to grow;
Amwhy can't EmI let me Amlive and be free?
...but I Emdie very slowly Amalone.
AmI know Emno more waysAm, I am Emso afraid,
Ammyself Emwon't let me Amjust be myself
Emand so I am completely alAmone.
AmThe maelstrom of my memory
Bmis a vampire and it feeds on me;
Cnow, staggering madlyC/B, over the brink I Amfall.
C#  F#  F
C#Lighthouses F#might house the FkeyBb  C  Bb  
C#but can I F#reach the Fdoor?C  C#  Eb  
Bb-------------------Bbdim-----------------A---------------Ddim-----C7---|
----------6----------------5----------------5--------6--5--|
--------7---7------------6---6------------6---6------4--3--|
------8-------8--------5-------5--------7-------7----6--5--|
----8-----------8----7-----------7----7-----------7--5--3--|
--6----------------6----------------5----------------------|
C#I want to F#walk on the Fsea Bb  C  Bb  
C#so that I mF#ay better find Fa shore;C  C#  Eb  
Bbbut how can BbdimI ever kAeep my feet Fdry?
E7I  Ascan Athe AhoGriFzon,
E7I  Amust Akeep Amy Geyes Fon Dmall Am/Cparts of Bmme.
C#Looking F#back on the Fyears Bb  C  Bb  
C#it seems that I have F#lost Fmy way:C  C#  Eb  
BbLike a dog in the Bbdimnight I have run to a Amanger,
now I am the Fstranger I Estay in.
    C#    D#AhE, well.
C#All of the F#grief I Fhave seenBb  C  Bb  
C#leaves me chasinF#g solitary Fpeace;C  C#  Eb  
BbBut I hold Bbdimexperience Ain my hFead.
E7I'm Atoo Aclose Ato Gthe Flight,.
E7I  Adon't Athink AI Gsee Fright, 
Dmfor I Am/Cblind Bmme.
CWhere is the God that Bguides Cmy Ghand?
CHow can the hands of BothCers Freach me?
CWhen will I find what BI Cgrope Gfor?
CWho is gBoing Cto Fteach me?
CI am me / Bbme are we / Cwe can't Bbsee
Cany Bbway Bout of here.
CCrashing sea,  Bba trophied Chistory:
Bbchance Chas lBost my Guinevere...
A A A  B A G# B A G# B A Eb
 C   C   B   C   G-  C   C   B   C   F-  C   C   B   C   G-  C   C   B   C  F  
C Bb C Bb C Bb B
C Bb C Bb C Bb B
A A A  B A G# B A G# B A Eb
I don't want to be one wave in the water
but sea will drag me deep:
one more haggard drowned man.
I can see the lemmings coming, but I know I'm just a man.
Do I join or do I founder? Which can is the best I may?
(Land's end (Sineline) / We go now)
  Eb    Bb   GbAbsus
EbOceans drifting Bbsideways, I am Gbpulled into the Abspell,
[ Ab  Bb]          Bb[ Bb  C]    C  Ab7/ C    Bb7  Eb  
I        feel you around  me, I know you well.
Stars slice Bbhorizons where the Gblines stand much tAboo stark;
[ Ab  Bb]          Bb[ Bb  C]    C  Ab7/         C      Bb7  Eb  
I        feel I am drowning - hands stretch in the dark.
   Bb     Gb    Ab[ Ab  Bb]          Bb[ Bb  C] C  
  C  Bb7/ D    C7  F  
FCamps of panoply anCd majesty, what is EbFreedom of BbChoice?
[ Bb  C]                    C[ C  D]     D  Bb7/ D      C7  F  
   Where do I stand in the pageantry, whose is my voice?
It doesn't feel so very Cbad now, EbI think the end is the Bbstart,
[ Bb  C]               C[ C  D]    D  Bb7/      D      C7  F  
   begin to feel very glad now: All things are a part
Bb7/      D      C7  F  
All things are apart
Bb7/      D      C7  F  
All things are a part.

All chords in this song (24)

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A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers

by Van der Graaf Generator

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Am/B

Fmaj7

Em/B

Am/C

Em/D

Am/E

C/B

Bbdim

Ddim

Van der Graaf Generator - A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers

play some power chords if you want, or feel free to complete it for me.

(Eyewitness)

Still wait ing for my sav-iour, storms tear me limb from limb

C Dm

my fingers feel like seaweed. I'm so far out I'm too far in.

I am a lonely man, my solitude is true,

C Dm

my eyes have borne stark witness and now my nights are numbered, too.

C Am Bm

I've seen the smiles on dead hands,

Em C Am

the stars shine, but they're not for me.

I prophesy disaster and then I count the cost...

C Dm

I shine but, shining, dying, I know that I am almost lost.

On the table lies blank paper and my tower is built on stone;

C Dm

I only have blunt scissors, I only have the bluntest home.

C Am Bm

I've been the witness and the seal of death

Em C Am

lingers in the molten wax that is my head.

When you see the skeletons

of sailing-ship spars sinking low

You'll begin to wonder if the points of all the ancients myths

G Dm

are solemnly directed straight at you...

No time now for contrition, the time for that's long past,

C Dm

the walls are thin as tissue and if I talk I'll crack the glass.

C Am Bm

So I only think on how it might have been,

Em C Am

locked in silent monologue, in silent scream.

I am much too tired to speak

and as the waves crash on the bleak

stones of the tower I start to freak

G Dm

and find that I am overcome....

(S.H.M.)

"Unreal, unreal" ghost helmsmen scream and fall in through the sky,

not breaking through my seagull shrieks - no breaks until I die.

The spectres scratch on window-slits,

the hollowed faces and mindless grins

C Am/B Am Ab G F#

are only intent on destroying what they've lost.

I crawl the wall till steepness ends in the vertical fall;

my pain has sailed into the sea -no joking hopes at dawn.

White bone shine in the iron-jaw mask,

lost mastheads pierce the freezing dark

C Am/B Am

and parallel my isolated tower...

G F Em

no paraffin for the flame,

Dm C Bm Am

no harbour left to gain.

(Presence of the night / Kosmos tours)

Am Fmaj7 (or Am/F or Am6 call it what you want)

---------------------------------------|

---1----------------------1------------|

---2----------------------2------------|

-0-----------------2----------------0--|

---------------------3----1-----0h1----|

Am B G Fmaj7 E F A

[ ] [ ]

'Alone, alone' the ghosts all call,

Am B G Fmaj7 E F A

[ ] [ ]

pinpoint me in the light.

Am B G Fmaj7 E F A

[ ] [ ]

The only life I feel at all

Am B G Fmaj7 E F A

[ ] [ ]

is the presence of the night.

Am B G Fmaj7 E F A

[ ] [ ] repeated

E F G Am

[ ]

E F G Am

[ ]

n..

Would you cry if I died?

G Em Dm Em Dm Am Am Em Am Em

-------6-5----6-5---| ------8---7-----8--7--|

-------8-6----8-6---| ------10--8-----10-8--|

-------7-7----7-7---| ------9---9-----9--9--|

--5-----------------| ----------------------|

--------------------| --0-------------------|

--------------------| ----------------------|

G Em Dm Em Dm

Would you catch the final words of mine?

G Em Dm Em Dm

Would you catch my words?

Am Am Em Am Em

I know that there's no time,

Am Am Em Am Em

I know that there's no rhyme,

false signs find me.

(You don't have to play it this way, I just thought it would be fun.)

Am Em/B Am/C Em/D Am/E Em F

----8---------7---------8--------7----------8--------7------|

------10--------8---------10-------8----------10-------8----|

------------------9------------------9-------------------9--|

-------------------------------0----------------------------|

--0---------------------------------------7--------8--------|

------------7---------8-------------------------------------|

Am Em Am

--8-----8-------7-----7------5--|

----10----10------8-----8----5--|

-------9-----8------9-----9--5--|

-----------------------------7--|

--0-----0--------------------0--|

----------------0-----0---------|

Am Em Am Em

I don't want to hate, I just want to grow;

Am Em Am

why can't I let me live and be free?

Em Am

...but I die very slowly alone.

Am Em Am Em

I know no more ways, I am so afraid,

Am Em Am

myself won't let me just be myself

Em Am

and so I am completely alone.

The maelstrom of my memory

is a vampire and it feeds on me;

C C/B Am

now, staggering madly, over the brink I fall.

C# F# F

C# F# F Bb C Bb

Lighthouses might house the key

C# F# F C C# Eb

but can I reach the door?

Bb Bbdim A Ddim C7

-----------------------------------------------------------|

----------6----------------5----------------5--------6--5--|

--------7---7------------6---6------------6---6------4--3--|

------8-------8--------5-------5--------7-------7----6--5--|

----8-----------8----7-----------7----7-----------7--5--3--|

--6----------------6----------------5----------------------|

C# F# F Bb C Bb

I want to walk on the sea

C# F# F C C# Eb

so that I may better find a shore;

Bb Bbdim A F

but how can I ever keep my feet dry?

E7 A A A G F

I scan the horizon,

E7 A A A G F Dm Am/C Bm

I must keep my eyes on all parts of me.

C# F# F Bb C Bb

Looking back on the years

C# F# F C C# Eb

it seems that I have lost my way:

Bb Bbdim A

Like a dog in the night I have run to a manger,

F E

now I am the stranger I stay in.

C# D# E

Ah, well.

C# F# F Bb C Bb

All of the grief I have seen

C# F# F C C# Eb

leaves me chasing solitary peace;

Bb Bbdim A F

But I hold experience in my head.

E7 A A A G F

I'm too close to the light,.

E7 A A A G F

I don't think I see right,

Dm Am/C Bm

for I blind me.

C B C G

Where is the God that guides my hand?

C B C F

How can the hands of others reach me?

C B C G

When will I find what I grope for?

C B C F

Who is going to teach me?

C Bb C Bb

I am me / me are we / we can't see

C Bb B

any way out of here.

C Bb C

Crashing sea, a trophied history:

Bb C B

chance has lost my Guinevere...

A A A B A G# B A G# B A Eb

C C B C G C C B C F C C B C G C C B C F

- - -

C Bb C Bb C Bb B

A A A B A G# B A G# B A Eb

I don't want to be one wave in the water

but sea will drag me deep:

one more haggard drowned man.

I can see the lemmings coming, but I know I'm just a man.

Do I join or do I founder? Which can is the best I may?

(Land's end (Sineline) / We go now)

Eb Bb Gb

Absus

Eb Bb Gb Ab

Oceans drifting sideways, I am pulled into the spell,

Ab Bb Bb Bb C C Ab7 C Bb7 Eb

[ ] [ ] /

I feel you around me, I know you well.

Bb Gb Ab

Stars slice horizons where the lines stand much too stark;

Ab Bb Bb Bb C C Ab7 C Bb7 Eb

[ ] [ ] /

I feel I am drowning - hands stretch in the dark.

Bb Gb Ab Ab Bb Bb Bb C C

[ ] [ ]

C Bb7 D C7 F

F C Eb Bb

Camps of panoply and majesty, what is Freedom of Choice?

Bb C C C D D Bb7 D C7 F

[ ] [ ] /

Where do I stand in the pageantry, whose is my voice?

C Eb Bb

It doesn't feel so very bad now, I think the end is the start,

Bb C C C D D Bb7 D C7 F

[ ] [ ] /

begin to feel very glad now: All things are a part

Bb7 D C7 F

All things are apart

Bb7 D C7 F

All things are a part.

About A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers Chords by Van der Graaf Generator

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FAQ — A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers by Van der Graaf Generator

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The chords for "A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers" show the original chord names (including A, Dm, C, Am, Bm, Em). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.