Nightmare Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
[D]Set[C] th[D]e a[C]larm[D] for half -past five
And its [C]high -pitched hum
brought me alive [D]again[C]
[D]Dialed the bed into [C]the wall, [D]resets
Gaining two more feet of space
in which to [C]dress
Out of the night spell, out
of the sleep cell,
[G]into the [D]tunnel of day
I took the high -speed lift to Gallery 9
and [C]stood in the mail
on Married Workers Line, Grade [D]4
Gave me rank and number to the slot
And drew me daily, what a rash,
and took the lot
[C]Oh, what a great day!
Oh, what a May Day!
Oh, what a [A]day to be [D]young!
The thermostats, they were set for spring
When [C]I rode the conveyor
to the female wing [D]of law
Meant to buy the ventilation shaft
Love light [C]shining [D]through the
visor of a mask
[C]Oh, what a great day!
Oh, what a May [G]day!
Oh, what a day to [D]be young!
Her hand was in mine
as we made our way
To the [C]high -speed vertical
Shuttle Bay third [D]class.
The daytime argon light shone
bleak and hot
When we showed our permits
to the shuttle guard.
[C]A moment of fear, love,
then we were clear, love,
then we [G]were movin' [D]away
We lay in the capsule
and we took our ease
while [C]the shuttle leveled off
at [D]about two [C]G's and [D]so
[C]As the[D] admin wings
the [C]private [D]galleries and passed
[C]The living[D] quarters
of the citizens first class
[C]Unfasten your seatbelts,
now we're at topside,
[G]this is the [D]eye of [F]the world.
[D]At last in the observation tower
we stood [C]there silent
in the breathless autum[D]n dawn.
[C]Saw the kni[D]ves of sun come bronze
and gold and green.
Gilding all the face of earth
we'd never seen.
[C]Don't cover your eyes,
don't turn from the sunrise,
this is [A]the face of [D]the earth.
Look how the hills show rosy [C]red,
and the shag -green scum
of the river bed is [D]still.
That was once a forest,
those were [G]trees,[F][C]
[D]bearing leaves of green
that rustled in the [C]breeze.
What killed off the trees?
What poisoned the breezes?
[G]What made the rivers run [D]dry?
Look at the land
where the green grass grew.
It's [C]dusted over with
the rusty hue of [D]death.
There the sea lies
stranded by the [F]shore.
[D]No fishes swim there
[C]and the [D]seabirds fly no [C]more.
Who sucked the earth
dry?
Whom made the sea die?
Look what [D]they've done
with the world.
Cursing [C]the ones [D]who gave us birth,
[C]we turned away from the blighted
earth be[D]low.
[C]They gave us breath,
but [D]rubbed us of the air.
They killed the grass, the [C]trees,
the [D]seas,
the rivers everywhere.
[C]The Earth was our birthright!