phil ochs
Some songs are so ethereal that they implant a real strong wish to live forever, and this one belongs to this exclusive collection. Strange to say, I didn't notice it until a friend of mine, an author and photographer whose homepage I edited at that time, used this song as a recurring quotation in an interview. Ochs? Didn't we play a few Ochs' songs back in the early seventies? I started digging, and spent the night on the internet ... mostly on YouTube. It all came back to me. In the early morning this song was adapted and drilled, and my neighbours most probably driven to distraction.
The song was first recorded by Gordon Lightfoot in November 1964, and included in his album "Lightfoot!" January 1966. Ochs himself recorded it live for "Phil Ochs in Concert" April 1966, and never took it to the studio.
Yes, we sure played Phil Ochs those days, and I found the "Draft Dodger Rag" in a very early version of the Khawaga Album. He was one of the many artists in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, in essentials performing talkin' blues and anti-war songs. But the times changed, and Phil Ochs changed, too. He was appreciated in many ways except monetary matters - he never had one single commercial success. As clouds grew darker, his songs became darker ... and fewer. As the seventies went by, he faded into oblivion. In 1976 he committed suicide, a disillusioned and haunted person. A tragedy, indeed.
sit by my side • come as close as the air
share in a memory of gray
wander in my words • dream about the pictures
that I play of changes
green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
to brown and to yellow they fade
and then they have to die • trapped within
the circle time parade of changes
scenes of my young years were warm in my mind
visions of shadows that shine
til one day I returned and found they were the
victims of the vines of changes
the world's spinning madly • it drifts in the dark
swings through a hollow of haze
a race around the stars • a journey through
the universe ablaze with changes
moments of magic will glow in the night
all fears of the forest are gone
but when the morning breaks they're swept away by
golden drops of dawn • of changes.
passions will part to a strange melody
as fires will sometimes burn cold
like petals in the wind we're puppets to the silver
strings of souls • of changes.
your tears will be trembling • now we're somewhere else
one last cup of wine we will pour
and I'll kiss you one more time and leave you on
the rolling river shores of changes
so sit by my side • come as close as the air
share in a memory of gray
wander in my words • dream about the pictures
that I play of changes
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
D E7 A F#m sit by my side come as close as the air Bm E7 A7 share in a memory of gray A#dim Bm E7 A wander in my words dream about the pictures Amaj7 D E7 A that I play of changes
