Dedicated to my mom.

Our mom used to say
 In her very own way
 That to worry about life
 Or to moan and gripe
 Didn’t solve a thing
 So you just gotta sing


She said: Chorus

Our mom used to play
 The piano every day
 She wasn’t very good
 But as well as she could
 Not a care for what they thought
 Or what she should of ought 

She would say: Chorus

Our mom didn’t act the judge
 She just gave us a little nudge
 Even when we were the fool
 She never ever lost her cool
 She let show a little grin
 And knew we’d take it on the chin

She’d say to us: Chorus

Our mom knew things weren’t always fair
 But she never did despair
 Her dignity was always there
 and her grey-free hair 


 A better mom I would not wish for 
 She was good right to the core
 We will miss her now shes’ gone
 But her spirit will live on 

I know she’d say: Chorus

Chorus: 
 Oh, well
 Oh, well
 Oh, well
 Oh, Oh, well

sigh, "oh well"


OhWell

SIMPLE THINGS		Fret 1

D                             A
Pottery, stones and wax
EM                    A
My table top displays
D                                A
Pleasure comes from these
EM                         A
Taking the time to gaze

D                      A
Earthy, muddy tones
EM                          A
Surround my every day
D                           A
I love the things I love
EM               G    D/Db           D
They remind me I'm,  I’m      okay
?

B7                  F7
I have always loved them
EM                          A
I'm drawn to simple lines
B7                        F7 
Pure expressions of taste
EM          G              A
Cotton, cedar and pines
?

D                               A
Hardwood floors and jute
EM                          A
Dainty bone china mugs
D                         A
Restful scents of cinnamon
EM                          A
Fresh daffodils in jugs

D                             A
Acoustic guitar and violin
EM                          A
Sounds of birds nearby
D                      A
Perennials in springtime
EM      G           D/Db               D
Clear,  summer, summer night sky


G           A        D
Simple, simple things
Oh those, simple things
I love my simple things


Instrumental
D,  A,  EM,  A
D,  A,  EM,  A
B7,  F7,  G,  A
D,  A
EM,  G,  D/Db,  A




G           A        D
Simple, simple things
Oh those, simple things
I love my simple things  
-repeat, fade out with humming-


Ruby Johnson (Lyrics)
Anselm (music)
April 2003











Simple Things

BORN SHY
lyrics:Ruby		April 2003
Music:Anselm		June 2009

First fret, strum
D D D, D1, D2
D , D1, D2

D                            D1
Take away all the 'to do lists'
                D2                         F4     
And I just sit and remember you,
        C1                             A
The little boy blonde and shy
   C1                            A
In jean overalls faded blue.

The back yard grass tall and weedy
Trikes and plastic toys lived there,
Clothesline dangled socks and shirts
And now and then, a teddy bear.

Repeat intro

The room had a bed and books
Handmade quilts and He-Man dolls,
Star wars sheets from 1980
School days stuff on the walls.

Tae-Kwon-Do pants were worn
To play in, tournaments and sleep,
Trophies came happily home
Memories of fun to keep

Chords   	G, D, C, A
		G, D, C, A

Sounds of wheels remembered
Skateboards and a green Dodge Dart,
Allstar baseball and soccer
Cooking classes, singing and art.

But there on the stage you shocked me
Grade 6,  dressed up in a big spotlight,
A back flipping, break dancing force
No looking back after that night.

Pause & pick

The shy little boy so blonde
Lives in his skin and knows how,
You give away your gift like a pro
Richard my son, take a bow!

strum

chords
G, D, C, A
		G, D, C, A

pause, pick last bit

D, D1, D2..


Born Shy

GROWING UP

Dm                                        Am
10th Street and Cliffe is still there
But our house was moved away
A strip mall where my room was, cars
Em                                Am
park where we used to play

The walls were always dirty
There never was enough heat
The bathroom scared us all
You had to wipe the seat

There never was any carpet
We had a plastic window blind
The furniture was all 2nd hand
But not the antique kind

	X              F         C             G
	We were Gloria, Ruby and Harold
              F            C              G
 	So different from each other
         F                                C
	Gloria loved reading, Ruby sang
         G7                                C              C7  x
	And Harold - a typical brother (x2)

We never owned a vehicle
The garage was rented out
The Vancouver Sun paid my dad
$12 a month or about

My sister and I shared a room
Chalk line down the wood floor
Baby brother slept in the living room, but it’s
not that we were poor

	F              C                G
	We had a yard and a sand box
             F             C       G
	A pear tree and a fence
               F                         C
	My dad mowed over everything
         G7                                C                 C7   x
	Gardens didn't stand a chance (x2)

My mom loved to play piano
Her radio blared out CBC
Our TV had no reception
But we learned to laugh you see

I always wanted a better house
A cleaner one with style
Matching towels and an ottoman
A quilt and soap called "Dial"

	F                C                    G
	Now that I have matching towels, I think
         F                  C            G
	back to that time and know
         F                        C
	It doesn't matter what there wasn't
                  G7                       C              
	What matters is what didn't show (x2)

*Chords once more*

Ruby J		
April 2003

Music by Anselm
Jan. 2009


Growing Up

MAINSTREAM BLUES   (picking, chorus strum)
E               A
How did I get here?
E                       A
Where did I go wrong
C                   D7
I used to like peace signs
E
    Tie dye and thongs   A  E  A  E

E                             A
Establishment was stupid
         E                             A
Cool music, friends were it
C                     D7
Hair long and straight then
       E              
any old job I could quit   E 

E             A
Sushi for lunch
E             A
Tofu for dinner
C                     D7
Cheesecake is never
E
I must get thinner
X2

E                       A
Now the day is just not done
E                             A
Unless the water’s filtered so
      C                    D7
my bank calls me on my cell
    E7
a Starbucks to go   A  E  A  E

       E             A
My job is my life now
   E                            A   
I can’t cope without stress
             C          D7
I’m too busy to talk now
       E
My downtime is less   E 

	chorus
 


E                     A
See you at the gym now
       E            A
My abs need toning 
C                 D7
Then to my nutritionist
E
My diet needs zoning   A  E  A  E

              E                   A
You can reach me by email
        E                  A    
Fax, web page or cell
C                         D7
Leave a message at the beep 
E
Welcome to my hell    E

	chorus

		(softer/slower)

E                   A
How could I get by
E                          A
Without TV each day
C                     D7
What would I talk about
E
     What would I say?  (talking)  A  E  A  E

		(speed up)

            E         A
Will it ever be simple
              E                         A
Like the old days used to be 
            C                   D7
when a touch wasn't deadly, and 
E  (1 strum)
     smiles were free , well!

Chorus x 2, repeat “cheesecake line”

C,  D, E 
C,  D, E



Mainstream Blues

REASONS I WOULDN'T KNOW
(wrote this around 1969 - written by a 13 year old girl)
2nd Fret  	picking

A/Asus2   Gsus (x2)

A/Asus2   (alternating)                Gsus
Beneath the sun,   are a thousand words
                                                 A/Asus2         
most of them unwritten in my world.
                                                          Gsus
Pension plans and retirement funds hold up
                                                 A/Asus2         
the foundation of a full life's work.
                                                                          Gsus
Mornings full of headaches, a pain here a pain there
                                                             A/Asus2         
reach out for the forbidden bottle of cures.

strum
D/D1/D2 
Forty-five years of hard muscular work, eight hours a day,  six days a week. 
EM
A life full of hardship and pain, 
             Gsus                  A/Asus2
Slowly, draining into my own.

He slapped me like you see in a movie
                                                      Gsus
Cut his toe-nails with his hunting knife, 
                                                                   A/Asus2 
and chewed snuff,   for reasons I wouldn't know.

A/Asus2                               Gsus
I was ashamed, oh  I was very ashamed,
                                A/Asus2         
until I realized and learned
                                                             Gsus
he seemed like a crusty man from the woods
     
but his heart was soft as the pulp from the hard trees 
     A/Asus2 
he felled.

strum
D/D1/D2 
I never called you "my old man" even though you were old.
D/D1/D2 
I did call you worse though,
EM                                 Gsus          A/Asus2
whenever you put your case of beer between us.

-- instrumental – ad-lib --

A/Asus2                                    Gsus
I was never hungry, or without needs.
                                                                 A/Asus2 
We never get a chance to talk in decent tones.
                                                                   Gsus
So I'm saying this now, cause I probably never will,
----                A/Asus2                        Gsus
before you leave me.

repeat main chords, end in Gsus

poem, Ruby J, 1969
music, Anselm,  May 2009



Reasons I Wouldn't Know

Written by Various people at Backstreet Pub in Royston on April 12, 2009 
Tequila at the Backstreet Pub

G/G7  (alternating)
Red red juicy drink
Save the tequila
D7/DM  (alternating)
Cause my head still hurts
Salt and lime in great big squirts

	Chorus:

	B7   C                 	B7  C
	Tequila, oh ya!		Teguila!
	C                       D7
	And Miss, if it’s not a bother
	D                    G
	Send around another!

Salt, drink and lemon
oh I'm so in heaven
it carries me so high
I'm sure that I can fly

Chorus

God this drink is evil
What is that, a weevil?
Whoever made this drink 
I think should see a shrink

Chorus

The room is a-spinning
I'm not sure who's winning
You and me bub
down at the Backstreet Pub

Chorusx2  +  repeat last line 2 times and end on G7


Tequila At The Backstreet Pub

The Betty Song                       
Anselm 2009

G D C G
G D C D G

G                                     D
People gather round and listen, 
            C                 G
while I tell a tale or three
                                        D
of a place we call Student Services
                        C        G
 Oops!, I mean S A B C

Remember the good times we had
SFAS needed lots of love (lub)
But in the end it was worth it
When we partied at the Beagle Pub!

Chorus

Loans may come and loans may go
And the student’s just keep on learning
The work never stops, night or day
But ok, we’ll keep the fires burning!

Remember our friend Johan
To do the best job was his goal
We had so much fun with him
Cause he has such heart and soul

Chorus 

Retirement is nearly here 
But the fun is really just starting
Enjoy your time, we will miss you
We will shed a tear at our parting

Remember that we love you, and our hearts are with you
Where-ever you may go
It’s been a long road to that pension
Well Betty, you’ve really earned that dough!

Chorus 

        AM                   AM7    
Lets pour a glass of wine
          C                         G
Share stories, yours and mine
                 AM   
And we’ll raise a toast 
         C     D          G              
And miss you, the most!

D D C G D D C D G

Last chorus,



AnselmJohnson