Peter Hammill - Just a Child (chords)


Chord transcription by Mikayel Abazyan mikayelabazyan@yahoo.com


Playing tips

One needs to see the chord shown for this song in the booklet to get 
the idea of sliding the finger from 2nd to 4th fret on the 4th string 
when Em is played, but this is what you need to try in the first place. 
Sometimes I slide both fingers used for playing Em, i.e. on 4th and 5th 
strings, from 2nd to 4th fret. 

One more thing: "the girl was just a child" should be accompanied by 
sliding f-to-e notes played on 6th and 4th strings, respectively.


         Em                                         A        B
This is more than merely wrong, as sin on sin's grotesquely piled. 

 Em                                        Am     Bm
Don't look so surprised when you find yourself reviled. 

F#m              Em     G                Bm  Em
  Don't look to me for comfort in your trial - the girl was just a child. 


Uttering remorse with weasel words and shameless guile... 
it was "a mistake", no, paedophilia's "not your style"; 
all's undercut by your crookedness of smile - the girl was just a child. 

                 C                     F
Close to being grown up, occasionally wild, 

          f - e    f - e  Em         f - e    f - e  Em
but the girl  was just  a child, the girl was just  a child.


Em          F               G    F    Em              F                G     F
  Now here come the limp excuses         with a euphemistic turn of phrase. 

Em                F           G                 F                      Em
  The fact is sexual abuse undoes its victims, down through all their days. 


Darkness clouds her face, no longer fresh and juvenile. 
Home's no longer safe, her innocence is lost, with rising bile. 
This is not a hurt that will ease after a while - the girl was just a child. 

Offer your contrition, in remorse you're meek and mild 
but the girl was just a child 
and you can't restore the treasure, the flower you defiled. 
the girl was just a child. 

More than merely wrong, this is simply vile - the girl was just a child. 
 



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