Van der Graaf Generator - Masks (chords)


Intro as verse


Verse 1 & 2

      E          D         B          E
He's a man of the past and one of the present,
  E             D                     G          G
a man who hides behind a mask behind a mask;
E A      E C  (G)E            C        D          D
a clown, a fool, believing it cool to be down
            E           D                       C   C D E
or that the game is all about who laughs the last.


      E             D               B           E
So he tells all his problems to his friends and relations,
  E         D            G              G
exposes his neuroses to their view.
 E    A     E   C (G)E            C           D           D
They accept as fact  every masochistic mumble of his act--
     E                      D                       C  C D
how could they know what was false and what was true?



Riff and verses 3


e--------------------------|
b--------------------------|
g--------------------------|
d-------3------------------|
a-5-5-5---5--3--2--------3-|
E------------------5-3-5---|

 Sometimes when he wakes
 he feels he's walked into a dream
 but all it takes
 to remind him things are what they seem


e---------------------------|
b---------------------------|
g---------------------------|
d-------3-------------------|
a-5-5-5---5--3--2-23-3---33-|
E---------------------55---3|

is the belief that the man behind the mask can really dance



Verse 4

e---------------------------|
b---------------------------|
g---------------------------|
d---------------------------|
a---REST------3--2--------3-|
E------------------5-3-5----|

Pirouetting smile

e--------------------------|
b--------------------------|
g--------------------------|
d-------3------------------|
a-5-5-5---5--3--2--------3-|
E------------------5-3-5---|


he sees himself cavorting,
Pierrot for a while
before aborting

e---------------------------|
b---------------------------|
g---------------------------|
d-------3-------------------|
a-5-5-5---5--3--2-23-3---33-|
E---------------------55---3|

to find relief in the shelter of the dark, most telling mask.


Instrumental Part: D -


Last riff
e---------------------------|
b---------------------------|
g-------3-------------------|
d-5-5-5---5--3--2--------3--|
a------------------5-3-5----|
E---------------------------| x 4

e----------------------------|
b----------------------------|
g--------3-------------------|
d-5-5-5----5-3-2--23-3---33--|
a---------------------55----3|
E----------------------------|


Last verse:

E      D      B              E
After all the pantomimes are ended
   E             D           G
he peels all the make-up off his face
E   A      E   C     G  E         C            D
to reveal, beneath, the tears running all down his cheeks:
E                  D                                 C   C D
alone, he opens to the world...but it's much too late.
E                  D                      C C D  E
He's been left, in the end, without a face.



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Russian Peter Hammill / Van der Graaf Generator Page
Sergey Petrushanko hammillru@mail.ru, 1998-2024