The Way You (Chords)

These are the official lyrics and chords for the song “The Way You”. It’s track #2 from the album “A Ship to Something”.

This song has two “modes”.

The verse consists of a lot of special chords (without much repetition) that are plucked slowly, roughly following the vocal melody. The chorus consists of pretty standard chords that are continuously, very quickly fingerpicked.

And then in the bridge, it does something between those two, and switches to a different key to make that possible.

Notes

Capo III

Intro

Verse 1

C         G
In my mind you’ve been floating for a while

C/A       Bm
It’s brand new, it is fleeting

C/Bb     D/F#
Some days, I might feel I’m oh so near

Fmaj7      Asus2
And some days, I keep falling

Pre-chorus 1

Em D/F# G Am C/B
Deal the cards just right

Em  D/F# Fmaj7 B7
Keep up hope, by my side

Chorus 1

 C
I love the way you hold your arms

 D
Around yourself to keep you warm

 G
But end up running anyway

D/F# Em
  Into my safe arms just to stay

And I’d love the way you’d cheer me up
When nothing works and I get stuck
Inside my head with problems I can’t
  Find my way without your hands

Post-Chorus 1

  Am          Bm
But I know it’ll be time for me to go

    Am       B7
When you see my shoulder hanging low

Cmaj7   Fmaj7 (repeat)
Oh __

Verse 2

I can’t work a miracle or dream
In fact, it’s hard to work at all
My flesh is as good as I preserve it
And my mind needs your patience

Pre-Chorus 2

Hand me faith, I’ll too
Throw away the checklist, bury it for you

Chorus 2

And I love the way you sing my songs
And even with the words all wrong
Any melody from you will
Give me strength to write ten new

And I love the way you’d drag me from
The endless work and beating drum
Of hesitation and ambition
Brewed into a money cocktail

Post-Chorus 2

  Am          Bm
That knows the only time for me to go

    Am          C#7
Was when I saw your shoulders hanging low

Bridge (key change)

   F#m  D   A
And as I age the list grows longer
‘Till no puzzle piece will fit at all

(A/G#) F#m  D      A
It’s not fair to expect all this from someone

(A/G#) F#m  D E
But god dang it I will try

Chorus 3 (change back)

But I would love the way you drink your tea
Or fold your towels, stand by me
When sunrise turns into sunset
Some children running ‘round our head

And I’d love the mess you leave behind
If space and time would be so kind
To tangle us and intertwine
Two lives that just might coincide

Post-Chorus 3

And the truth is I’d let it all just go
If it turns out you’re nothing like this song

     C   C/B
And all we do is move on

Bb     G#
   Move along

   F#m   B7
Move along __

Outro

The verse pluckings, but played more like a solo/outro.