Far Too Young (To Be This Old) Words Gene Henriksen/Music Jan Hauenstein

(Am) (Am7) (D) (Am) (Am7) (D) (Am) (Am7) (D)
(G)Sitting in a (C)clinic on a (D)gloomy (D4)A(D)pril (Em)day,
(Am7)Scanning pics in (D)People--who (F)are these people, (C)any(D)way?(D4) (D)
(G) Once I got in (C)trouble, but (D)now I (D4)wait (D)in (Em)line,
Don't (Am7)do much cell phone (D)talking, I'm (Cj7)saving up my ti(C)me. (D) (Em)

I'm (F)far too young to (C)be this old, (Bb/D)chopping pills in (Am)halves,
I (Bm7short)almost was a (Em)Hippie once, had (Am)hair upon my (D)calves.(D2) (D)
I re(F)member risky (C)stunts for fun, back (Bb/D)when my Madras (Am)bled,
I'm (Am7)far too young to (D)be this old, at (Cj7)least here in my he(C)ad. (D) (Em)
(Am7) (D) (C) (D) (G) (Cj7)(G) (D)

If it (G)wasn't for the (C)memories, I'd (D)think I (D4)got (D)it (Em)wrong,
Though I (Am7)move a little (D)slower, there's still (F)verses to my (C)so(D)ng.(D4) (D)
Thought (G)I'd maybe take up (C)jogging, it (D)couldn't (D4)do (D)much (Em)harm.
Got con(Am7)fused when some kid (D)passed me, what's that (Cj7)band around his ar(C)m? (D) (Em)

I'm (F)far too young to (C)be this old, (Bb/D)chopping pills in (Am)halves,
I (Bm7short)almost was a (Em)Hippie once, had (Am)hair upon my (D)calves.(D2) (D)
I re(F)member risky (C)stunts for fun, back (Bb/D)when my Madras (Am)bled,
I'm (Am7)far too young to (D)be this old, at (Cj7)least here in my he(C)ad.
(D) (Em) (Am7) (D) (C) (D) (G) (Cj7)(G) (D)

Didn't (G)talk out loud in (C)public then, when (D)by my(D4)self, (D)a(Em)lone,
But it (Am7)seems to be all (D)right now, just pre(F)tend you're on the (C)pho(D)ne.(D4) (D)
The (G)memory in com(C)puters gets (D)bigger (D4)all (D)the (Em)time...
...I for(Am7)get now what my (D)point was, so is (Cj7)that some kinda cri(C)me? (D) (Em)

I'm (F)far too young to (C)be this old, (Bb/D)chopping pills in (Am)halves,
I (Bm7short)almost was a (Em)Hippie once, had (Am)hair upon my (D)calves.(D2) (D)
I re(F)member risky (C)stunts for fun, back (Bb/D)when my Madras (Am)bled,
I'm (Am7)far too young to (D)be this old, at (Cj7)least here in my he(C)ad. (D) (Em)
(Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (G)
(B)(A#)(A) (C)(B7)(Em) (B)(B)(B)(A#)(A) (C)(B7)(B7)(B7)(Em)
(Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (G)
(B)(A#)(A) (C)(B7)(Em) (B)(B)(B)(A#)(A) (C)(B7)(B7)(B7)(Em)
(Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (Am)(Am7)(Am7)(Am7) (D) (G) (D)(hold)

The (G)things I did in (C)ignorance have (D)made me (D4)wi(D)ser (Em)now,
I (Am7)did enough for (D)three back then--it (F)evens out, some(C)ho(D)w.(D4) (D)
The (G)rains of May and (C)heat of June mark (D)only (D4)half (D)the (Em)year,
And (Am7)someone has to (D)do this, though I (Cj7)didn't volunte(C)er. (D) (Em)

If phi(F)losophy was (C)coinage and (Bb/D)history paid the (Am)rent,
I'd be (Bm7short)fine, but mathe(Em)matics seems to (Am)think I'm over(D)spent.(D2) (D)
I'm (F)far too young to (C)be this old, or (Bb/D)sit here on my (Am)duff,
In my (Am7)head I'm in my (D)twenties, and I (Cj7)know a lot more stu(C)ff…
(D) (Em) (Am7) (D) (C) (D) (G) (Cj7)(G) (D)(hold) (G)(hold) G bass note

Words Gene Henriksen, music Jan Hauenstein, Göttingen, 03 October 2008

janhauenstein@gmx.de

www.janhauenstein.com


...whassup with Madras?
I know it´s a town in India...
Jan
Where, evidently, a sort of plaidish cloth is/was made, with poor dye retention
qualities. For a while there, back in the when, we all wore button down shirts made of "bleeding
madras" and the more you wore them, the more the pattern ran together...
I think you had to be there.
Gene

Thanks.
I, ahem, knew they were making cloth there, Eddie, all the usually useless stuff that´s stored in my gray head. Especially useless as I did not make the connection.
Madras, town in the southern part of India, district capital (forget the name of the district, though),
cloth, glass, and I think a special sort of beef dish?
And they changed the name of the town awhile ago, forgot the new name.
I had an Indian shirt I loved, light as a feather. Didn´t bleed, but...
One day, at a party, a young gent gently taps me on the shoulder, says, 'I believe, sir, your shirt is aflame.' Right he was, I had gotten too close to a candle flame. The boy sure had style.

Jan

I, on the other hand, had a friend who thought he had
extinguished a dooby, and hid it down in the depths of his afro
(where we used to hide such items), only to discover that he had a
made an incomplete job of it. And his hair sort of exploded. Laugh,
we thought we'd start...

Gene

Beats my story flames down.
We were allowed to smoke in linguistics, as Prof. Gardener smoked a pipe hisownself.
So I commenced to light mine, lit half of my moustache to boot.
Nasal hair sizzling, too.
The reek was astounding. Possibly the last time I shaved off moustache and beard completely,
mustacheabeen back in 72 or 73.
Kind of embarrassing, too.

Jan