One Crowded Hour Chords

ONE CROWDED HOUR – Augie March
 
6 beats per chord (6/8 feel)        *   , = barre chord voicings
'  = 3 beats                           ~     = extensions added by organ part
(capo at second fret)                  (refer below)
 
[pick-up]
Now should you ex-
 
 
[Verse A]
 
G                          Am
pect to see something that you hadn' t seen in some-
Bm                      C
body you' ve known since you were sixteen and if
D         Em  ,
Love is a bolt from the blue then
C  *                    G  *
What is a bolt but a glorified screw and that
C ,                      D  ,    D  ,
Doesn' t hold nothing to-gether  far from these
 
 
[Verse A]
 
G                       Am
Nonsense bars and their nowhere music it' s
Bm                   C
Making me sick and I know it' s making you sick there' s
D                      Em ,
Nothing there it' s like  eating air it' s like
C *                 G *
Drinking gin with nothing else in and
C ,                      D ,    D ,
That doesn' t hold me to-gether  but for
 
 
[Chorus]
 
G           Am ~                   Bm ~                 C
One crowded hour you were the only one in the room I
D ~                          Em ,                   C *                  G *
Sailed around all those bumps in the night to your beacon in the gloom I
B                      C *                       G                     Em
Thought I had found my golden September in the middle of that purple June but
G           Am        ' C         ' D         G
One crowded hour would lead to my wreck and ruin now I know you like
 
 
[Verse B]
 
G                        Am
Your boys who take their medicine from the
Bm                 C
Bowl with a silver spoon who
D                          Em ,
Run away with the dish and scale the fish by
C *                        G *
The silvery light of the moon who were
 
 
[Verse C]
 
B                          C *
Taught from the womb to be-lieve till the tomb that as
G                          Em
Far as their bleeding eyes see is a
G                           Am
Pleasure pen meant for them build-ed and rent for them
' C          ' D        G
 Not for the likes of me no not for the
C ,               D ,  D ,
Likes of you and me____ and for
 
 
[Chorus]
 
G           Am ~                   Bm ~                 C
One crowded hour you were the only one in the room and I
D ~                          Em ,                   C *                  G *
Sailed around all those bumps in the night to your beacon in the gloom I
B                      C *                       G                     Em
Thought I had found my golden September in the middle of that purple June but
G           Am        ' C         ' D         G
One crowded hour would lead to my wreck and ruin oh but the
 
 
[Bridge]
 
D          D           ' Bm  ' Am  G
Green-eyed harpy of the salt land__ she
D        D/F#       ' Bm ' Am  G
Takes in-to hers     my  hand__ and she says
Em                  A9  ' Bm      ' Am         D     D/F#
  Boy I know you' re lying  oh but then so am I and to this I said oh
 
 
[Solo]
 
(short chorus)
 
G   Am  Bm  C
Well
D  Em ,  C * (G-bass)  G *
 
B  C *   G  Em
 
G  Am  ' C  ' D
              Now
 
[Verse B]
 
G                        Am ~
Put me in a cage full of lions I' ll learn to speak
Bm ~                C
Lion in fact I know the language
D                Em ,
Well I picked it up while I was
C * (G-bass)            G *
Versing myself in the languages they speak in
 
 
[Verse D]
 
Am                   Bm                      C
Hell that night that silence gave birth to a baby they
D                   Em ,
Took it away to her silent dismay and they
C *                   G *
  Raised it to be a lady now she
C ,                   D ,  D ,(F#-bass)
Can' t keep her mouth shut__ and for
 
 
[Chorus]
 
G           Am ~                   Bm ~                 C
One crowded hour you were the only one in the room and I
D                       Em ,                   C * (G-bass)         G *
Sailed around all those bumps in the night to your beacon in the gloom I
B                      C *                       G                     Em
Thought I had found my golden September in the middle of that purple June but
G           Am        ' C         ' D         G
One crowded hour would lead to my wreck and ruin and yes that
 
 
[Chorus Vaiation]
 
G           Am ~                   Bm ~                 C
One crowded hour you were the only one in the room and I
D ~                               Em ,
Played a few songs for those bumps in the night in fact
C * (G-bass)         G *
I played this very tune but you said
B                          C *                G                Em
What is this six string-ed instrument but an  adolescent loom__ and
G           Am        ' C         ' D             G
One crowded hour would lead to my wreck and ruin__
 
(tags may have been edited on the video source)
 
================================================================================
 
In the promotional video Glenn can clearly be seen playing chords in
the key of G while song is pitched in the key of A. The occasional
appearance of open strings in the arpeggios (G in Bm , B in Am and C)
confirm the first position voicings.
To match the recording either tune up a whole step or use a capo at
the second fret. Tuning up an acoustic guitar is not recommended.
 
CHORDS:
    G   Am  Bm  C   D   Em ,  C *   G *   C ,  D ,  B   Em  A9......seventh and third
E|--3---0---2---0---2---7----8---3---3---5---7---0---0--|    are not played by
B|--0---1---3---1---3---8----8---3---5---7---7---0---0--|    the guitar but the
G|--0---2---4---0---2---9----9---4---5---7---8---0---2--|    ensemble harmony
D|--0---2---4---2---0---9----10--5---5---7---9---2---2--|    is ninth not sus2
A|--2---0---2---3-------7----10--5---3---5---9---2---0--|
E|--3------------------------8---3---3---5---7---0------|
 
Barre chord voicings:
   *   root on 6th-string
   ,  root on 5th-string
 
Organ plays a G-note drone through several chords.
These voicings mimic the ensemble harmony:
   Am ~        Bm ~            D ~
   Am7   Gmaj7/B   Dadd11  A9
E|--0------2---------2-----3--|
B|--1------0---------3-----0--|
G|--0------0---------0-----2--|
D|--2------0---------0-----2--|
A|--0------2---------0-----0--|
E|----------------------------|
 
The chord progression is not consistent
hence the labelling of verses A B C D.
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