The Night Before Your Birthday chords by Andrew Bird

🎸 Intro:

D   G   D   G   D   G   D



🎸 Verse 1:
D                           G
 On the night before your birthday
   D                      G
I set down to write this song
        D                         G
But I was
I wasn't sure what to say
               D                G
Afraid these words'll come out wrong
           D                G
That you will always be my darlin'
          D                     G
'Til the end, end of measured time
           D               Bm
Like that pair of nestin' starlings
               C                 A
We're growin' more and more entwined
🎸 Refrain:
D         Bb           F
 How the hell did you know
              Am                B       E
When all you know is what you don't know?

🎸 Chorus:
Em             A
Stumble in the wilderness
Em                  A
 Burrs hopelessly stuck
Em                  A
 Instinct finally worked for once
Em                                     D   G   D   G   D   G   D
 Or was it just, or was it just dumb luck?

🎸 Verse 2:
D                                 G
 And it's not like strikin' lightnin' (Not like strikin' lightnin')
         D                    G
That keeps breakin' Heaven's vows (Breakin' Heav n's vows)
     D                    G
Or that slow and vicious tightenin' (Slow and vicious tightenin')
  D                    G
That what the heart allows (What the heart allows)
          D                G
I could count the ways I love you
    D                    G
But I was never one for maths
D          Bm
While the heavens up above you
               C              A
Keep gettin' filled with sociopaths

🎸 Refrain:
D     Bb         F
 Oh, siestas in June
Am         C   F
catlike repose

🎸 Chorus:
Em                A
 Lightnin' in the afternoon
Em              A
 Lizards on the tile
Em            A
 Music from another room
Em                                            D
 Let's just linger, let's just linger for a while

🎸 Instrumental:
D   G   D   G   D   G   D

D   G   D   G   D   G   D


🎸 Outro:
        D                  G
On the night before your birthday
        D                 G
I set down to write this song
       D                G
But I wasn't sure what to say
              D                 G
Afraid these words'll come out wrong