The Picture chords by Loudon Wainwright Iii

• Capo on 3rd

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Difficulty: Novice

C         C/B           Am
There are pictures on the piano
F               G
Pictures of the family
C C/B     Am
Mostly my kids but there's an old
F          C
Picture of you and me
Em                      F   Fadd9
You were five and I was six
Em   G
In 1952
C    C/B       Am
That was forty years ago
G               C
How could it be true?

C               C/B     Am
We were sitting outside drawing
F                    G
At a table meant for cards
C                C/B     Am
And it must have been in autumn
F                           G
Falling leaves in the front yard
Em                      F      Fadd9
With a shoe box full of crayons
Em                   G
Full of colors oh so bright
C                 C/B     Am
In a picture in a plastic frame
G                    C
A snapshot black and white

C                C/B   Am
You were looking at my paper
F               G
Watching what I drew
C     C/B             Am
It was natural: I was older
F                         C
Thirteen months more than you
Em              F     Fadd9
A brother and a sister
Em               G
A little boy and girl
C           C/B       Am
And whoever took that picture
G                C
Captured our own world

C         C/B     Am
A brother needs a sister
F                    G
To watch what he can do
C          C/B    Am
To protect and to torture
F                    C
To boss around it's true
Em                 F         Fadd9
But a brother will defend her
Em                     G
For a sister's love is pure
C           C/B         Am
Because she thinks he's wonderful
G                 C
When he is not so sure

C              C/B       Am
In the picture there's a fender
F          G
Of our old Chevrolet
C     C/B       Am
Or Pontiac, our dad would know
F               G
Surely he could say
Em                  F         Fadd9
But dad is dead and we grow old
Em                        G
It's true that time flies by
C            C/B       Am
And in forty years the world has changed
  G                C
As well as you and I