Be As You Are

Intro 2x: Em Bm G D

  Em                   Bm
Virginia Woolf and poetry

No one seemed to notice me
D                       Em
Being young was getting so old
Em                     Bm
Cheap beer and cigarettes

Life was like a movie set
G                        D
And I seemed to be given no role

       Em
But in times of trouble
Bm
I can turn to my mother
      D                      Em
And I know that she gon' understand
      Em
So at age 18
Bm
I cried to my mother
        G               D
And she told me, "young man"

                            Em          Bm
"There are moments when you fall to the ground
                              G            D
But you are stronger than you feel you are now
                         Em           Bm
You don't always have to speak so loud, no
G              D
Just be as you are
                      Em         Bm
Life is not always a comfortable ride
                G               D
Everybody's got scars that they hide
                        Em            Bm
And everybody plays the fool sometimes, yeah
G              D
Just be as you are"

     Em                    Bm
They played me on the radio

And everything was changing, so
D                       Em
I thought I was all the way grown
    Em                     Bm
But I can still remember in that cold November
      G                 D
When I realized I'm all alone

       Em
But in times of trouble
Bm
I can turn to my mother
      D                      Em
And I know that she gon' understand
      Em
So at age 22
Bm
I cried to my mother
        G               D
And she told me, "young man"

                            Em          Bm
"There are moments when you fall to the ground
                              G            D
But you are stronger than you feel you are now
                         Em           Bm
You don't always have to speak so loud, no
G              D
Just be as you are
                         Em          Bm
It doesn't matter if you become some star
                        G         D
Life is better when you open your heart
                         Em         Bm
You don't always have to act so hard, no
G                   D
Just be as you are, Just be as you are"

( Em Bm G D ) (x4)

   C                      Bm
If I'm speaking truthfully

I'm not who I used to be
D                       C
And I know some people might laugh
         C                       Bm
Cause my music doesn't sound the same

And my head's no longer shaved
D
I'm worried if I'm on the right path

       Em
But in times of trouble
Bm
I can turn to my mother
      D                      Em
And I know that she gon' understand
      Em
So at age 26
Bm
I spoke to my mother

And she told me, "young man"

                            Em          Bm
"There are moments when you fall to the ground
                              G            D
But you are stronger than you feel you are now
                         Em           Bm
You don't always have to speak so loud, no
 G              D
Just be as you are
                         Em          Bm
It doesn't matter if you become some star
                        G         D
Life is better when you open your heart
                         Em         Bm
You don't always have to act so hard, no
           G                    D
Just be as you are, Just be as you are"

( Em Bm G D ) (x4)

G
Be as you are