So To Speak

E    A    F#m    B

E                                   D
They're seriously saying it's prolonging me life
         A                         C#m
if I'll only submit to the surgical knife?
 B                  E          A         E
but what are the odds, on a month or a week?
           A                           C
when the betting shop's closing its doors, so to speak.

             Amaj7       B        Amaj7      B
When you're tied to a pump and a breathing machine
           Am7          Am              Am7        Am
with their X-rays and probes and their monitor screens
             Amaj7        B        Amaj7           B
and they'll wake you up hungry, saying "How do you feel?"
                 Am7             Am         Am7        D7
and then you're stuffed full of pills and a barium meal.

E                              D
Prolonging me life? Now that's some kind of joke
         A                         C#m
I'd be laughing me head off and I'd probably choke
B                  E                 A            E
the spirit's still willing, but the rest of me's weak
           A                      C
now the bets are all off and the prospects look bleak.

             Amaj7       B          Amaj7         B
When you're laid like a piece of old meat on the slab
           Am7             Am                 Am7               Am
and they'll cut and they'll slice, and they'll poke and they'll jab
                  Amaj7        B               Amaj7          B
and they'll grill ye and burn ye, and they'll wish ye good health
            Am7     Am           Am7        D7
with their radium chemo and God knows what else?

E                                             D
Well you can't fault the science, though the logic is weak
         A               C#m
is it really an eternal life we should seek?
B                 E          A          E
that ship has sailed, that ship has sailed
    A                 B                 E
that ship has already sailed, so to speak.

       Amaj7       B          Amaj7         B
Our mission is more than a struggle for breath
       Am7         Am        Am7         Am
for a few extra rounds in a fight to the death
       Amaj7        B            Amaj7          B
when our mission is love, and compassion and grace
          Am7             Am         Am7        D7
it's not a test of endurance, or a marathon race.

E                            D
For love is the sabre, and love is the shield
A                     C#m
love is the only true power we wield
B           E        A              E
an eternal love, is all you should seek
 A                          B            C      Am  C
That ship will be ready to sail, so to speak

F                                       Eb
I hear what you're saying because I've heard it before
  Bb                             Dm
but I'm afraid if I let what is past through my door
Bb                  F      Bb
how long would you stay, a month or a week
                              Gm    C        F
when that ship has already sailed, so to speak?

Bbmaj7               C             Bbmaj7            C
Should I settle for something that's safe on this Earth?
Bbm7            Bbm        Bbm7        Bbm
what would it profit me, what is it worth?
Bbmaj7               C           Bbmaj7      C
if I lose something precious, completely unique?
Bbm7            Bbm        Bbm7        Cm7
when it's only eternity's love we should seek.

F                                        Eb
For when that ship sails, and the course has been set
  Bb                                  Dm
and the wind's in the offing and the sails have been let
Bb                  F             Bb
and the hatches are full, and the hull doesn't leak
                         Gm   C        F
that ship has already to sail, so to speak.

F                          Eb
I'm tired and fading and losing the light
  Bb                             Dm
and I've no way to tell if it's day or it's night
Bb             F     Bb
follow your heart, it's the harbour you seek.

Bb                           Gm
And this ship is ready to sail,
Bb                      Gm
this ship is ready to sail,
Bb                      Gm    C       F
this ship is ready to sail, so to speak...