Dear Mr. President
by the Rustic Overtones
off their new album, Light at the End.
Very simple, catchy song, with a good message.
The intro has two guitars, one strumming chords and one picking the chords. For the
and choruses, you can pick the bass line easily, just hitting the 5ths.
_Intro_
F Am Dm C C#5
F Am Dm C C#5*
*C#5:
e--0--
B--1--
G--1--
D--2--
A--3--
E-----
F
Dear Mr. President,
Am Dm C
I’m a soldier with the 82nd Airborne stationed overseas.
F Am
My family and my friends all pray that God is watching over me.
Dm C
Even God can’t save us now.
Bb F
Mr. President, I’m writing you this poem,
Bb F
And I’ve sent along this picture of my family back at home.
Bb Am C
I hear my heart beat loud in these killing fields alone.
Bb F
I always hit my target; I just miss my happy home.
Bb F
When will be the end of this all?
Bb F
Tell me, when will be the end of this all?
Bb Am C
Now that our back is against the wall.
F C
Whoa, oh yea
---Repeat Intro once.---
F Am
I joined the army like my father did and his father did before.
Dm C
I saw Army green and canvas look like perfect art of war.
F Am
The images I see now are like ones I saw before.
Dm C
How am I a hero if I don’t know what it’s for?
Bb F
Days are getting longer, nights I never get to sleep,
Bb F
And I just had a newborn daughter that I hope I get to see.
Bb Am C
I’ve got bloodshed on my conscience; she’s so innocent and free.
Bb F
I just killed some baby’s father, better him instead of me.
Bb F
When will be the end of this all?
Bb F
Tell me, when will be the end of this all?
Bb Am C
Now that our back is against the wall?
F C
Mankind is getting small.
--Repeat Chorus Once--
F Am
Before the war, life it was beautiful, we marched out in the sun.
Dm C
Now it’s stars and stripes at funerals, our darkest days have come.
F Am
Dying in this combat zone, it scares me half to death,
Dm C
‘Cause if I don’t make it to heaven, what’s to live for after death?
Bb F
I’ve seen mothers of the friends I’ve lost out marching in a crowd,
Bb F
‘Cause their sons wear purple hearts inside their coffins in the ground.
Bb Am C
When they left for war, they thought their mommies would be proud.
Bb F
When they faced off with their enemies, they fought to take them down.
Bb F
Hatred is tearing us all apart,
Bb F
Separation is tearing the world apart,
Bb Am C
Corruption is playing its part.
_Outtro_
F C
F Am Dm C C#5 F