Words and Music: Picture of Pablo

There is a picture out there, somewhere, of my friend Paul. It is marvelous; it is sublime in its absurdity.

His hair is dyed orange, because we were in London, it was 1997, and that was the thing to do. It was meant to be Prodigy red or Sick Boy blonde or something, but it didn't come out right (see photo to your left -- which is not the photo).

He is looking upward, squinting, and smiling in a coy-but-drunken way, with engorged lips... like an intoxicated chimpanzee who's just found half a banana in your garbage.

He is shirtless.

Scratch that, I think he's actually wearing a black bra. How did I forget THAT little tidbit?

And someone is reaching into the frame, pinching at his bare chest.

I can't even remember the sequence of events that led to this Pulitzer Prize-caliber photograph, and if we graduated in the age of Flickr I'd be able to show it to you. Alas, it's hidden away somewhere safe and secretive. Or perhaps under an old couch cushion in a condemned apartment. Either way... it's alive and well in my memory.

This song has precious little to do with that photo, except for its name.

Picture of Pablo (Download MP3)
©2001 by Jon Gorey



Intro/verse: G / Em / C* / D*

C* 332010
D* 55403x

(The trick to the bass line is to hit the open A string between the G and Em, and then to walk the C* chord up to the D*.)

Verse: G / Em / C* / D* (x8)
Tell me again, the story of the man who
Had everything until she up and gone and ran to
The arms of another man
Well he stole my baby
I begged her to stay
I kept her waiting
So she left to betray

Pre-chorus: C / D / G / B (x4)
But she didn't know that I, I'd been here before
And when I couldn't close my eyes, I couldn't take any more

Chorus: G / Em / C* / D* (x2)
Hey hey, that's what I say now
Hey hey, that's what I say now

Now all my friends, they say that seeing is believing
But that depends on what you want to be achieving
When all you had is gone
Well he stole my baby, I begged her to stay
I kept on waiting, for two years and a day
But she didn't know that I, I could see through the door
And when I couldn't close my eyes, I couldn't take any more
Hey hey, that's what I say now
Hey hey, that's what I say now

Bridge:
[D] But I know [C] there is [G] love now, [D]I [C]know it's [G]true
But my [D/F#] baby's [E] blue now...
[C] I've never [A] seen her [E] quite like [B] this
But [C] that's what you [D] get with a [G] kiss

So hey hey, that's what I say now
Hey hey, that's what I say now

And so it ends like any other fascination
He's on the mend, he gets another invitation
She's on her way back home
Well behold my baby! I'd begged her to stay
I kept on waiting here, for two years and a day
But I didn't know that I, I'd get a knock on the door
And when I couldn't close my eyes, I had to fall to the floor
Hey hey, that's what I say now
Hey hey, that's what I say now