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Tune Away!
Words & Music by Brooke Lunderville, 2006.
My tuning shanty! Dedicated simultaneously to Tom Lunderville, my father-in-law, and to Callie Hills, both of whom have the misfortune of having good enough hearing to tell if you are out of tune even a little tiny bit. I can't hear that well, thank god, although it puts me in the awkward position of sometimes being out of tune while I sing this song. I don't like to sing this in filk circles because then I'm paranoid about my tuning all night afterwards. But sometimes I can't resist. Anyway, so the chords: the strum alternately with G part only works if you are playing a banjo in open G tuning. Unless you are a REALLY fast guitar player, eh?

PDF leadsheet for Tune Away!
MP3 recording of Tune Away!

You've pulled your guitar on out of its case		Dm (strum alternately with G)
There's a pick in your hand and a look on your face	Am   Dm
Like you're about to sing but we hope you're not	Dm 
For there's one small task which you forgot:		Am   Dm

	Tune away!  Tune away, boys				G     Dm
	Or the song you play will just be noise			Am  Dm
	Tune away! We'll wait patiently 			G     Dm
	'Til you've got that guitar in the proper key		Am   A    Dm
								Am  Dm
								Dm
								Am   Dm
In school a mark of ninety percent
Will earn you an A and a compliment
But if you bring twelve strings to the circle, bud
Please tune all twelve, or we'll be out for blood

	Tune away!  Tune away, boys
	Or the song you play will just be noise
	Tune away! We'll wait patiently 
	'Till you've got that thing, and I mean every string, in the proper key

There's a man in the corner with perfect pitch
If you don't have a tuner just watch him twitch
His sorry grimace will fade away
When you've got that string to a concert A

	Tune away!  Tune away, boys
	Or the song you play will just be noise
	Tune away! We'll wait patiently 
	'Til you've got that guitar in the proper key

	Tune away!  Tune away, boys
	Or the song you play will just be noise
	Tune away! We'll wait patiently 
	'Til you've got that guitar (and that banjo, miss) in the proper key
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