As you probably all know, I'm an unabashed Stephin Merritt groupie. Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies, you name it. I like it all. I just can't get enough of his gloomy pop melodies. So, of course I was going to buy the new record, Obscurities.
This was right around my birthday, that I went looking. And, sure enough, when I tried to purchase the CD, Amazon warned me that someone might have already bought it for me. Eh?! Huzzah! Turns out it was my sweet peach of a wife. Anyway, the whole record is pretty good, but two songs, in particular, really stand out. The first is the more electronic version of "I don't believe you" (a folkier version having been released on the "I" record). The second highlight of the record is a previously unreleased song called "When you're young and in love". And, that's the song I can't get outta my blasted head. So, I attempted to exorcise it through ukulele video.
Since I couldn't find any chords for this song already posted out there, I came up with the following arrangement. The only questionable chord in there is Dm7. But, I didn't have the CD handy when I did this so I couldn't really compare it. When I listen to it again, I'll update these chords if that Dm7 sounds goofy.
When You're Young and In Love
by Stephin Merritt
Tabs by Ukulele Guy
C - 0003
G - 0232
Am - 2000
Em - 4432
F - 0201
Dm7 - 2213
C G
You can teeter on the brink of a precipice
Am Em
Ov'r an infinitely deep abyss
F C
And somehow not even notice this
G
When you're young and in love
C G
You can grow a little older every day
Am Em
Watch your stupid life wasting away
F C
Somehow everything is a-ok
G
When you're young and in love
F
But when you're not,
C
The poisoned fangs of time
G
Become quite plain
F
When you're not,
C
It almost seems a crime
Dm7 G
Not to go insane
You can whirl and twirl on the world's carousel
Hurdle round and round, and feel quite well
Never even knowing you're in hell
When you're young and in love
You can know the world has nothing left to give
Be condemned to die, content to live,
And be happy--if and only if, you're young and in love
But when you're not,
The poisoned fangs of time
Become quite plain
When you're not,
It almost seems a crime
Not to go insane
You can teeter on the brink of a precipice
(A precipice!)
Ov'r an infinitely deep abyss
(A deep abyss!)
And somehow not even notice this
When you're young and in love
You can grow a little older every day
(Old, every day!)
Watch your stupid life wasting away
(Wasting away!)
Somehow everything is a-ok
When you're young and in love