Unplugged version
(the Greatest hits version is basically the same, but with a capo on the 3rd fret)
C
Fat man lookin in a blade of steel
Thin man lookin at his last meal
F C
Hollow man lookin in a cottonfield
F/g C
For dignity
Wise man lookin in a blade of grass Young man lookin in the shadows that pass Poor man lookin through painted glass For dignity
G
Somebody got murdered on New Years Eve
F C
Somebody said dignity was the first to leave
F C/e
I went into the city, went into the town
Dm F/g
Went into the land of the midnight sun
Searchin high, searchin low Searchin everywhere I know Askin the cops wherever I go Have you seen dignity?
Blind man breakin out of a trance Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance Hopin' to find one circumstance Of dignity
I went to the wedding of Mary-Lou She said I dont want nobody see me talkin to you Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew About dignity
I went down where the vultures feed I would've gone deeper, but there wasnt any need Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men Wasnt any difference to me
Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade House on fire, debts unpaid Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid Have you seen dignity?
Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors Lookin into the lost forgotten years For dignity
Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues Said hed give me information if his name wasn't used He wanted money up front, said he was abused By dignity
Footprints runnin cross the silver sand Steps goin down into tattoo land I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light In the bordertowns of despair
Got no place to fade, got no coat I'm on the rollin river in a jerkin boat Tryin' to read a note somebody wrote About dignity
Sick man lookin' for the doctors cure Lookin' at his hands for the lines that were And into every masterpiece of literature For dignity
Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind Combin' his hair back, his future looks thin Bites the bullet and he looks within For dignity
Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed Dignity never been photographed I went into the red, went into the black Into the valley of dry bone dreams
So many roads, so much at stake So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake Sometimes I wonder what its gonna take To find dignity
Tell Tale Signs version #1
Piano tune, black keys, C# or Db major, easily accomplished with a capo on the first fret.
C G11 C
Fat man lookin in the shining steel
C F C
Thin man lookin at his last meal
F C
Hollow man lookin in a cottonfield
G11 C
For dignity
Wise man lookin in a blade of grass Young man lookin in the shadows that pass Poor man lookin through painted glass For dignity
G
Somebody got murdered on New Years Eve
F C
Somebody said dignity was the last to leave
F C/e
I went into the cities, went into the towns
(/d /c) G
to the land of the midnight sun
Searchin high, searchin low Searchin everywhere I know Askin the cops wherever I go Have you seen dignity?
Blind man breakin out of a trance Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance Hopin' to find one circumstance Of dignity
Stranger stares down into the light From a platinum window in the Mexican night Searching every bloodsucking thing inside for dignity
I went down where the vultures feed I would've gone deeper, but there wasnt any need Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men It all sounded no different to me
Soul of a nation is under the knife Death is standing in the doorway of life, In the next room a man fighting with his wife over Dignity.
Tell Tale Signs version #2
Lyrics transcribed by Craig Thomas
Fat man lookin at a ferris wheel Yellow man lookin' at his last meal Hollow man lookin' in a cottonfield For dignity
Wise man lookin in a blade of grass Young man lookin in the days that pass Poor man lookin through painted glass For dignity
Dignity is a woman that knows Dignity moves like a tropical wind that blows into the cities, into the towns into the land of the midnight sun
I'm searchin high, I'm searchin low Searchin everywhere I know Askin the cops wherever I go Have you seen dignity?
Drunk man listens to a voice he hears in a crowded room, full of covered-up mirrors looking to the lost forgotten years for dignity
Don Juan was talking to Don Miguel Standin' outside the gates of Hell There ain't nothing to say, there ain't nothing to tell 'bout dignity
Dignity is a woman unspoiled By fame and greed and snakes that are coiled In the damp woods, on the river's edge Near the green, green grass of home
Pull into the platform, step off the train Walk thirty steps, it begins to rain I'm asking somebody with water on his brain Have you seen dignity?
Cities in a mess of jackhammer beats Buses roll by with burned-out seats A child's eyes look through the creeping streets For dignity
Prince Phillip was talking to Miss Mary Lou She said don't let nobody see me talking to you She's afraid to tell him what she knew About dignity
Dignity is a woman that's light She don't tease, she don't travel at night Dignity is a woman that bleeds Like the hot Egyptian sun
I'm looking east, looking west See people cursed, see people blessed Asking everybody like a man possessed Have you seen dignity?
Blind man breaking out of a trance Puts both of his hands in the pockets of chance Hoping to find one circumstance Of dignity
Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind Combing his hair back, his future looks thin Bites the bullet and he looks within For dignity
Somebody showed me a picture and I just laughed Dignity never been photographed Dignity got no starting-point No beginning, no middle, no end
Looking at a glass that's half-filled Looking at a dream that's just been killed Asking everybody that's strong-willed Have you seen dignity?