All songs / David Alan Graham
Empty Stool
Saving that seat for the ghost of a maybe.
B♭ major82 BPM4/45:35last-callhigh confidence
Capo 1 — play the shapes in A and it sounds in B♭ major. Much easier than fingering B♭ major straight.
Verse 1
Same bar, same Tuesday, same six PM
Lou pours my whiskey, slides me one again
I take the corner stool against the wall
And I leave the one beside it empty for y'all
She used to sit there with her boots on the rung
Smilin' at me like a song never sung
Now there's just a coaster I won't let nobody take
And a story I keep tellin' for nobody's sake
Chorus
There's an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you used to put your hand on my arm
I don't let anyone sit there no more
'Cause some folks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm savin' that empty stool for the ghost of a maybe
Empty stool, empty heart, empty space
Verse 2
Lou knows the deal, he don't ask why
Just sets a glass of nothin' for the empty side
"On the house," he says, with a quiet old nod
'Cause some kinda love don't need to be talked about
There's regulars who know to leave it be
Like a chair at a funeral nobody else can see
A guy stopped in last week, said "can I take this seat?"
Said "I'm sorry, mister, this one's already saved for me"
Chorus
There's an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you used to put your hand on my arm
I don't let anyone sit there no more
'Cause some folks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm savin' that empty stool for the ghost of a maybe
Empty stool, empty heart, empty space
Bridge
I know what you're thinkin' — "let it go, find a friend"
I know what you're thinkin' — "the door's gonna swing again"
But you don't know how she sat there
You don't know how she'd lean
You don't know that the moment she walked into this place
I knew exactly what love is supposed to mean
So I'll keep the stool, and I'll keep my faith
And if the door swings open, well, I won't be late
Final Chorus — slight lift, still restrained
There's an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you used to put your hand on my arm
I don't let anyone sit there no more
'Cause some folks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm savin' that empty stool for the ghost of a maybe
Empty stool, empty heart, empty space
Outro
Empty stool, empty heart
Empty stool, empty heart
Same Tuesday, same six PM
Lou pours me one and slides me one again
Empty stool...
This chart is a work in progress. If you spot something wrong, let me know and I’ll get it fixed.
Intro F Cm F B♭ Dm
Verse 1
B♭Same bar, same Tuesday, same six PM
Lou pours my Dmwhiskey, slides me one again
I take the E♭corner stool against the wall
And I leave the Fone beside it empty for y'all
She used to B♭sit there with her boots on the rung
Smilin' Dmat me like a song never sung
Now there's just a E♭coaster I won't let nobody take
And a story FI keep tellin' for nobody's sake
Chorus
There's B♭an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you Dmused to put your hand on my arm
I don't E♭let anyone sit there no more
'Cause Fsome folks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm B♭savin' that empty stool for the Dmghost of a maybe
Empty Cmstool, empty heart, Fempty space
Verse 2
Lou knows the deal, he don't ask why
Just sets a glass Dmof nothin' for the empty side
"On the E♭house," he says, with a quiet old nod
'Cause some kinda Flove don't need to be talked about
There's B♭regulars who know to leave it be
Like Dma chair at a funeral nobody else can see
A guy E♭stopped in last week, said "can I take this seat?"
Said "I'm Fsorry, mister, this one's already saved for me"
Chorus
There's B♭an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you Dmused to put your hand on my arm
I don't E♭let anyone sit there no more
'Cause Fsome folks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm B♭savin' that empty stool for the Dmghost of a maybe
Empty stool, Cmempty heart, Fempty B♭space
Bridge
E♭I know what you're thinkin' — F"let it go, find a friend"
I know what you're thinkin' — Cm"the door's gonna swing again"
But you don't know how she sat there
You Dmdon't know how she'd lean
You E♭don't know that the moment she walked Finto this place
I knew E♭exactly what love is Fsupposed to mean
So CmI'll keep the stool, and DmI'll keep my faith
And Cmif the door swings open, Fwell, I won't be B♭late
Final Chorus — slight lift, still restrained
There's B♭an empty stool to my right at the bar
Where you Dmused to put your hand on my arm
I don't E♭let anyone sit there no more
'Cause some Ffolks don't come back and some things you save
Yeah I'm B♭savin' that empty stool for the ghost of a maybe
Empty Cmstool, empty heart, Fempty B♭space
Outro
Empty Cmstool, empty heart
FEmpty stool, B♭empty heart
Same CmTuesday, same six FPM
Lou Cmpours me one and Fslides me one B♭again
Empty E♭stool...
Generated from the chord chart. These are real guitar shapes for the chords we detected, not a transcription of what was played on the record.
Raw note map (experimental)
This is the unfiltered pitch detection across the whole mix — vocals, bass and drums included — mapped onto a fretboard. It is not a playable arrangement and no one should try to read it as one. It is here only because it is the raw material everything else was built from.
Download note mapA lead sheet, not a full score. The melody line has been reduced automatically from the recording and paired with the detected chords. Expect the shape of the tune to be right and the details to be approximate.
From the porch, Sarasota
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