Jewel - Family Tree Lyrics and Guitar Tabs

[Jessica]

Jewel – Family Tree Lyrics

Mama
I see your face now I
In the mirror
It's getting clearer
Daddy
All those things I said I wouldn't do
I've been drawn to
'cause I looked up to you
And I've loved you through this tangled legacy
Tracing the twisted roots of our family tree

I stayed strong like you did
I moved on like you did
And I wound up tough as stone like you did
If I don't learn to bend I know I'm going to break
Like you did

Lover
I must forgive you
I confused you
With what I couldn't see
Inside of me
Dark things pulling
Not evolving
It made a puppet out of me
And you came with your own history
Both caught in the branches of our family tree

I stayed strong like you did
I moved on like you did
And I wound up all alone like you did
If I don't learn to bend, I know I'm gonna break
Just like you did

I love you but I need to look at who we've been
Take the fruit but choose the seeds I scatter in the wind
That's the job of the kid: to do better than our parents did

So I'll stay strong like you did
And I'll move on like you did
But I won't hide from the truth like you did
I'm learning to bend so I won't break
And you can bet I'll teach my child that love will always find a way
Just like you did

[Jessica]

“Family Tree” by Jewel Murray and Lisa Carver.

“In addition to the autobiographical lyrics, this is really about the obligation we have as children to examine where we come from and where we want to be.  It's directly conveyed in the bridge line that says, ‘Take the fruit but choose the seeds I scatter in the wind / That’s the job of the kid to do better than our parents did.’ No matter whose childhood it is – even the best of childhoods – there are traits we might want to weed out and traits that we really want to continue. And to try and do that thoughtfully I think leads to a more fulfilled life.”

[Jessica]

From the old forum (Thanks again, Linda!!)



    Family Tree - Fifth Fret   Play around with the D, using D2 and Dsus4 when it sounds good.


    G
    Momma
                       E2nd fret, b 3rd fret , e 3rd fret             
    I  see your face now
              Cadd9
    In the mirror
                     D2-D
    it’s getting clearer

            G
    And Daddy
                             E2nd fret, b 3rd fret , e 3rd fret

    all those things I said I wouldn’t do
          Cadd9
    I’ve been drawn to
               D2-D
    cause I looked up to you

            Em                                          C
    But I loved tracing the roots on our family tree
          Am                    D
    The twisted roots of our family tree

                   
                      G-Cadd9              G
    And I was drawn       like you did (?)
    G                       G- Cadd9       D
    And I’ve moved on like you did
               Em                                          C
    Might wind up tough as stone like you did
    G                                          C                            D
    If I don’t learn to bend and I know I’m gonna break
                   G
    Like you did

    G
    Lover,
             E2nd fret, b 3rd fret , e 3rd fret
    I must forgive you
           Cadd9
    I’ve confused you
          D2-D                   
    Of what I couldn’t see,
    G
    inside of me
                    E2nd fret, b 3rd fret , e 3rd fret
      Dark things calling
           Cadd9
    Not evolving
                 D2-D
    Made a puppet outta me

                 Em                             C
    And you came with your own history
                       Am                  D
    Both caught on the branches of our family tree


                        G-Cadd9        G
    And I stayed strong like you did
                         G-Cadd9     D
    And I moved on like you did
               Em                                   C
    And I’ll wind up all alone like you did
    G                           C                      D
    But I’m learning to bend so I won’t break
                   G
    Like you did


        Em                            C
    I love you but I need to look at who we’ve been
           Em                                                  C
    Keep the fruit but choose the seeds I’ll scatter on the wind
                     Em          C
    That’s the job of the kid
             Am                                  D
    To do better than our parents did


    G              G-Cadd9          G
    So I’ll stay strong like you did
                         G-Cadd9     D
    And I’ll move on like you did
                     Em                                C
    But I won’t hide from the truth like you did
    G                    C                       D
    I’m learning to bend so I don’t break
                  G                       C                           D
    You can bet I’ll teach my child that love will always find it’s way
                  Cadd9-G
    Just like you did

[gooddayjay]

Love the message contained in the line "if I don't learn to bend I know I'm going to break"..
She used the a similar message in Innocence Maintained "Nature has a funny way of breaking what does not bend"
- After reading the book, this lyric really becomes profound

[Jessica]

Yeah, that's definitely a popular theme throughout the book.  I think about that line, "hard wood grows slowly" quite a bit it seems and all it entails.