LIFES RICH PAGEANT: THE FLOWERS OF GUATEMALA

Lyrically, this song is fairly straightforward except for one thing: Amanita.  Amanita is a mushroom, or rather numerous types in a family of mushrooms which are poisonous ... you know what that means druggies!  A number of the shrooms also are used as hallucinogens.  So how does that knowledge fit in with a song about pretty flowers?  Guatemala.  A turmoil filled country, particularly in the 70's and 80's with a lot of assistance from the CIA.  Big surprise.  In the 50's and 60's it seems like there was some coup or another every few years.  So is the song about how a seemingly innocent transplanted mushroom (CIA) dominates landscapes and infiltrates a country.  Or a song about a guy with a camera taking what he thinks are lovely pictures, but they turn out to be of poisonous fungus? 



THE FLOWERS OF GUATEMALA

I took a picture that I’ll have to send
People here are friendly and content
People here are colorful and bright
The flowers often bloom at night

Amanita is the name
The flowers cover everything
The flowers cover everything

There’s something here I find hard to ignore
There’s something that I’ve never seen before
Amanita is the name they cover over everything

The flowers cover everything
They cover over everything
(Amanita is the name)
The flowers cover everything

Look into the sun
Look into the sun

The flowers cover everything
They cover over everything
The flowers cover everything

The flowers cover everything
(Amanita is the name)
They cover over everything
The flowers cover everything

There’s something that I’ve never seen before
The flowers often bloom at night
Amanita is the name they cover over everything


I have to tell you that I was lost on this one until I found the only video on You Tube of this song.  It's not that good and it's from very far away, but you can clearly see Peter move his hand all the way up to the 12th fret.  Bingo!  I feel so much like a detective it's ridiculous.  It also looks like he never goes to the first fret for the C chord live, but it sounds fuller to do so ...

THE FLOWERS OF GUATEMALA

Verse:

e|-------------------0-----------|

B|-------12----0----5---5--------|

G|---13----13------6---6-6-------|

D|-14--14----14---7---7----------|

A|-------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------|

Chorus:

e|-0---0-3-------0--0-----0----0---|

B|-5---1-3-------2---2-2-3-3-2--2--|

G|-7---0-0-------2-2--2-------2----|

D|-7---2-0--x3---2-----------------|

A|-0---3-2-------0-----------------|

E|-0---0-3-------0-----------------|

Middle Bridge:

e|-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0------|

B|-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0------|

G|-5---6---1---2-1---5---6---8------|

D|-6---7---2---2-2---6---7---9------|

A|-6---7---2---2-2---6---7---9------|

E|-4---5---0---0-0---4---5---7------|

Lead:

E-A

e|------------------------------2----|

B|-7-5-7-5-7>10-9-7------8-7----3----|

G|-----------------9-x3-----9-7-2----|

D|------------------------------0----|

A|-----------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------|

End:

e|--0----|

B|-12----|

G|-13----|

D|-14----|

A|--0----|

E|--0----|