Brothers

Emaj7 B Our father hid a lot of painful memories Emaj7 B A bunch of shit he never shared Emaj7 B But when he died, I went out looking for them Emaj7 B For all the things he never said Emaj7 B Thought he was born in 1948 Emaj7 B But was born a whole decade before Emaj7 B Thought he was brought up in New Zealand Emaj7 B But he was born and brought up in Samoa G#m B We thought that he was only half-Samoan Emaj7 F#6 B That his mother was a German Jew G#m F#9 Emaj7 But I went and found his birth certificate C#m B And he lied about that too Emaj7 B Our father's love was unmistakeable Emaj7 B And he gave us еverything he had Emaj7 B And I guess that mеant pretending he was half-white Emaj7 B To give his kids a better chance Emaj7 B My sister, she lives out in New York City Emaj7 B Been there since I was seventeen Emaj7 B And I think she hates it, but like most New Yorkers Emaj7 B She just can't bring herself to leave Emaj7 B She used to love to watch our father cooking Emaj7 B And imitate the things she'd seen Emaj7 B And now she makes the most amazing things Emaj7 B And she also sings better than me G#m B And when he died, she and her husband stayed Emaj7 F#6 B To keep my mother company G#m F#9 Emaj7 And even though it fucked them up a lot C#m E6 B They did a better job than me Emaj7 B And I wish that we could see them every weekend Emaj7 B And she could cook her famous meals Emaj7 B And I wish that I could hang out with her husband Emaj7 B More than a couple of times a year Emaj7 B Our brother Wesley is a quiet man Emaj7 B And he is the second of us four Emaj7 B And he inherited our father's hands Emaj7 B But he looks like me a little more Emaj7 B He has a love that's unmistakable Emaj7 B And he's seen police brutality Emaj7 B He lives in Auckland with his wife and dog Emaj7 B And he stands a shade above six-three G#m B Our father left him with a cousin then Emaj7 F# B He got into trouble frequently G#m F#9 Emaj7 Me and my sister only heard of him C#m E6 B In two-thousand-and-eighteen Emaj7 B Our brother Matthew is a baker, and Emaj7 B He stands a mighty seven feet Emaj7 B He was brought up in a Māori family Emaj7 B And speaks Te Reo fluently Emaj7 B He didn't know about our father 'til I Emaj7 B I guess he was about eighteen Emaj7 B And he did some time for something awesome Emaj7 B And he's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet G#m B He came to meet me at a festival Emaj7 F#6 B And he told me everything he knew G#m F#9 Emaj7 That our father left him at the hospital C#m E6 B But if he forgives him, then I should too Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la-la Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la-la Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la Emaj7 B I know our father had his reasons Emaj7 B But that can never make it right or fair Emaj7 B And I hate myself for stealing all his love Emaj7 B When my brothers thought that he was dead G#m B So as I dig through the collateral Emaj7 F#6 B The secrets hid throughout the years G#m F#9 Emaj7 I know I'll hardly ever answer them C#m E6 B But it's the way to keep him near Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la-la Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la Emaj7 B La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la C#m E6 B La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la