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The Thresher

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Bminor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Fingerpickin'
[Intro]
Bm G F# Bm Em A F#
[Verse 1]
In BmPortsmouth Gtown on the F#eastern Bmshore
Where Emmany a fine Aship was F#born.
The BmThresher was Gbuilt
And the TF#hresher was lBmaunched
And the cEmrew of the ThAresher was sF#worn.
She was shBmaped like a tGear
She was buF#ilt like a sBmhark
She was mEmade to run fAast and F#free.
And the buBmilders shook their haGnds
And the bF#uilders shared their wBmine,
And thoEmught that they had mAastered the F#sea.
[Chorus]
Yes, sBmhe'll always run sF#ilent
And sEmhe'll always run dF#eep
Though the oEmadd9cean has no Bmadd9pity
Though the wAaves will never wF#eep
They'll never wBmadd9eep.
[Verse 2]
And they Bmmarvelled at her Gspeed
And they F#marvelled at her Bmdepth
They Emmarvelled at her Adeadly F#design
And they Bmsailed to every Gland
And they F#sailed to every Bmport
Just to Emsee what Afaults they could F#find
Then they Bmput her on the Gland
For F#nine months to Bmstand
And they Emworked on her from Astem to F#stern
But Bmthey could never Gsee
It was their F#coffin to Bmbe
For the Emsea was Awaiting for their F#return
[Chorus]
Yes, she'll Bmalways run F#silent
And she'll Emalways run F#deep
Though the Emadd9ocean has no Bmadd9pity
And the Awaves will never F#weep
They'll never Bmadd9weep
[Verse 3]
On a Bmcold Wednesday Gmorn
They F#put her her out to Bmsea
When the Emwaves they were Anine feet F#high
And they Bmdove 'neath the Gwaves
And they F#dove to their Bmgraves
And they Emnever said a Alast F#goodbye
And its Bmdeeper and Gdeeper
And F#deeper they Bmdove
Just to Emsee what their Aship could F#stand
But the Bmhull gave a Gmoan
And the F#hull gave a Bmgroan
And they Emplunged to the Adeepest darkest F#sand
Now she Bmlies in the Gdepths
Of the F#darkened ocean Bmfloor
EmCovered by the Awaters cold and F#still
Oh Bmcan't you see the Gwrong
She was a F#death ship all Bmalong
EmDied before she Ahad a chance to F#kill
[Chorus]
And Bmshe'll never run F#silent
And Emshe'll never run F#deep
For the Emadd9ocean had no Bmadd9pity
And the Awaves, they never F#weep
They never Bmadd9weep

All chords in this song (7)

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The Thresher

by Phil Ochs

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Emadd9

Bmadd9

Fingerpickin'

[Intro]

Bm G F# Bm Em A F#

[Verse 1]

Bm G F# Bm

In Portsmouth town on the eastern shore

Em A F#

Where many a fine ship was born.

Bm G

The Thresher was built

F# Bm

And the Thresher was launched

Em A F#

And the crew of the Thresher was sworn.

Bm G

She was shaped like a tear

F# Bm

She was built like a shark

Em A F#

She was made to run fast and free.

Bm G

And the builders shook their hands

F# Bm

And the builders shared their wine,

Em A F#

And thought that they had mastered the sea.

[Chorus]

Bm F#

Yes, she'll always run silent

Em F#

And she'll always run deep

Emadd9 Bmadd9

Though the ocean has no pity

A F#

Though the waves will never weep

Bmadd9

They'll never weep.

[Verse 2]

Bm G

And they marvelled at her speed

F# Bm

And they marvelled at her depth

Em A F#

They marvelled at her deadly design

Bm G

And they sailed to every land

F# Bm

And they sailed to every port

Em A F#

Just to see what faults they could find

Bm G

Then they put her on the land

F# Bm

For nine months to stand

Em A F#

And they worked on her from stem to stern

Bm G

But they could never see

F# Bm

It was their coffin to be

Em A F#

For the sea was waiting for their return

[Chorus]

Bm F#

Yes, she'll always run silent

Em F#

And she'll always run deep

Emadd9 Bmadd9

Though the ocean has no pity

A F#

And the waves will never weep

Bmadd9

They'll never weep

[Verse 3]

Bm G

On a cold Wednesday morn

F# Bm

They put her her out to sea

Em A F#

When the waves they were nine feet high

Bm G

And they dove 'neath the waves

F# Bm

And they dove to their graves

Em A F#

And they never said a last goodbye

Bm G

And its deeper and deeper

F# Bm

And deeper they dove

Em A F#

Just to see what their ship could stand

Bm G

But the hull gave a moan

F# Bm

And the hull gave a groan

Em A F#

And they plunged to the deepest darkest sand

Bm G

Now she lies in the depths

F# Bm

Of the darkened ocean floor

Em A F#

Covered by the waters cold and still

Bm G

Oh can't you see the wrong

F# Bm

She was a death ship all along

Em A F#

Died before she had a chance to kill

[Chorus]

Bm F#

And she'll never run silent

Em F#

And she'll never run deep

Emadd9 Bmadd9

For the ocean had no pity

A F#

And the waves, they never weep

Bmadd9

They never weep

About The Thresher Chords by Phil Ochs

Learn how to play The Thresher by Phil Ochs with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “The Thresher chords”, “The Thresher guitar chords”, or “Phil Ochs The Thresher chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy The Thresher chords and for experienced players who want accurate The Thresher lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Bm, G, F#, Em, A, Emadd9.

FAQ — The Thresher by Phil Ochs

How do I play "The Thresher" by Phil Ochs on guitar?

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Can I transpose "The Thresher" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "The Thresher" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "The Thresher"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "The Thresher" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "The Thresher" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "The Thresher" in?

The chords for "The Thresher" show the original chord names (including Bm, G, F#, Em, A, Emadd9). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.