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On The Nickel

Chords

4.842 votes

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Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Capo on 1st Fret. 
 C/D= 300010
 D7sus4= xx0213
 G#m= xx6444
 C#7= x46464
 Esus2= 09990x
e-------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|
b-------|--------|6-7------|--------|---------|-------|6-7-------|
G-------|------8-|---------|------8-|6--------|-----8-|----6-----|
D-------|----9---|---------|----9---|---------|----9--|--------6-|
A---9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9----|------9---|
E-------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|
e----------|-----||
b----------|-----||
G----------|-----||
D-8------6-|-----||
A---9--9---|9----||
E----------|-----||
[Verse 1]
CSticks and Stones will GBreak my Bones,
CBut I always will be Gtrue,
CAnd when your mama is Gdead and Emgone,
I'll Sing this AmLullaby just for D7sus4you,D7  C/D  
CAnd what becomes of all the Glittle boys,
CWho never comb their Ghair
CWell they Aline up all aGround the Emblock
On the Am7Nickel D7over Gthere.
[Verse 2]
CSo you better bring a Gbucket,
CThere is a hole in the Gpail,
CAnd if you don't get my GletEmter,
Then you'll knoAmw that I'm in jaiD7sus4lD7  C/D  
CAnd what becomes of all the Glittle boys,
CWho never say their Gprayers,
CWell they're Asleepin' like Ga baEmby,
On the Am7Nickel D7over Gthere.
e------|--------|------------|--------|-----||
b------|--------|7-8---------|--------|-----||
G------|------8-|----7-------|------10|-8---||
D------|----9---|------------|-----11-|-----||
A--9-8-|6-9-----|------11-10-|8-11----|-----||
E------|--------|------------|--------|-----||
[Verse]
DAnd if you chew Atobacco,
DAnd wish upon a Astar,
DWell you'll find out where the Ascarecrows F#msit,
Just like Bmpuchlines between the E7cars,
DAnd I know a place where a Aroyal flush,
DCan never beat a Apair,
DAnd Beven Thomas AJefferF#mson,
Is on the BmNickel E7over AThere.
[Verse]
DSo ring around the Arosie,
DYou're sleepin in the Arain,
DAnd you're always late for AsupF#mper,
And man you Blet me down, let me down aE7gain,
DI thought I heard a Amocking bird,
DRoosevelt knows Awhere,
DYou can Bskip the light with AGrady F#mTuck,
They're on the BmNickel Eover AThere.
e--------|---------|--------------|---------|------||
b--------|---------|9-10----------|---------|------||
G--------|------10-|------9-------|-------12|-10---||
D--------|----11---|--------------|-----13--|------||
A--11-10-|8-11-----|--------13-12-|10-13----|------||
E--------|---------|--------------|---------|------||
[Verse]
ESo what becomes of all the Blittle boys,
EThat run away from Bhome,
EWell the world just keeps Bgettin' G#mbigger,
C#mOnce you get out on your F#7own,
ESo here's to all the Blittle boys,
EThe sandman takes you Bwhere,
EYou're C#sleepin' with the Bpillow of G#mman,
On the C#mNickel F#7over BThere. 
      Esus2  ESo climb up thru that Bbuttonhole,
      Esus2  EAnd fall right up the Bstairs,
EI'll show you C#7where the Bshort dogs G#mgrow,
On the C#mNickel...F#7over Esus2There.E  
e--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||
b--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||
G--------|----------12-|-11-12---------|---------9-|-7--||
D--------|-------13----|-------12------|------10---|----||
A--13-12-|-10-13-------|----------10-9-|-7-10------|----||
E--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||

All chords in this song (21)

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On The Nickel

by Tom Waits

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

C/D

D7sus4

G#m

C#7

Esus2

Am7

F#m

C#m

F#7

Capo on 1st Fret.

C/D

= 300010

D7sus4

= xx0213

G#m

= xx6444

C#7

= x46464

Esus2

= 09990x

e-------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|

b-------|--------|6-7------|--------|---------|-------|6-7-------|

G-------|------8-|---------|------8-|6--------|-----8-|----6-----|

D-------|----9---|---------|----9---|---------|----9--|--------6-|

A---9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9----|------9---|

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

e----------|-----||

b----------|-----||

G----------|-----||

D-8------6-|-----||

A---9--9---|9----||

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

[Verse 1]

C G

Sticks and Stones will Break my Bones,

C G

But I always will be true,

C G Em

And when your mama is dead and gone,

Am D7sus4 D7 C/D

I'll Sing this Lullaby just for you,

C G

And what becomes of all the little boys,

C G

Who never comb their hair

C A G Em

Well they line up all around the block

Am7 D7 G

On the Nickel over there.

[Verse 2]

C G

So you better bring a bucket,

C G

There is a hole in the pail,

C G Em

And if you don't get my letter,

Am D7sus4 D7 C/D

Then you'll know that I'm in jail

C G

And what becomes of all the little boys,

C G

Who never say their prayers,

C A G Em

Well they're sleepin' like a baby,

Am7 D7 G

On the Nickel over there.

e------|--------|------------|--------|-----||

b------|--------|7-8---------|--------|-----||

G------|------8-|----7-------|------10|-8---||

D------|----9---|------------|-----11-|-----||

A--9-8-|6-9-----|------11-10-|8-11----|-----||

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

[Verse]

D A

And if you chew tobacco,

D A

And wish upon a star,

D A F#m

Well you'll find out where the scarecrows sit,

Bm E7

Just like puchlines between the cars,

D A

And I know a place where a royal flush,

D A

Can never beat a pair,

D B A F#m

And even Thomas Jefferson,

Bm E7 A

Is on the Nickel over There.

[Verse]

D A

So ring around the rosie,

D A

You're sleepin in the rain,

D A F#m

And you're always late for supper,

B E7

And man you let me down, let me down again,

D A

I thought I heard a mocking bird,

D A

Roosevelt knows where,

D B A F#m

You can skip the light with Grady Tuck,

Bm E A

They're on the Nickel over There.

e--------|---------|--------------|---------|------||

b--------|---------|9-10----------|---------|------||

G--------|------10-|------9-------|-------12|-10---||

D--------|----11---|--------------|-----13--|------||

A--11-10-|8-11-----|--------13-12-|10-13----|------||

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

[Verse]

E B

So what becomes of all the little boys,

E B

That run away from home,

E B G#m

Well the world just keeps gettin' bigger,

C#m F#7

Once you get out on your own,

E B

So here's to all the little boys,

E B

The sandman takes you where,

E C# B G#m

You're sleepin' with the pillow of man,

C#m F#7 B

On the Nickel over There.

Esus2 E B

So climb up thru that buttonhole,

Esus2 E B

And fall right up the stairs,

E C#7 B G#m

I'll show you where the short dogs grow,

C#m F#7 Esus2 E

On the Nickel...over There.

e--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||

b--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||

G--------|----------12-|-11-12---------|---------9-|-7--||

D--------|-------13----|-------12------|------10---|----||

A--13-12-|-10-13-------|----------10-9-|-7-10------|----||

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

About On The Nickel Chords by Tom Waits

Learn how to play On The Nickel by Tom Waits with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “On The Nickel chords”, “On The Nickel guitar chords”, or “Tom Waits On The Nickel 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 On The Nickel chords and for experienced players who want accurate On The Nickel lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C/D, D7sus4, G#m, C#7, Esus2, G.

FAQ — On The Nickel by Tom Waits

How do I play "On The Nickel" by Tom Waits on guitar?

Open the free chords for "On The Nickel" by Tom Waits on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

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Can I transpose "On The Nickel" to a different key?

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

Can I see chord diagrams for "On The Nickel"?

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

Is "On The Nickel" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "On The Nickel" by Tom Waits with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Tom Waits below.

What key is "On The Nickel" in?

The chords for "On The Nickel" show the original chord names (including C/D, D7sus4, G#m, C#7, Esus2, G). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.