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My Old Man

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James Keelaghan - My Old Man
CAPO: 2nd Fret
INTRO:   C    F    G  C  
My old Gman was a Cgood old man
Skilled in the moulding Gtrade
In the stinking heat of the Firon Cfoundry
FMy old man was Gmade
FDown on his Gknees in the Cmoulding sand
He Fwore his trade like a Gcompany brand
He was Fone of the Cyclops' Csmoky band
Yes, Fthat was Gmy old CmanF  G  C  
My old Gman wasn't Creally old
It's just that I was Gyoung
And anyone o'er Ftwelve years Cold
Was Fhalfway to the Gtomb
He was Floyal to his Gworkmates Call his life
Gave Fover his pay-pack Gto his wife
He'd Fhave a few jars on a CSaturday night
Yes, Fthat was Gmy old CmanF  G  C  
My old Gman was a Cunion man
Worked hard all his Gdays
He Cunderstood the Fsystem
And was wise to the boss' Gways
He Fsaid, "If you Gwant what's Cyours by right
You'll Fhave to struggle with Gall your might
They'll Frob you blind if Cyou don't fight them"
FThat was Gmy old CmanF  G  C  
My old Gman was a Cproud old man
At home on the foundry Gfloor
Until the day they Flaid him Coff
And Fshowed him out the Gdoor
They Fgave him his Gcard, said, "CTimes are slack,
We Ffound a machine that Ghas the knack
Of Fdoing your job, so Cdon't come back"
The Fend of Gmy old Cman
My old Gman was Cfifty-one
What was he to Gdo?
A moulding craftsman Fon the Cdole
In Fnineteen fifty-Gtwo
He Ffelt he'd Ggiven Call he could give
So he Fdid what thousands of Gothers did
He aFbandoned hope and the Cwill to live
They Fkilled him, Gmy old CmanF  G  C  
My old Gman he is Cdead and gone
And I am your old Gman
And my advice to Fyou, my Cchild 
Is to Ffight back while you Gcan
BeFware the Gman with the Csilicon chip
Hold Fon to your job with a Ggood firm grip
'Cause Fif you don't, you've Ccashed your chips
The Fsame as Gmy old Cman
'Cause Fif you don't, you've Ccashed your chips
The Fsame as Gmy old CmanF  G  C  

All chords in this song (3)

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My Old Man

by James Keelaghan

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 2 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

James Keelaghan - My Old Man

CAPO: 2nd Fret

C F G C

INTRO:

G C

My old man was a good old man

Skilled in the moulding trade

F C

In the stinking heat of the iron foundry

F G

My old man was made

F G C

Down on his knees in the moulding sand

F G

He wore his trade like a company brand

F C

He was one of the Cyclops' smoky band

F G C F G C

Yes, that was my old man

G C

My old man wasn't really old

It's just that I was young

F C

And anyone o'er twelve years old

F G

Was halfway to the tomb

F G C

He was loyal to his workmates all his life

F G

Gave over his pay-pack to his wife

F C

He'd have a few jars on a Saturday night

F G C F G C

Yes, that was my old man

G C

My old man was a union man

Worked hard all his days

C F

He understood the system

And was wise to the boss' ways

F G C

He said, "If you want what's yours by right

F G

You'll have to struggle with all your might

F C

They'll rob you blind if you don't fight them"

F G C F G C

That was my old man

G C

My old man was a proud old man

At home on the foundry floor

F C

Until the day they laid him off

F G

And showed him out the door

F G C

They gave him his card, said, "Times are slack,

F G

We found a machine that has the knack

F C

Of doing your job, so don't come back"

F G C

The end of my old man

G C

My old man was fifty-one

What was he to do?

F C

A moulding craftsman on the dole

F G

In nineteen fifty-two

F G C

He felt he'd given all he could give

F G

So he did what thousands of others did

F C

He abandoned hope and the will to live

F G C F G C

They killed him, my old man

G C

My old man he is dead and gone

And I am your old man

F C

And my advice to you, my child

F G

Is to fight back while you can

F G C

Beware the man with the silicon chip

F G

Hold on to your job with a good firm grip

F C

'Cause if you don't, you've cashed your chips

F G C

The same as my old man

F C

'Cause if you don't, you've cashed your chips

F G C F G C

The same as my old man

About My Old Man Chords by James Keelaghan

Learn how to play My Old Man by James Keelaghan with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “My Old Man chords”, “My Old Man guitar chords”, or “James Keelaghan My Old Man 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 My Old Man chords and for experienced players who want accurate My Old Man lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, F, G, A.

FAQ — My Old Man by James Keelaghan

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The chords for "My Old Man" show the original chord names (including C, F, G, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.