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Dont Be Surprised

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Emajor

90BPM

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EShe was heavy with Esus4child, he had a Ehungry Esus4look
They were Eout on the Esus4road just Ewaitin' to be Esus4took
And I Aadd9wasn't much better, all I owned in a sack
But I had enough street smarts to watch my back
And he F#masked me if F#m7I knew a F#mplace they could F#m7go
To F#mkeep from the F#m7wind, Baway from the Bsus4rain and the Edrivin' Esus4snowE  Esus4  
He said I'm Abmgood with my hands, I can work my way
But I Aadd9don't know a soul here, there's not much I can pay
I just F#mshook my F#m7head and F#mall I could F#m7say
Was Bdon't be Bsus4surprised if they Eturn you Esus4awayE  Esus4  
I said your Echild will be Esus4born to a Eheartless Esus4place
If he Etries to do Esus4good they'll just Espit in his Esus4face
He might Aadd9heal the sick, make a lame man walk
And draw big crowds of people to hear his talk
But he'd make F#mrich men so F#m7nervous, they'd F#mtake him F#m7away
And they’d F#mput him on F#m7trial, and Btwist his Bsus2words to Emake him Esus4payE  Esus4  
He Abmmight be humble, the gentlest around
But that wonAadd9't stop some men from puttin' him down
You see I F#mdon't have much F#m7faith in F#mpeople these F#m7days
So Bdon't be Bsus4surprised if they Eturn him Esus4awayE  Esus4  
Well I Eguess someEsus4day maybe ERome will Esus4fall
And Epeace could Esus4live inside EJerusalem's Esus4walls
And Aadd9men could win at lots of things they tried
Grow food in the desert, maybe even learn how to fly
In two F#mthousand F#m7years they'll might look F#mback on our F#m7day
F#mThey’d study F#m7about us, Bthey’d probably Bsus4wonder how in the world Ewe could Esus4live this wEayEsus4  
But the Abmmore things changed the more they stayed the same
And Aadd9men will never give up all their hurtful games
A F#mfew will stand F#m7tall, a F#mfew will walk F#m7straight
But Bmost of us will Bsus4fall to the Efear and Esus4hateE  Esus4  
AbmWell I guess at the time it didn't seem so odd
That I was Aadd9talking with Joseph and Mary, the mother of God
I F#mwouldn't change a F#m7word if I saw F#mthem F#m7today
And I wouldn't Aadd9be so surprisBed if they Eturned them Esus4awayE  Esus4  
He said I'm Abmgood with my hands, I can work my way
But I Aadd9don't know a soul here, there's not much I can pay
I just F#mshook my F#m7head because F#mall I could F#m7say
Was Aadd9don't be surprisBed if they Eturn you Esus4away

All chords in this song (9)

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Dont Be Surprised

by Tim O'Brien

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Esus4

Aadd9

F#m

F#m7

Bsus4

Abm

Bsus2

E Esus4 E Esus4

She was heavy with child, he had a hungry look

E Esus4 E Esus4

They were out on the road just waitin' to be took

Aadd9

And I wasn't much better, all I owned in a sack

But I had enough street smarts to watch my back

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

And he asked me if I knew a place they could go

F#m F#m7 B Bsus4 E Esus4 E Esus4

To keep from the wind, away from the rain and the drivin' snow

Abm

He said I'm good with my hands, I can work my way

Aadd9

But I don't know a soul here, there's not much I can pay

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

I just shook my head and all I could say

B Bsus4 E Esus4 E Esus4

Was don't be surprised if they turn you away

E Esus4 E Esus4

I said your child will be born to a heartless place

E Esus4 E Esus4

If he tries to do good they'll just spit in his face

Aadd9

He might heal the sick, make a lame man walk

And draw big crowds of people to hear his talk

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

But he'd make rich men so nervous, they'd take him away

F#m F#m7 B Bsus2 E Esus4 E Esus4

And they’d put him on trial, and twist his words to make him pay

Abm

He might be humble, the gentlest around

Aadd9

But that won't stop some men from puttin' him down

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

You see I don't have much faith in people these days

B Bsus4 E Esus4 E Esus4

So don't be surprised if they turn him away

E Esus4 E Esus4

Well I guess someday maybe Rome will fall

E Esus4 E Esus4

And peace could live inside Jerusalem's walls

Aadd9

And men could win at lots of things they tried

Grow food in the desert, maybe even learn how to fly

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

In two thousand years they'll might look back on our day

F#m F#m7 B Bsus4 E Esus4 E Esus4

They’d study about us, they’d probably wonder how in the world we could live this way

Abm

But the more things changed the more they stayed the same

Aadd9

And men will never give up all their hurtful games

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

A few will stand tall, a few will walk straight

B Bsus4 E Esus4 E Esus4

But most of us will fall to the fear and hate

Abm

Well I guess at the time it didn't seem so odd

Aadd9

That I was talking with Joseph and Mary, the mother of God

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

I wouldn't change a word if I saw them today

Aadd9 B E Esus4 E Esus4

And I wouldn't be so surprised if they turned them away

Abm

He said I'm good with my hands, I can work my way

Aadd9

But I don't know a soul here, there's not much I can pay

F#m F#m7 F#m F#m7

I just shook my head because all I could say

Aadd9 B E Esus4

Was don't be surprised if they turn you away

About Dont Be Surprised Chords by Tim O'Brien

Learn how to play Dont Be Surprised by Tim O'Brien with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Dont Be Surprised chords”, “Dont Be Surprised guitar chords”, or “Tim O'Brien Dont Be Surprised 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 Dont Be Surprised chords and for experienced players who want accurate Dont Be Surprised lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include E, Esus4, Aadd9, F#m, F#m7, B.

FAQ — Dont Be Surprised by Tim O'Brien

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What key is "Dont Be Surprised" in?

The chords for "Dont Be Surprised" show the original chord names (including E, Esus4, Aadd9, F#m, F#m7, B). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.