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Small Town On The River

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Capo 2nd fret
Intro: 
 C/G-  F/C(open 1st string)                             
TC/Ghey used to come to town from the Naval base
Looking for F/Ca stiff drink and a pretty face
HC/Gang around the whore houses F/Call night long
WC/Gell some were drifters and some were bums
SF/Come just waited for the war to come 
OC/Gut behind the faAmctory with a bF/Cottle and a factory gG7sus4irlG7  
In that smC/Gall town on the rF/Civer, just a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer
WC/Gell that December war broke out, many a wF/Coman lost her man
SC/Gome wrote from overseas, some didn’t and their F/Cwomen didn’t understand
And the wC/Ghores left for the harbor towns where the bF/Cusiness was still good
And the fC/Gactory girls put in doAmuble shifts, worked as mF/Cuch time as they cG7sus4ouldG7  
In that sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer, just a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer
WC/Gell some men came home aces, sF/Come were carried home
AC/Gll of them were heroes, no F/Cman was left alone
SC/Gome took jobs, some went to school, some fF/Cound they’d fathered kids
SC/Gome men tried, but could Amnot forget, some F/Cwound up on the sG7sus4kidsG7  
In that sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer, just a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer
WC/Gell forty years later the tF/Cown remains the same 
One C/Gmill burnt down, another one was built 
The payF/Cchecks now come from a different name 
AC/Gnd at the Eagles and the Legion halls, nF/Co one seems to age 
With the sC/Game jokes told and the AmTV on; the paper F/Copen to the sports pG7sus4age G7  
In that sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer, just a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer
And I C/Gwas talking with the bartender laF/Cst night at the PAC
A C/GNavy man from World War II, sharp drF/Cesser though he don’t have to be
And C/Gover a double bourbon, he said “I’ll F/Ctell ya man to man”
“Well this tC/Gown died forty yAmears ago, son; gF/Cet out while you cG7sus4an”G7  
It’s just a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer, we’re nothing but a sC/Gmall town on the rF/Civer
We’re nothing but a C/Gsmall town on the rF/CiverG  C/G  

All chords in this song (6)

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Small Town On The River

by Bill Morrissey

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

Chords in this song · guitar

C/G

F/C

G7sus4

Capo 2nd fret

Intro:

C/G F/C

- (open 1st string)

C/G

They used to come to town from the Naval base

F/C

Looking for a stiff drink and a pretty face

C/G F/C

Hang around the whore houses all night long

C/G

Well some were drifters and some were bums

F/C

Some just waited for the war to come

C/G Am F/C G7sus4 G7

Out behind the factory with a bottle and a factory girl

C/G F/C C/G F/C

In that small town on the river, just a small town on the river

C/G F/C

Well that December war broke out, many a woman lost her man

C/G F/C

Some wrote from overseas, some didn’t and their women didn’t understand

C/G F/C

And the whores left for the harbor towns where the business was still good

C/G Am F/C G7sus4 G7

And the factory girls put in double shifts, worked as much time as they could

C/G F/C C/G F/C

In that small town on the river, just a small town on the river

C/G F/C

Well some men came home aces, some were carried home

C/G F/C

All of them were heroes, no man was left alone

C/G F/C

Some took jobs, some went to school, some found they’d fathered kids

C/G Am F/C G7sus4 G7

Some men tried, but could not forget, some wound up on the skids

C/G F/C C/G F/C

In that small town on the river, just a small town on the river

C/G F/C

Well forty years later the town remains the same

C/G

One mill burnt down, another one was built

F/C

The paychecks now come from a different name

C/G F/C

And at the Eagles and the Legion halls, no one seems to age

C/G Am F/C G7sus4 G7

With the same jokes told and the TV on; the paper open to the sports page

C/G F/C C/G F/C

In that small town on the river, just a small town on the river

C/G F/C

And I was talking with the bartender last night at the PAC

C/G F/C

A Navy man from World War II, sharp dresser though he don’t have to be

C/G F/C

And over a double bourbon, he said “I’ll tell ya man to man”

C/G Am F/C G7sus4 G7

“Well this town died forty years ago, son; get out while you can”

C/G F/C C/G F/C

It’s just a small town on the river, we’re nothing but a small town on the river

C/G F/C G C/G

We’re nothing but a small town on the river

About Small Town On The River Chords by Bill Morrissey

Learn how to play Small Town On The River by Bill Morrissey with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Small Town On The River chords”, “Small Town On The River guitar chords”, or “Bill Morrissey Small Town On The River 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 Small Town On The River chords and for experienced players who want accurate Small Town On The River lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C/G, F/C, Am, G7sus4, G7, A.

FAQ — Small Town On The River by Bill Morrissey

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What key is "Small Town On The River" in?

The chords for "Small Town On The River" show the original chord names (including C/G, F/C, Am, G7sus4, G7, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.