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Blue Collar

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Aminor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Verse]
Am7I been down in Pennsylvania,
Dm7Where I was working in the Am7mine.
And I been down in Cincinnati;
Dm7They laid me off the assembly Am7line.
Em7Yeah, they got me looking everyDm7where,
But I ain't too proud of what I Am7found.Em7  
And you can't name where I ain't been Am7down.
Dm7'Cause there ain't no place I ain't been Am7down.Em7  
[Verse]
Am7I was down in Kansas City,
Dm7Where even the blues sell by the pAm7ound
And I been down in New York City, brother,
Dm7And that ain't no place to be Am7down.
Em7Yeah, I'm a-looking at the face of the Dm7children;
You see, we're looking for a higher Am7ground,Em7  
And you can't name where we ain't been Am7down.
Dm7'Cause there ain't no place we ain't been Am7  Em7  
[Chorus]
We fell Dm7down somewhere
Between the cities and the Am7towns.
We went Dm7down, I know,
Between the smiles and the Am7frowns.
And if they call me in the Dm7morning,
I mean, I'd recognize the Am7sound,Em7  
'Cause you can't name where we ain't been Am7down.
Dm7There ain't no place we ain't been Am7down.Em7  
[Verse]
Am7Standing in the shadows
Dm7It sho'nuff (sure enough) looks like Am7rain.
I see the steel-gray clouds above me
Dm7Yeah, well the anguish and the Am7pain.
Em7Yeah, I been looking everywhere for Dm7peace,
But I swear, there just ain't none Am7around.Em7  
But you can't name where I ain't been Am7down.
Dm7'Cause there ain't no place I ain't been Am7down.Em7  
[Chorus]
We been Dm7down
Between the cities and the Am7towns.
Yeah, been Dm7down somewhere
Between the smiles and the Am7frowns.
And if they call me in the Dm7morning,
I mean, I'd recognize the Am7sound,Em7  
'Cause you can't name where I ain't been Am7down.
Dm7There ain't no place I ain't been Am7down.Em7  

All chords in this song (3)

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Blue Collar

by Gil Scott-Heron

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Am7

Dm7

Em7

[Verse]

Am7

I been down in Pennsylvania,

Dm7 Am7

Where I was working in the mine.

And I been down in Cincinnati;

Dm7 Am7

They laid me off the assembly line.

Em7 Dm7

Yeah, they got me looking everywhere,

Am7 Em7

But I ain't too proud of what I found.

Am7

And you can't name where I ain't been down.

Dm7 Am7 Em7

'Cause there ain't no place I ain't been down.

[Verse]

Am7

I was down in Kansas City,

Dm7 Am7

Where even the blues sell by the pound

And I been down in New York City, brother,

Dm7 Am7

And that ain't no place to be down.

Em7 Dm7

Yeah, I'm a-looking at the face of the children;

Am7 Em7

You see, we're looking for a higher ground,

Am7

And you can't name where we ain't been down.

Dm7 Am7 Em7

'Cause there ain't no place we ain't been

[Chorus]

Dm7

We fell down somewhere

Am7

Between the cities and the towns.

Dm7

We went down, I know,

Am7

Between the smiles and the frowns.

Dm7

And if they call me in the morning,

Am7 Em7

I mean, I'd recognize the sound,

Am7

'Cause you can't name where we ain't been down.

Dm7 Am7 Em7

There ain't no place we ain't been down.

[Verse]

Am7

Standing in the shadows

Dm7 Am7

It sho'nuff (sure enough) looks like rain.

I see the steel-gray clouds above me

Dm7 Am7

Yeah, well the anguish and the pain.

Em7 Dm7

Yeah, I been looking everywhere for peace,

Am7 Em7

But I swear, there just ain't none around.

Am7

But you can't name where I ain't been down.

Dm7 Am7 Em7

'Cause there ain't no place I ain't been down.

[Chorus]

Dm7

We been down

Am7

Between the cities and the towns.

Dm7

Yeah, been down somewhere

Am7

Between the smiles and the frowns.

Dm7

And if they call me in the morning,

Am7 Em7

I mean, I'd recognize the sound,

Am7

'Cause you can't name where I ain't been down.

Dm7 Am7 Em7

There ain't no place I ain't been down.

About Blue Collar Chords by Gil Scott-Heron

Learn how to play Blue Collar by Gil Scott-Heron with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Blue Collar chords”, “Blue Collar guitar chords”, or “Gil Scott-Heron Blue Collar 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 Blue Collar chords and for experienced players who want accurate Blue Collar lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Am7, Dm7, Em7.

FAQ — Blue Collar by Gil Scott-Heron

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What key is "Blue Collar" in?

The chords for "Blue Collar" show the original chord names (including Am7, Dm7, Em7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.