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What Work Is

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Cmajor

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Tom Russell - What Work Is
[Intro]
   C     Fmaj7x4
[Verse 1]
  CYeah, I used to work with a guy named Frankie AFmaj7costa
  CWe were butter strippers down at the Challenge CreameFmaj7ry
  CStrippin' the cardboard off seventy pound cubes of Fmaj7butter, yeah
It was Chot back then, summer of nineteen Fmaj7sixty-three
[Verse 2]
   AmAnd Frankie, man, he'd get so Fangry
He'd say, C"See what the women make me Gdo"
   AmThen he'd break off a splinter from a Fdirty wooden pallet
And stick it like a Cknife in one of them big old butter cGubes
[Chorus]
That's what Amwork is
That's what Flove is
A little Ampleasure and a little miseGry
  FNow every Gtime it gets Amhard out here
I think of CL.A. back in nineteen sixGty-three
Hey, Amhey
[Verse 3]
  CThen I got a job working for the city of InglewoFmaj7od
Runnin' the chipCper, chippin' limbs off of treesFmaj7  
  CI worked with a guy named Crazy Dave MacklFmaj7in
  CAnd one day he almost ran a tractor over meFmaj7  
[Verse 4]
   AmWe were out choppin' weeds near South FCentral
  CWhen the riots broke out and the skies turned Gfiery red and brown
   AmAnd I called up my girlfriend on a payphone and said "FBaby, I love you
But, ah, I Cthink God's gonna finally burn Gomorra downG  
She said
[Chorus]
That's what Amwork is
That's what Flove is
You build a Amhouse of straw and the flames lick the Gsky
  FNow every Gtime I fall in Amlove out here
I think of CL.A. back in nineteen sixtyG-five
[Instrumental]
|   Am|    F|   Am|    G|
|  F   G|   Am|    C|    G|
|   Am|   Am|
[Verse 5]
  CI finally got a job drivin' a roFmaj7se truck
  CSanta Barbara, midnight, to L.A., Fmaj7Fifth and Main
  CAll jacked up on coffee, cheap speed and Fmaj7doughnuts
 CWalkin' around the L.A. Flower Market in the raiFmaj7n
[Verse 6]
   AmAnd every morning I'd eat breakfast at The Pantry Fdown on Figueroa
  CThe waiters were always old time, ex-cGons
   AmThen we'd load the truck back up with empty rose Fboxes
And drive on up the Ccoast through the California dawnG  
[Chorus]
That's what Amwork is
That's what Flove is
Two eggs over Ameasy on a T-bone Gsteak
  FEvery Gtime I see the Amsunrise on the ocean
I think of CL.A. back in nineteen sixty-Geight
That's what Amwork is
That's what Flove is
A little Ampleasure and a little miseGry
  FNow every Gtime it gets Amhard out here
I think of CL.A. back in nineteen sixtyG-three
[Outro]
      AmI used to work with a guy named Frankie Acosta
Am

All chords in this song (5)

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What Work Is

by Tom Russell

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Fmaj7

Tom Russell - What Work Is

[Intro]

C Fmaj7

[Verse 1]

C Fmaj7

Yeah, I used to work with a guy named Frankie Acosta

C Fmaj7

We were butter strippers down at the Challenge Creamery

C Fmaj7

Strippin' the cardboard off seventy pound cubes of butter, yeah

C Fmaj7

It was hot back then, summer of nineteen sixty-three

[Verse 2]

Am F

And Frankie, man, he'd get so angry

C G

He'd say, "See what the women make me do"

Am F

Then he'd break off a splinter from a dirty wooden pallet

C G

And stick it like a knife in one of them big old butter cubes

[Chorus]

That's what work is

That's what love is

Am G

A little pleasure and a little misery

F G Am

Now every time it gets hard out here

C G

I think of L.A. back in nineteen sixty-three

Hey, hey

[Verse 3]

C Fmaj7

Then I got a job working for the city of Inglewood

C Fmaj7

Runnin' the chipper, chippin' limbs off of trees

C Fmaj7

I worked with a guy named Crazy Dave Macklin

C Fmaj7

And one day he almost ran a tractor over me

[Verse 4]

Am F

We were out choppin' weeds near South Central

C G

When the riots broke out and the skies turned fiery red and brown

Am F

And I called up my girlfriend on a payphone and said "Baby, I love you

C G

But, ah, I think God's gonna finally burn Gomorra down

She said

[Chorus]

That's what work is

That's what love is

Am G

You build a house of straw and the flames lick the sky

F G Am

Now every time I fall in love out here

C G

I think of L.A. back in nineteen sixty-five

[Instrumental]

Am F Am G

| | | | |

F G Am C G

| | | | |

Am Am

| | |

[Verse 5]

C Fmaj7

I finally got a job drivin' a rose truck

C Fmaj7

Santa Barbara, midnight, to L.A., Fifth and Main

C Fmaj7

All jacked up on coffee, cheap speed and doughnuts

C Fmaj7

Walkin' around the L.A. Flower Market in the rain

[Verse 6]

Am F

And every morning I'd eat breakfast at The Pantry down on Figueroa

C G

The waiters were always old time, ex-cons

Am F

Then we'd load the truck back up with empty rose boxes

C G

And drive on up the coast through the California dawn

[Chorus]

That's what work is

That's what love is

Am G

Two eggs over easy on a T-bone steak

F G Am

Every time I see the sunrise on the ocean

C G

I think of L.A. back in nineteen sixty-eight

That's what work is

That's what love is

Am G

A little pleasure and a little misery

F G Am

Now every time it gets hard out here

C G

I think of L.A. back in nineteen sixty-three

[Outro]

I used to work with a guy named Frankie Acosta

About What Work Is Chords by Tom Russell

Learn how to play What Work Is by Tom Russell with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “What Work Is chords”, “What Work Is guitar chords”, or “Tom Russell What Work Is 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 What Work Is chords and for experienced players who want accurate What Work Is lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, Fmaj7, Am, F, G, A.

FAQ — What Work Is by Tom Russell

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The chords for "What Work Is" show the original chord names (including C, Fmaj7, Am, F, G, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.