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Painting By Numbers

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[Verse]
EThe gates of the Bschoolyard
Are Bpadlocked and Echained
ETo keep all the Bchildren in F#out of the Erain
EThe art teacher's Bpreaching
BThe virtues of pastel Eshades
EYou pay no Battention but it F#won't hurt your Egrades
[Chorus]
'Ecause you're painting by Bnumbers
BConnecting the Edots
EThey don't have to Btell you
You F#don't call the Eshots
You Ejump when they say Bjump
BAnd you don't ask how Ehigh
'Ecause painting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
EPainting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
[Verse]
EYou take a Bposition
BIn the old man's Efirm
EHe signs all the Bpapers
You F#agree to the Eterms
EThey let you run Berrands
BAnd you don't get days Eoff
You Etake off the Bgarbage and F#hope it pays Eoff
[Chorus]
'Ecause you're painting by Bnumbers
BConnecting the Edots
You Ework from nBeck down
You F#don't call the Eshots
You Ejump when they say Bjump
BAnd you don't ask how Ehigh
'Ecause painting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
EPainting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
[Verse]
EYou might be in Bgrad school
BUp at M.I.ET
EYou might be down in the Bcanal zone
Being F#all that you can Ebe
EYou might get to Bthinking
BYou're ahead of the Egame
EBut when you break it all Bdown
It all F#comes out the Esame
[Chorus]
'Ecause you're painting by Bnumbers
BConnecting the Edots
You Ework from nBeck down
More F#often than notE  
You Ejump when they say Bjump
BAnd you don't ask how Ehigh
'Ecause painting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
[Chorus]
'Ecause you're painting by Bnumbers
BConnecting the Edots
You Ework from nBeck down
You F#don't call the Eshots
You Ejump when they say Bjump
BAnd you don't ask how Ehigh
EPainting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
EPainting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby
EPainting by Bnumbers they F#know you'll get Eby

All chords in this song (3)

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Painting By Numbers

by James McMurtry

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Verse]

E B

The gates of the schoolyard

B E

Are padlocked and chained

E B F# E

To keep all the children in out of the rain

E B

The art teacher's preaching

B E

The virtues of pastel shades

E B F# E

You pay no attention but it won't hurt your grades

[Chorus]

E B

'cause you're painting by numbers

B E

Connecting the dots

E B

They don't have to tell you

F# E

You don't call the shots

E B

You jump when they say jump

B E

And you don't ask how high

E B F# E

'cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by

E B F# E

Painting by numbers they know you'll get by

[Verse]

E B

You take a position

B E

In the old man's firm

E B

He signs all the papers

F# E

You agree to the terms

E B

They let you run errands

B E

And you don't get days off

E B F# E

You take off the garbage and hope it pays off

[Chorus]

E B

'cause you're painting by numbers

B E

Connecting the dots

E B

You work from neck down

F# E

You don't call the shots

E B

You jump when they say jump

B E

And you don't ask how high

E B F# E

'cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by

E B F# E

Painting by numbers they know you'll get by

[Verse]

E B

You might be in grad school

B E

Up at M.I.T

E B

You might be down in the canal zone

F# E

Being all that you can be

E B

You might get to thinking

B E

You're ahead of the game

E B

But when you break it all down

F# E

It all comes out the same

[Chorus]

E B

'cause you're painting by numbers

B E

Connecting the dots

E B

You work from neck down

F# E

More often than not

E B

You jump when they say jump

B E

And you don't ask how high

E B F# E

'cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by

[Chorus]

E B

'cause you're painting by numbers

B E

Connecting the dots

E B

You work from neck down

F# E

You don't call the shots

E B

You jump when they say jump

B E

And you don't ask how high

E B F# E

Painting by numbers they know you'll get by

E B F# E

Painting by numbers they know you'll get by

E B F# E

Painting by numbers they know you'll get by

About Painting By Numbers Chords by James McMurtry

Learn how to play Painting By Numbers by James McMurtry with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Painting By Numbers chords”, “Painting By Numbers guitar chords”, or “James McMurtry Painting By Numbers 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 Painting By Numbers chords and for experienced players who want accurate Painting By Numbers lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include E, B, F#.

FAQ — Painting By Numbers by James McMurtry

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What key is "Painting By Numbers" in?

The chords for "Painting By Numbers" show the original chord names (including E, B, F#). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.