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Work

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Cmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Capo 1
[Intro]
C F C G
[Verse]
CCarhart jacket on F5:30 am
CFeelin' like the ace of Gspades
C15 years old, Fwork till the sun comes
CThen I'm off to Gschool Cagain
FWorkin' my back as a Cyoung man
Taught me AmI'd rather Gwork my Fmind
So we'd Ccop a little smoke
And Fcrack a couple jokes
Just Ctryin' to Glearn to Csurvive
I wanted to Fwork to live
No not just live to Cwork
I had a Fpain deep in my bones beneath my Gt-shirt
Was a Cyoung man singin' an Fold man's song
AmPayin' with Gmy last Fdimes
But Cworkin' to live beats Glivin' to work
FAnytime
[Instrumental]
C F C G
C F C G C
CI had a teacher
FShe told my mother Cshe better find me a Gtrade
Because Cboys like me well we aFll grow up
To be Clong term Gguests of the Cstate
Now FI worked hard because I Chad to
AmI never Gfound much Fluck
Till' I Cbuilt my world
Round' a FGeorgia girl
Who Ctold me that GI was Cenough
I wanted to Fwork to live
No not just live to Cwork
I had a Fpain deep in my bones beneath my Gt-shirt
Was a Cyoung man singin' an Fold man's song
AmPayin' with Gmy last Fdimes
But Cworkin' to live beats Glivin' to work
FAnytime
[Instrumental]
C F C G
C F C G C
CSometimes at night I Fwake with a shiver
CSweat soakin' Gclean through my Csheets
CThen I remember I Fam who I am
CNot who they Gsaid I would Cbe
FI wasn't born with Cnothin'
Cept' a Amvoice and Ccommon Fsense
Maybe Cthat's why I Ftook off runnin'
CFirst chance Gthat I Chad
I wanted to Fwork to live
No not just live to Cwork
I had a Fpain deep in my bones beneath my Gt-shirt
Was a Cyoung man singin' an Fold man's song
AmPayin' with Gmy last Fdimes
But Cworkin' to live beats Glivin' to work
FAnytime
Oh Amworkin' to live beats Glivin' to work
CAnytime

All chords in this song (4)

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Work

by Ron Pope

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 1 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Capo 1

[Intro]

C F C G

[Verse]

C F

Carhart jacket on 5:30 am

C G

Feelin' like the ace of spades

C F

15 years old, work till the sun comes

C G C

Then I'm off to school again

F C

Workin' my back as a young man

Am G F

Taught me I'd rather work my mind

So we'd cop a little smoke

And crack a couple jokes

C G C

Just tryin' to learn to survive

I wanted to work to live

No not just live to work

F G

I had a pain deep in my bones beneath my t-shirt

C F

Was a young man singin' an old man's song

Am G F

Payin' with my last dimes

C G

But workin' to live beats livin' to work

Anytime

[Instrumental]

C F C G

C F C G C

I had a teacher

F C G

She told my mother she better find me a trade

C F

Because boys like me well we all grow up

C G C

To be long term guests of the state

F C

Now I worked hard because I had to

Am G F

I never found much luck

Till' I built my world

Round' a Georgia girl

C G C

Who told me that I was enough

I wanted to work to live

No not just live to work

F G

I had a pain deep in my bones beneath my t-shirt

C F

Was a young man singin' an old man's song

Am G F

Payin' with my last dimes

C G

But workin' to live beats livin' to work

Anytime

[Instrumental]

C F C G

C F C G C

C F

Sometimes at night I wake with a shiver

C G C

Sweat soakin' clean through my sheets

C F

Then I remember I am who I am

C G C

Not who they said I would be

F C

I wasn't born with nothin'

Am C F

Cept' a voice and common sense

C F

Maybe that's why I took off runnin'

C G C

First chance that I had

I wanted to work to live

No not just live to work

F G

I had a pain deep in my bones beneath my t-shirt

C F

Was a young man singin' an old man's song

Am G F

Payin' with my last dimes

C G

But workin' to live beats livin' to work

Anytime

Am G

Oh workin' to live beats livin' to work

Anytime

About Work Chords by Ron Pope

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

FAQ — Work by Ron Pope

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Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "Work" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

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Yes. Tap any chord in "Work" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Work" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Work" by Ron Pope with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Ron Pope below.

What key is "Work" in?

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