Now playing

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Chords

Listen

YouTubeYouTube SpotifySpotify AppleApple Music

Cmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Dan Bern - Thanksgiving Day Parade
Album: New American Language
Chords:
 C-  F   C-  F   C-  F   Gx2
 Am   F-  Am   F-  C  Am/B  Am-  F   G  C  
[intro slow and little guitar]
CEverybody was ecstatic
'Bout the Flight show on the Cfarm
And Feveryone got Ccrazy
And Fnobody got Gharmed
And the Cfive televisions
FHuge upon the Cstage
Had Fcome to pay their Cunion dues
And Fmake a living Gwage
[bass enters] And the Ambathroom was the Fclubhouse
Where the Amcolors all got Fmade
And Cplans were C/Bcast in Amfeathers
For the FThanksgiving GDay ParCade   [drums enter and more guitar enter after Par 
but still quietish]
And the DJ spins his records
From here out to the sun
And he flings them through a big hole
In the ozone one by one
- And somewhere beyond Mercury
The wax begins to melt
And we touched a perfect stranger
And we loved the way it felt
- And we all hung together
In our crew cuts and our braids
Floating down Broadway
Above the Thanksgiving Day Parade
And you and I were discussing Natalie
While you poised to thrust above her
And I told you how I admire her
And will always need to love her
And I told you how I lost
My best friend Mr. Neill
And we slowly started dancing
And began slowly to heal
- And then we all held hands
And no one was afraid
On our way to sell our sculptures
At the Thanksgiving Day Parade
And Michelangelo finally came down
After four years on the ceiling
He said he'd lost his funding
And the paint had started peeling
And he told us that his patron
His Holiness, the Pope
Was demanding productivity
With which our friend just couldn't cope
- And he rode off on his skateboard
With his brushes and his blade
Muttering something 'bout some food
And the Thanksgiving Day Parade
And we who were born in one millennium
And will die in the next
Are slightly underappreciated
And slightly oversexed
And as the seconds and the minutes
Start to vanish one by one
I'm watching more cartoons
As I get my toenails done
- And we went downtown to deliver
Turkeys to people with AIDS
And then we headed uptown
To the Thanksgiving Day Parade
[slightly picking up]
And the music keeps on grinding
And the electrophonic crunch
And my father's hair is thinning
And my mom ate some for lunch
- And you, you were my babysitter
And you let me break my tooth
And we sit here tied together
In a bar in the back booth
- And the band is in an uproar
Only the drum machine's been paid
And we'll have to bring OUR OWN TUNES
To the Thanksgiving Day Parade
[some banjo but still quiet]
Australians are the coolest
People in the world
Let's all go down under
With strings of colored pearls
And lay them at the feet
Of the heirs of English crime
And listen to old Men At Work
And have a real good time
- And we DUG until we hit the rocks
Then we THREW away the spade
And built a platform to get a better view
Of the Thanksgiving Day Parade
[more intensity]
And I love whoever's next to me
I love them so, so much
They let me lean against them
Like a beautiful crutch
And everyone should come up
On the stage and grab the mike
And tell us one by one
Who they are and what they like
- And the babies are the only ones
To have lately gotten laid
And I'm feeling young and eager
For the Thanksgiving Day Parade
[quieter]
And you explained to me that without your fans
You'd be back out on the street
With nothing but chitlins on your plate
And splinters in your feet
And if you die, you're gone you said
And your friends are left behind
And you'll be a statistic
And we'll be deaf and blind
- And darkness is a virtue
And molasses is not afraid
To slow DOWN the countdown
To the Thanksgiving Day Parade
And somewhere in the distance
An orchestra shows its face
With Natalie on the oboe
Ty on double bass
John plays the viola
Slik the tenor sax
James he blows harmonica
In vanilla skin-tight slacks
Hugo oozes alto sax
Ivory the trombone
Masuda squawks the trumpet
Andre xylophone
Ron he shreds the violin
In a green Italian suit
Mike talks on the telephone
On a tape with an endless loop
Geoff he blows the clarinet
With an old-time rockin' feel
Charlie dings the triangle
Dave the glockenspiel
Chris puffs on the tuba
H a big bass drum
Alfonso throbs the cello
Like he would a woman, with his thumb
And high up on the podium
In tails with his baton poised
Banksy leads the orchestra
In a glorious, awful noise
And on a float of dripping oil paint
The orchestra, it played
KISSING THE WHOLE UNIVERSE
IN THE THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
[quieter - building]
And life is like a fairy tale
Every step feels like a dream
That keeps on getting nearer
And more and more extreme
- And we just got switched with Venus
And we're closer to the sun
And I got no problem with it
Nor should [cresendo to end] anyone
And the cops just blew on in here
And we're in some kind of raid
I just hope they will release us
For the Thanksgiving Day Parade

All chords in this song (4)

🎸 Tips from players

Got a tip for playing this song — capo position, easier chords, strumming? Be the first to share one.

Chord Book

670,000+ free guitar chords · free-chords.com

Thanksgiving Day Parade

by Dan Bern

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Dan Bern - Thanksgiving Day Parade

Album: New American Language

Chords:

C F C F C F G

- - - x2

Am F Am F C Am Am F G C

- - /B -

[intro slow and little guitar]

Everybody was ecstatic

F C

'Bout the light show on the farm

F C

And everyone got crazy

F G

And nobody got harmed

And the five televisions

F C

Huge upon the stage

F C

Had come to pay their union dues

F G

And make a living wage

Am F

[bass enters] And the bathroom was the clubhouse

Am F

Where the colors all got made

C C/B Am

And plans were cast in feathers

F G C

For the Thanksgiving Day Parade [drums enter and more guitar enter after Par

but still quietish]

And the DJ spins his records

From here out to the sun

And he flings them through a big hole

In the ozone one by one

- And somewhere beyond Mercury

The wax begins to melt

And we touched a perfect stranger

And we loved the way it felt

- And we all hung together

In our crew cuts and our braids

Floating down Broadway

Above the Thanksgiving Day Parade

And you and I were discussing Natalie

While you poised to thrust above her

And I told you how I admire her

And will always need to love her

And I told you how I lost

My best friend Mr. Neill

And we slowly started dancing

And began slowly to heal

- And then we all held hands

And no one was afraid

On our way to sell our sculptures

At the Thanksgiving Day Parade

And Michelangelo finally came down

After four years on the ceiling

He said he'd lost his funding

And the paint had started peeling

And he told us that his patron

His Holiness, the Pope

Was demanding productivity

With which our friend just couldn't cope

- And he rode off on his skateboard

With his brushes and his blade

Muttering something 'bout some food

And the Thanksgiving Day Parade

And we who were born in one millennium

And will die in the next

Are slightly underappreciated

And slightly oversexed

And as the seconds and the minutes

Start to vanish one by one

I'm watching more cartoons

As I get my toenails done

- And we went downtown to deliver

Turkeys to people with AIDS

And then we headed uptown

To the Thanksgiving Day Parade

[slightly picking up]

And the music keeps on grinding

And the electrophonic crunch

And my father's hair is thinning

And my mom ate some for lunch

- And you, you were my babysitter

And you let me break my tooth

And we sit here tied together

In a bar in the back booth

- And the band is in an uproar

Only the drum machine's been paid

And we'll have to bring OUR OWN TUNES

To the Thanksgiving Day Parade

[some banjo but still quiet]

Australians are the coolest

People in the world

Let's all go down under

With strings of colored pearls

And lay them at the feet

Of the heirs of English crime

And listen to old Men At Work

And have a real good time

- And we DUG until we hit the rocks

Then we THREW away the spade

And built a platform to get a better view

Of the Thanksgiving Day Parade

[more intensity]

And I love whoever's next to me

I love them so, so much

They let me lean against them

Like a beautiful crutch

And everyone should come up

On the stage and grab the mike

And tell us one by one

Who they are and what they like

- And the babies are the only ones

To have lately gotten laid

And I'm feeling young and eager

For the Thanksgiving Day Parade

[quieter]

And you explained to me that without your fans

You'd be back out on the street

With nothing but chitlins on your plate

And splinters in your feet

And if you die, you're gone you said

And your friends are left behind

And you'll be a statistic

And we'll be deaf and blind

- And darkness is a virtue

And molasses is not afraid

To slow DOWN the countdown

To the Thanksgiving Day Parade

And somewhere in the distance

An orchestra shows its face

With Natalie on the oboe

Ty on double bass

John plays the viola

Slik the tenor sax

James he blows harmonica

In vanilla skin-tight slacks

Hugo oozes alto sax

Ivory the trombone

Masuda squawks the trumpet

Andre xylophone

Ron he shreds the violin

In a green Italian suit

Mike talks on the telephone

On a tape with an endless loop

Geoff he blows the clarinet

With an old-time rockin' feel

Charlie dings the triangle

Dave the glockenspiel

Chris puffs on the tuba

H a big bass drum

Alfonso throbs the cello

Like he would a woman, with his thumb

And high up on the podium

In tails with his baton poised

Banksy leads the orchestra

In a glorious, awful noise

And on a float of dripping oil paint

The orchestra, it played

KISSING THE WHOLE UNIVERSE

IN THE THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE

[quieter - building]

And life is like a fairy tale

Every step feels like a dream

That keeps on getting nearer

And more and more extreme

- And we just got switched with Venus

And we're closer to the sun

And I got no problem with it

Nor should [cresendo to end] anyone

And the cops just blew on in here

And we're in some kind of raid

I just hope they will release us

For the Thanksgiving Day Parade

About Thanksgiving Day Parade Chords by Dan Bern

Learn how to play Thanksgiving Day Parade by Dan Bern with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Thanksgiving Day Parade chords”, “Thanksgiving Day Parade guitar chords”, or “Dan Bern Thanksgiving Day Parade 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 Thanksgiving Day Parade chords and for experienced players who want accurate Thanksgiving Day Parade lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, F, G, Am, B, C/B.

FAQ — Thanksgiving Day Parade by Dan Bern

How do I play "Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Dan Bern on guitar?

Open the free chords for "Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Dan Bern on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

Are the chords for "Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Dan Bern free?

Yes. The chords for "Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Dan Bern are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "Thanksgiving Day Parade" to a different key?

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

Can I see chord diagrams for "Thanksgiving Day Parade"?

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

Is "Thanksgiving Day Parade" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Dan Bern with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Dan Bern below.

What key is "Thanksgiving Day Parade" in?

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