Poor Old Tom Chords by Peter Case
Tempo:
182.8 bpm
Chords used:
G
C
D
Em
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Em] [G]
[C] [G]
Tennessee [C] boy joined the US Navy in 1950, he was [D]
17.
[G]
Quiet kid who'd never seen the [C] ocean, his mama died his [G] first trip at sea.
He learned to work and he learned to [C] whistle, he learned to gamble and he learned [D] to fight.
[G] He learned to suck a bottle and go out whoring, [C] somehow he learned to stagger in [G] at night.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth gotta [C] rattle, shimmer and shake.
The night winds free [G] to blow wherever it [D] pleases, time's free to [C] walk to [G] the [C] gorgeous break.
[G]
[Em] [G]
[C] [G]
Poor [E] old Tom, he's telling it [G] all, his thoughts are roaring like a [D]
waterfall.
[G] He never cared about money and there's no doubt he never had much money to care about.
Through typhoons and calms on the great Pacific, proud to be serving the [D] USA.
He [G] worked hard on board and he got promoted, [C] he got VD but it [G] went away.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he ain't [D] right, he went out to San Francisco [G] on a Saturday [C] night.
Sunday [G] morning his ship set [D] sail, Tom was arrested [C] in the Oakland jail.
[G]
[C]
[G]
Now it's 35 years since his [C] incarceration on a morals charge, the [G] words he said [D] to me.
[G] From the brig on Treasure Island to the [C] institution, they treated his depression with shock [G] therapy.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know he's got trouble recalling [C] his history.
At the drop of a [G] coin, he'll start to [D] ramble how the whole [A] damn [C] thing's a mystery.
[G] [Em]
[G] [C]
[G]
Now his eyes [D] bulge out [C] as we talk [A] on the corner, he turns on the gurney they held [D] him down.
[G] One morning they wheeled him to another [C] building, a surgery room with [G] doctors standing around.
He cried, Lord help me as they put him under, he sailed away on an ether [D] sea.
[G] Ever since that day, all he does is wonder, did the surgeons [C] perform on the [G] bottom of me?
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, his story's [D] true, he's got nothing to show, don't [C] want to show it to.
Word [G] for him is nevertheless, [D] he fought for [C] freedom, never took a free breath.
[G]
Now the [A] radios blare, new sack and new sack, diseases are cured [D] every day.
[G] The worst disease in the world is to be unwanted, [C]
abused, up and [G] cast away.
So as we make our way towards our destinations, [C] fortunes are still made with flesh [D] and blood.
[G] Progress and love got nothing in [C] common, Jesus healed a blind [G] man's eyes with mud.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth got a [G] rattled, shivering [C] shade.
That way it's [G] free to blow wherever it [D] pleases, Tom's free to [C] walk till the cold day breaks.
[G] [C]
[G]
[C] [G]
Tennessee [C] boy joined the US Navy in 1950, he was [D]
17.
[G]
Quiet kid who'd never seen the [C] ocean, his mama died his [G] first trip at sea.
He learned to work and he learned to [C] whistle, he learned to gamble and he learned [D] to fight.
[G] He learned to suck a bottle and go out whoring, [C] somehow he learned to stagger in [G] at night.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth gotta [C] rattle, shimmer and shake.
The night winds free [G] to blow wherever it [D] pleases, time's free to [C] walk to [G] the [C] gorgeous break.
[G]
[Em] [G]
[C] [G]
Poor [E] old Tom, he's telling it [G] all, his thoughts are roaring like a [D]
waterfall.
[G] He never cared about money and there's no doubt he never had much money to care about.
Through typhoons and calms on the great Pacific, proud to be serving the [D] USA.
He [G] worked hard on board and he got promoted, [C] he got VD but it [G] went away.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he ain't [D] right, he went out to San Francisco [G] on a Saturday [C] night.
Sunday [G] morning his ship set [D] sail, Tom was arrested [C] in the Oakland jail.
[G]
[C]
[G]
Now it's 35 years since his [C] incarceration on a morals charge, the [G] words he said [D] to me.
[G] From the brig on Treasure Island to the [C] institution, they treated his depression with shock [G] therapy.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know he's got trouble recalling [C] his history.
At the drop of a [G] coin, he'll start to [D] ramble how the whole [A] damn [C] thing's a mystery.
[G] [Em]
[G] [C]
[G]
Now his eyes [D] bulge out [C] as we talk [A] on the corner, he turns on the gurney they held [D] him down.
[G] One morning they wheeled him to another [C] building, a surgery room with [G] doctors standing around.
He cried, Lord help me as they put him under, he sailed away on an ether [D] sea.
[G] Ever since that day, all he does is wonder, did the surgeons [C] perform on the [G] bottom of me?
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, his story's [D] true, he's got nothing to show, don't [C] want to show it to.
Word [G] for him is nevertheless, [D] he fought for [C] freedom, never took a free breath.
[G]
Now the [A] radios blare, new sack and new sack, diseases are cured [D] every day.
[G] The worst disease in the world is to be unwanted, [C]
abused, up and [G] cast away.
So as we make our way towards our destinations, [C] fortunes are still made with flesh [D] and blood.
[G] Progress and love got nothing in [C] common, Jesus healed a blind [G] man's eyes with mud.
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth got a [G] rattled, shivering [C] shade.
That way it's [G] free to blow wherever it [D] pleases, Tom's free to [C] walk till the cold day breaks.
[G] [C]
[G]
Key:
G
C
D
Em
A
G
C
D
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Tennessee [C] boy joined the US Navy in _ 1950, he was [D] _
17.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _
Quiet kid who'd never seen the [C] ocean, his mama died his [G] first trip at sea. _
_ _ _ _ He learned to work and he learned to [C] whistle, he learned to gamble and he learned [D] to fight. _ _ _
_ [G] _ He learned to suck a bottle and go out whoring, [C] somehow he learned to stagger in [G] at night. _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth gotta [C] rattle, shimmer and shake.
_ _ The night winds free [G] to blow wherever it [D] pleases, time's free to [C] walk to [G] the [C] gorgeous break.
_ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Poor [E] old Tom, he's telling it [G] all, his thoughts are roaring like a _ [D]
waterfall.
_ _ _ _ [G] He never cared about money and there's no doubt he never had much money to care about. _
_ _ _ _ Through typhoons and calms on the great Pacific, proud to be serving the [D] USA. _ _ _ _
_ He [G] worked hard on board and he got promoted, [C] he got VD but it [G] went away. _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he ain't [D] right, he went out to San Francisco [G] on a Saturday [C] night. _
_ _ _ Sunday [G] morning his ship set [D] sail, Tom was arrested [C] in the Oakland _ jail.
_ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Now it's 35 years since his _ [C] incarceration on a morals charge, the [G] words he said [D] to me.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] From the brig on Treasure Island to the _ [C] institution, they treated his depression with shock [G] therapy. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know he's got trouble recalling [C] his history.
_ _ _ At the drop of a [G] coin, he'll start to [D] ramble how the whole [A] damn [C] thing's a _ mystery. _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Now his eyes [D] bulge out [C] as we talk [A] on the corner, he turns on the gurney they held [D] him down. _ _ _ _
[G] One morning they wheeled him to another [C] building, a surgery room with [G] doctors standing around.
_ _ _ _ He cried, Lord help me as they put him under, he sailed away on an ether [D] _ sea. _ _
_ _ _ [G] Ever since that day, all he does is wonder, did the surgeons [C] perform on the [G] bottom of me? _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, his story's [D] true, he's got nothing to show, don't [C] want to show it to. _
_ _ _ _ Word [G] for him is nevertheless, [D] he fought for [C] freedom, never took a free breath.
_ _ _ [G]
Now the [A] radios blare, new sack and new sack, diseases are cured [D] every day.
_ _ _ _ [G] The worst disease in the world is to be unwanted, [C] _
abused, up and [G] cast away. _ _
_ _ So as we make our way towards our _ destinations, [C] fortunes are still made with flesh [D] and blood. _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ Progress and love got nothing in [C] common, Jesus healed a blind [G] man's eyes with mud. _ _ _ _ _
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth got a [G] rattled, shivering [C] shade. _
_ _ That way it's [G] free to blow wherever it [D] pleases, Tom's free to [C] walk till the cold day _ _ _ breaks.
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Tennessee [C] boy joined the US Navy in _ 1950, he was [D] _
17.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _
Quiet kid who'd never seen the [C] ocean, his mama died his [G] first trip at sea. _
_ _ _ _ He learned to work and he learned to [C] whistle, he learned to gamble and he learned [D] to fight. _ _ _
_ [G] _ He learned to suck a bottle and go out whoring, [C] somehow he learned to stagger in [G] at night. _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth gotta [C] rattle, shimmer and shake.
_ _ The night winds free [G] to blow wherever it [D] pleases, time's free to [C] walk to [G] the [C] gorgeous break.
_ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Poor [E] old Tom, he's telling it [G] all, his thoughts are roaring like a _ [D]
waterfall.
_ _ _ _ [G] He never cared about money and there's no doubt he never had much money to care about. _
_ _ _ _ Through typhoons and calms on the great Pacific, proud to be serving the [D] USA. _ _ _ _
_ He [G] worked hard on board and he got promoted, [C] he got VD but it [G] went away. _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he ain't [D] right, he went out to San Francisco [G] on a Saturday [C] night. _
_ _ _ Sunday [G] morning his ship set [D] sail, Tom was arrested [C] in the Oakland _ jail.
_ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Now it's 35 years since his _ [C] incarceration on a morals charge, the [G] words he said [D] to me.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] From the brig on Treasure Island to the _ [C] institution, they treated his depression with shock [G] therapy. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know he's got trouble recalling [C] his history.
_ _ _ At the drop of a [G] coin, he'll start to [D] ramble how the whole [A] damn [C] thing's a _ mystery. _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Now his eyes [D] bulge out [C] as we talk [A] on the corner, he turns on the gurney they held [D] him down. _ _ _ _
[G] One morning they wheeled him to another [C] building, a surgery room with [G] doctors standing around.
_ _ _ _ He cried, Lord help me as they put him under, he sailed away on an ether [D] _ sea. _ _
_ _ _ [G] Ever since that day, all he does is wonder, did the surgeons [C] perform on the [G] bottom of me? _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] Poor old [G] Tom, his story's [D] true, he's got nothing to show, don't [C] want to show it to. _
_ _ _ _ Word [G] for him is nevertheless, [D] he fought for [C] freedom, never took a free breath.
_ _ _ [G]
Now the [A] radios blare, new sack and new sack, diseases are cured [D] every day.
_ _ _ _ [G] The worst disease in the world is to be unwanted, [C] _
abused, up and [G] cast away. _ _
_ _ So as we make our way towards our _ destinations, [C] fortunes are still made with flesh [D] and blood. _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ Progress and love got nothing in [C] common, Jesus healed a blind [G] man's eyes with mud. _ _ _ _ _
[C] Poor old [G] Tom, he don't [D] know why his teeth got a [G] rattled, shivering [C] shade. _
_ _ That way it's [G] free to blow wherever it [D] pleases, Tom's free to [C] walk till the cold day _ _ _ breaks.
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _