Elton John - Ticking: Guitar Chords
Learn to play "Ticking" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.
For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.
F A#/F F A#/F "An extremely quiet child" they called you in your school reports F A#sus4/F A#/F F A#/F "He's always taken interest in the subjects that he's taught" Am Gm So what was it that brought the squad car screaming up your drive C A# F A#/F To notify your parents of the manner in which you died At St. Patrick's every Sunday, Father Fletcher heard your sins "Oh, he's unconcerned with competition he never cares to win" But blood stained a young hand that never held a gun And his parents never thought of him as their troubled son Chorus: Dm "Now you'll never get to Heaven" Gm C F A7 Mama said Remember Mama said Ticking, ticking Dm Gm "Grow up straight and true blue, Run along to bed" C C/A# Am Gm F Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking They had you holed up in a downtown bar screaming for a priest Some gook said "His brain's just snapped" then someone called the police You'd knifed a Negro waiter who had tried to calm you down Oh you'd pulled a gun and told them all to lay still on the ground Promising to hurt no one, providing they were still A young man tried to make a break, with tear-filled eyes you killed That gun butt felt so smooth and warm cradled in your palm Oh your childhood cried out in your head "they mean to do you harm" Chorus: "Don't ever ride on the devil's knee" Mama said Remember mama said Ticking, ticking "Pay your penance well, my child Fear where angels tread" Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking Within an hour the news had reached the media machine A male caucasian with a gun had gone berserk in Queens The area had been sealed off, the kids sent home from school Fourteen people lying dead in a bar they called the Kicking Mule Oh they pleaded to your sanity for the sake of those inside "Throw out your gun, walk out slow just keep your hands held high" But they pumped you full of rifle shells as you stepped out the door Oh you danced in death like a marionette on the vengeance of the law Chorus: "You've slept too long in silence" Mama said Remember Mama said Ticking, ticking "Crazy boy, you'll only wind up with strange notions in your head" Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking You can simplify chords by removing barre | TransposeReset Font SizeReset Guitar Chord DiagramsAm  A#  A7  A#sus4  C  Dm  F  Gm  Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably. |
If you are also interested in learning how to play "Ticking" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Ticking" by Elton John.