The Kinks - Second Hand Car Spiv: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Second Hand Car Spiv" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Second Hand Car Spiv Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Kinks

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Second Hand Car Spiv" smoothly on your guitar.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Am     F      Am          F
I was born a slum gutter infantile,
A#          Gm        A#         Gm      A A#dim
Brute-force educated, delinquent juvenile.
Dm      A#         Dm            A#
I am a product of mass produced factory fodder,
  A#             Gm               A#           Gm
Streets full of tenement blocks, rat infested filth
           A A#dim
and squalor.
A Dm                  A#
I left school, went straight on the dole
    Dm             A#
And unemployment's no enjoyment,
A#            Gm        A#          Gm
Welfare State owned my mind and my body and my
A A#dim
soul.

      D                        C
So I worked my way up to be a second-hand car spiv,
     A#                            A
But don't judge me harshly 'cause I'm just
a slum kid.
   D                           C
I built up my business with a quick wit and fist,
    A#                          A          E7/B
So don't double-cross me or my hoods will dissect
  A  E7/B
you
            A               E7/B A
With their black jacks and shivs.

Slum kids never get a break,
they've got to fight their way up.
Wheel and deal, beg and steal,
Sweat blood to earn a buck.
I didn't want to work on the factory floor,
I wasn't content, I wanted more
Than to be a slave of a lathe,
Work all day and go home bored.

So a second- hand car spiv was what I became.
I built an empire because I used my brains.
He was a second-hand car spiv up from the slums,
So don't judge him harshly because
he's just a slum kid.

         D          F#m        D          F#m
Then we moved into property, stocks and shares,
    C          Em    C Em
And into high finance
           A#       Dm
and you've got to agree
                A#                 Dm
That running a multi-million corporation
            A            E      A   E
Sure beats selling cars second-hand.

Once he sold old worn out heaps to
the punters on the street,
Now I'm in control of the country as a whole,
And the world is at my feet.
The world is at his feet.
Power, power, I've got power oozing out of me,
And when you think of all the things
I've done It says a lot for one
Who worked his way up from the streets.
Yes I'm a second-hand car spiv.

Do a deal, buy and sell,
It's my trade, I know it well.
Make a sale, ring the bell
And let the suckers go to hell.
Bank the profits, count the change
Another sucker comes your way.
Life is a crooked game,
And slum kids never change


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

A#

Guitar chord A#

A#dim

Guitar chord A#dim

Am

Guitar chord Am

B

Guitar chord B

C

Guitar chord C

D

Guitar chord D

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

E

Guitar chord E

E7

Guitar chord E7

Em

Guitar chord Em

F

Guitar chord F

F#m

Guitar chord F#m

Gm

Guitar chord 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 "Second Hand Car Spiv" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Second Hand Car Spiv" by The Kinks.

The Kinks Song List