The Pogues - The Body of an American: Guitar Chords
Learn to play "The Body of an American" 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.
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- Chords and Lyrics - Jump straight to the song's lyrics and chord overlay.
- Chord Diagrams and Key Transposition - Access chord diagrams and learn how to transpose the key of the song to suit your voice.
Learn The Body of an American Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Pogues
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 "The Body of an American" smoothly on your guitar.
For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.
C F C The cadillac stood by the house and F C the Yanks they were within C F And the tinker boys they hissed advice C G 'Hot wire her with a pin' C F We turned and shook as we had C G a look in the room where the dead man lay C F C So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip to F C the shores where his fathers laid C F Fifteen minutes later we had our first C taste of whiskey C F There was uncles giving lectures on ancient G Irish history F The men all started telling jokes and C G the women they got frisky C F At five o' clock in the evening every bastard G there was pisskey Chorus: C G F Fare thee well going away there's nothing left C to say F C G Farewell to New York City boys to Boston and P A F He took them out will a well-aimed clout C G he was often heard to say C F G C I'm a free born man of the U.S.A. He fought the champ in Pittsburgh And he slashed him to the ground He took on Tiny Tartanella And it only went one round He never had no time for reds For drink or dice or whores But he never threw a fight when a fight was right So they sent him to the war Chorus: Fare thee well, gone away There's nothing left to say With a sláinte Joe and Erin go My love's in Amerikay The calling of the rosary Spanish wine from far away "I'm a freeborn man of the USA" This morning on the harbour When I said goodbye to you I remembered how I swore That I'd come back to you one day And as the sunset came To meet the evening on the hill I told you I'd always love you I always did, I always will Chorus: Fare thee well, gone away There's nothing left to say But say adieu to your eyes as blue As the water in the bay To big Jim Dwyer, the man of wire Who was often heard to say "I'm a freeborn man of the USA" I'm a freeborn man of the USA I'm a freeborn man of the USA You can simplify chords by removing barre | TransposeReset Font SizeReset Guitar Chord DiagramsC  F  G  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 "The Body of an American" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The Body of an American" by The Pogues.