The Who - Guitar And Pen: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Guitar And Pen" 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 Guitar And Pen Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Who

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 "Guitar And Pen" smoothly on your guitar.

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

G#            D#7        G#         D#7
You're alone above the street somewhere
G#                  D#7    G#            D#7
Wond'ring how you'll ever count out there

Chorus:
G               C      D     C
You can walk, you can talk, you can fight
But inside you've got something to write
In your hand you hold your only friend
Never spend your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen

          G                     A
When you take up a pencil and sharpen it up, when you're
G/B                          C
kicking the fence and still nothing will budge, when the
 D                    Em
words are immobile until you sit down, never
 F                                      C/G
feel they're worth keeping, they're not easily found, then you
C/A                       C/B
know in some strange unexplainable way you must
  C                  C/D
really have something jumping, thumping, fighting
            D              G
 hiding away important to say

When you sing through the verse and you end in a scream
And you swear and you curse cause the rhyming ain't clean
But it suddenly comes after years of delay
You pick up your guitar, you can suddenly play
When your fingers are bleeding and the knuckles are white
Then you can be sure, you can open the door
Get off of the floor tonight
You have something to write

When you want to complain, there's no one can stop you
But when your music proclaims, there's no one can top you
You are wearing your heart on your jumping feet
You've got a head start away from the street
But is that what you want, to be rich and be gone?
Could be there's just one thing left in the end
Your guitar and your pen

When you sing to your mum, and you hum and you croon
And she says that she'd like it "with more of a tune"
And you smash your guitar at the end of the bed
Then you stick it together and start writing again
And you know that it won't be too long 'til you're back
To bring her some money, she's calling you "honey"
Stashed in a bloody great sack
In your Cadillac

You're alone above the street somewhere
Wondering how you'll ever count out there

Chorus


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

C

Guitar chord C

D

Guitar chord D

D#7

Guitar chord D#7

Em

Guitar chord Em

F

Guitar chord F

G

Guitar chord G

G#

Guitar chord G#

B

Guitar chord B

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 "Guitar And Pen" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Guitar And Pen" by The Who.

The Who Song List