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Between The Wars

Billy Bragg

RockMedium for beginners5 chords

How to play it

Fingering diagrams for the shapes in this song. × = don't play, ○ = open string.

D××
Em
G
A×
Bm×

Chords & lyrics

Chord names sit directly above the word where you change.

Text size
 
              
D        Em     G        D     A         Bm           G        A 
I was a miner, I was a docker, I was a railwayman between the wars  
 
A            Bm         G          D             A           Bm     G  
I raised a family, in times of austerity, with sweat at the foundry between  
A   D 
the wars  
 
A           Bm      G             D         A 
I paid the union, as times got harder, I looked to the government to  
 
help the working man  
 
     D                Em    G            D             A          Bm 
but they brought prosperity down at the armoury, we're arming for peace,  
          G    A   D     G 
me boys, between the wars  
 
D           Em       G        D     A           Bm            G 
I kept the faith and I kept voting, not for the iron fist but for the  
         A 
helping hand  
 
     A          Bm          G     D            A         Bm       G 
for theirs is a land with a wall around it and mine is a faith in my    
 A   D 
fellow man  
 
 A          Bm        G       D     A 
theirs is a land of hope and glory, mine is the greenfield and the  
 
factory floor  
 
 D              Em       G         D           A          Bm 
theirs are the skies all dark with bombers and mine is the peace we knew  
    G    A   D        G 
between the wars  
 
D             Em         G            D           A         Bm 
call up the craftsman, bring me the draughtsman, build me a path from  
G        A 
cradle to grave  
 
A            Bm          G      D               A        Bm 
and I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a  
 G  A   D 
living wage  
A            Bm         G        D             A 
go find the young men, never to fight again, bring up the banners from  
the  
 
days gone by  
 
D        Em      G             D     A          Bm             G    A 
sweet moderation, heart of this nation, desert us not we are between the  
D     G   D 
wars 
          
 

Details

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Chord set

D · Em · G · A · Bm

Practice tip

Loop the first two chords slowly until the change is clean, then add the rest.