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The Streets Of New York by The Wolfe Tones - Guitar Chords
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Version 1
[Intro]
G Am G/B C G D C Am G
[Verse 1]
G Am G/B C
I was eighteen years old when I went down to Dublin
G Em Am D
With a fistful of money and a cartload of dreams.
G Am G/B C
"Take your time," said me father, "stop rushing like hell,
G Em D7 G
And remember all's not what it seems to be.
D Em C G
For there's fellas who'd cut you for the coat on your back,
C Em D
Or that watch that you got from your mother.
G Am G/B C
So take care, me young bucko, and mind yourself well.
G D7 G C G
And would you give this wee note to me brother."
D C G
At the time, Uncle Benjy was a policeman in Brooklyn,
D C D
And me father, the youngest, looked after the farm.
G Am G/B C
Til a phone call from America said "Send the lad over."
G Em D G C G
And the old fella said, "Sure, t'wouldn't do any harm.
C D G
For I've spent me life working this dirty old ground
C D G
For a few pints of porter and the smell of a pound.
G Am G/B C
And sure, maybe there's something you'll learn or you'll see,
G Em D7 G C G D
And you can bring it back home, make it easier on me."
[Verse 2]
G Am G/B C
So, I landed at Kennedy, and a big yellow taxi
G Em Am D
Carried me and me bags through the streets and the rain.
G Am G/B C
Well, my poor heart was thumping around with excitement,
G Em D7 G C G
And I hardly even heard what the driver was saying.
D Em C G
We came in the Shore Parkway through the flatlands in Brooklyn,
C Em D
To me uncle's apartment on East 53rd.
G Am G/B C
I was feeling so happy, I was humming a song,
G D7 G C G
And I sang "You're as free as a bird."
D C G
Well, to shorten the story, what I found out that day
D C G
Was that Benjy got shot down in an uptown foray.
G Am G/B C
And while I was flying my way to New York,
G Em D G
Poor Benjy was lying in a cold city morgue.
C D G
Well, I called up my old fella, told him the news.
C D G
I could tell he could hardly stand up in his shoes.
G Am G/B C
And he wept as he told me go ahead with the plan,
G Em D G C G E
And not to forget, be a proud Irish man.
[Verse 3]
A Bm C#m D
So, I went up to Nellie's beside Fordham Road,
A F#m Bm E
And I started to learn about lifting the load.
A Bm C#m D
But the heaviest thing that I carried that year
A F#m E7 A
Was the bittersweet thoughts of my hometown so dear.
E F#m D A
I went home that December cause my old fella died.
D F#m E7
I had to borrow the money from Phil on the side.
A Bm C#m D
And all the bright flowers and brass couldn't hide
A E7 A
The poor, wasted face of me father.
E D A
I sold up the old farmyard for what it was worth,
E D E
And into my bag stuck a handful of earth.
A Bm C#m D
Then I boarded a train and I caught me a plane,
A F#m E A
And I found myself back in the U.S. again.
D E A
It's been twenty-two years since I set foot in Dublin.
D E A Asus4 A
My kids know to use the correct knife and fork.
A Bm C#m D
But I'll never forget the green grass and the rivers,
A F#m E A D A E
As I keep law and order in the streets of New York
[Outro]
A Bm C#m D
Na,na,na na,na,na, na,na,na,na,na,na,na,
A F#m Bm E
Na,na, na,na,na, na,na,na,na,na,na.
A Bm C#m D
Na,na,na na,na,na, na,na,na,na,na,na,na,
A F#m E A
Na,na, na,na,na, na,na,na,na,na,na.
We also have 6 songs by The Wolfe Tones
- Broad Black Brimmer
- Celtic Symphony
- Come Out Ye Black And Tans
- God Save Ireland
- Sean South Of Garryowen
- The Streets Of New York
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