Billy Joel-Allentown
[Intro BPM 117 - Drum intro xSSxSSxS]Approx chords C D G G
(Chug - down strokes - nice and slow - snare on final phrase)
E 0--- 32-3 ---- -333 ---- 32-3 ---- -333
B 1--- 33-3 ---- -333 ---- 33-3 ---- -333
G 0--- 22-0 ---- -000 ---- 22-0 ---- -000
D 2--- 00-0 ---- -002 ---- 00-0 ---- -002
A 3--- ---x ---- -x23 ---- ---x ---- -x23
E x--- ---3 ---- -3x- ---- ---3 ---- -3x-
DrB-S- B-S- B-S- B-S- B-S- B-S- B-S- B-S-
E ---- 32-3 3---
B ---- 33-3 0---
G ---- 22-0 02-0
D ---- ---0 0-4-
A ---- ---x x---
E ---- ---3 3---
DrB-S- B-S- SSSS
[Verse]
Well we're [Em7] living here in [Asus4] Allen- [D] town [Dsus2] [D]
And they're [Am7] closing all the [D7sus4 - xx0213]
factories [G] down [Gsus2 - 3x0233] [G]
Out in [Em7] Bethlehem they're [A] killing [Bm] time
[F#m/A] Filling out [G6] forms, [D/F#] standing in [Asus4] line [A]
[Verse]
Well our [Em7] fathers fought the [Asus4] Second World [D] War [Dsus2] [D]
Spent their [Am7] weekends on the [D7sus4] Jersey shore [G] [Gsus2] [G]
Met our [Em7] mothers in the [A] US [Bm] O
[F#m/A] Asked them to [G6] dance, [D/F#] danced with them sl- [Asus] ow [A]
And we're [Em7] living here in [Asus4] Allentown [D-Dsus4-Dsus2-D] (break)
[Bridge - Snare on &4&]
But the [F/A] restlessness was [G/B] handed [C] down [G/C - x30003] [C]
And it's [Am] getting very [D7sus4] hard [D7] to
(backward beat)
[Em] stay [G/B] a a ay [C] a a ay [D] a a ay (ays run into intro)
[Intro] (see above)
Approx chords C D G G x 2
[Verse]
Well we're [Em7] waiting here in [Asus4] Allen- [D] town [Dsus2] [D]
For the [Am7] Pennsylvania [D7sus4] we never [G] found [Gsus2] [G]
For the [Em7] promises our [A] teachers [Bm] gave
[F#m/A] If we worked [G6] hard, [D/F#] if we be [Asus4] haved [A]
[Verse]
So the [Em7] graduations [Asus4] hang on the [D] wall [Dsus2] [D]
But they [Am7] never really [D7sus4] helped us at all [G] [Gsus2] [G]
No they [Em7] never taught us [A] what was [Bm] real
[F#m/A] Iron and [G6] coke, [D/F#] chromium ste- [Asus4] el [A]
And we're [Em7] waiting here in [Asus4] Allentown [D-Dsus4-Dsus2-D] (break)
[Bridge]
But they've [F/A] taken all the [G/B] coal from the [C] ground [G/C] [C]
And the [Am] union people [D7sus4] crawled [D7] a-way [Em] [G/B] [C] [D]
[Intro] (see above, first half)
Approx chords C D G G x 2
[Middle 8 - Just bass drum with some snare at end]
[F] Every child [G/F] had a pretty [F] good shot
[F] To get at least [G/F] as far as their [Bb/F] old man got
[F] But something [G/F] happened on the way [F] to that place
[F] They threw an [G] American flag in [C] our [C] face (intro intro riff)
[Intro] (see above)
Approx chords C D G G x 2
[Verse] (variation)
Well I'm [Em7] living here in [Asus4] Allen- [D] town [Dsus2] [D]
And it's [F/A] hard to keep a [G/B] good man [C] down [G/C] [C]
But I [Am] won't be getting [D7sus4] up [D7] to (backward beat)
[Em] stay [G/B] a a ay [C] a a ay [D] a a ay (ays run into intro)
[Intro] (see above, first half)
Approx chords C D G G x 2
[Middle 8 - Just bass drum with some snare at end] (instrumental)
F G/F F F - F G/F Bb/F Bb/F
F G/F F F - F G 2/4 C
[Coda] (intro and bridge variation)
Approx chords C D G G x 2
And it's [C(add9)] Getting very [D] hard to (backward beat til end)
[Em] stay [G/B] ay... [C] .ay [D] ..ay... and we're
[Am] living here in [D7sus4] Allentown [G] [Gsus4] [Gsus2] [G]
[End]