A Three Chord Song

by John Garbutt

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lyrics

You won't find my records
On a shelf at HMV,
But you don't have to pay
Because I play my songs for free,
You may not like my music,
You may not like my style,
It has been out of fashion now,
For a long, long while.

I'm under no illusion
I'll never earn a thing
Strumming endless ballads
On this old mandolin.
I'll never get to number one
Playing in the charts,
But I can write a three chord song
And play it from the heart.

Acid house and drum 'n' bass,
Are not my cup of tea,
I'm not like all those boy bands
That you see on your TV
I dont know how to Hip-Hop,
I don't do R 'n' B,
Well all that bling and gangsta rap
Is really not for me.

I'm under no illusion
I'll never earn a thing
Strumming endless ballads
On this old mandolin.
I'll never get to number one
Playing in the charts,
But I can write a three chord song
And play it from the heart.

Well I like Woody Guthrie,
And Bobby Dylan too,
I like Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Playing them Texas blues,
And I like Lonnie Donegan,
And Buffy Sainte-Marie,
I love the sound of Donovan,
On a dusty old LP.

I'm under no illusion
I'll never earn a thing
Strumming endless ballads
On this old mandolin.
I'll never get to number one
Playing in the charts,
But I can write a three chord song
And play it from the heart.

So you won't find my records
On a shelf at HMV,
But you don't have to pay
Because I play my songs for free,
You may not like my music,
You may not like my style,
It has been out of fashion now,
For a long, long while.

I'm under no illusion
I'll never earn a thing
Strumming endless ballads
On this old mandolin.
I'll never get to number one
Playing in the charts,
But I can write a three chord song
And play it from the heart.

credits

released November 3, 2020
Words and music by John Garbutt

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about

John Garbutt England, UK

Give me a mandolin loud enough, and a plectrum with which to pluck it, and I shall move the world.

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