Tramp The Dirt Down chords by Elvis Costello

G:  (320003)
D/F#: (2x0232)
Em: (022000)
C:  (x32010)
Bm/D:  (x5443x)
A/C#:  (x4222x)
E/G#:  (4x245x)


          G  D/F#   Em                C         G
I saw a newspaper picture from the political campaign
             Em  Bm/D  A/C#              C          G
A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously in pain
               Em Bm/D A/C#               C                             G
SHe spills w/ compassion, as that young child's face in her hands she grips
                Em Bm/D   A/C#       C                      G       C
Can you imagine all that greed and avarice coming down on that childs lips
                       G   D/F#  Em  D
Well I hope you don't die too soon
            C                G
I pray the Lord my soul to save
          Em Bm/D A/C#       C               G
Oh I'll be a good boy, I'll try so hard to behave
                 Em Bm/D  A/C#                      C               G
Because there's one thing I know, I'd like to live long enough to savor
         C   Bm   Am  G   Am               G
That's when they finally put you in the ground
       C    Bm Am   G         Am              G      D
I'll Stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down
      D                Em          D/F#   G(?)             D
When England was the whore of the world  Margaret was her madam
                           Em          D/F#         Em(?)     G
And the future looked as brigh and as clear as the black tarmacadam
G                                                                        C
Well I hope that she sleeps well at night, isn't haunted by every tiny detail
Am                       E/G#  G                 D/F#       Em              D
Cos when she held that lovely face in her hands all she thought was betrayal

And now the cynical ones say that it all ends
 the same in the long run
 Try telling that to the desperate father who just
 squeezed the life from his only son
 And how it's only voices in your head and
 dreams you never dreamt
 Try telling him the subtle difference between
 justice and contempt
 Try telling me she isn't angry with this pitiful
 discontent
 When they flaunt it in your face as you line up
 for punishment
 And then expect you to say "Thank you"
 straighten up, look proud and pleased
 Because you've only got the symptoms, you
 haven't got the whole disease
 Just like a schoolboy, whose head's like a tin-can
 filled up with dreams then poured down
 the drain
 Try telling that to the boys on both sides, being
 blown to bits or beaten and maimed
 Who takes all the glory and none of the shame

Well I hope you live long now, I pray the Lord
 your soul to keep
 I think I'll be going before we fold our arms
 and start to weep
 I never thought for a moment that human life
 could be so cheap
 'Cos when they finally put you in the ground
 They'll stand there laughing and tramp the
 dirt down


Don't feel as though you have to play all the chords, I change it up every time