Links On The Chain chords by Phil Ochs

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Key: A

Difficulty: Intermediate

Intro:
D A C D A
D A C D A

verse 1:
A             C    D  A
Come you ranks of labor, come you union core
A              C     D A
And see if you remember the struggles of before
   F#m                D       E
When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door
     Bm        E      A
And you started building links on the Chain
    Bm
On the Chain,
    D        E      A
 you started building links on the Chain

verse 2:
 A                 C   D  A
When the police on the horses were waitin' on demand
 A                 C    D    A
Ridin' through the strike with the pistols in their hands
F#m            D      E
Swingin' at the skulls of many a union man
    Bm       E     A       Bm
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain
    D        E      A
As you built one more link on the chain

verse 3:
 A                   C   D    A
Then the army of the fascists tried to put you on the run
A                C    D     A
But the army of the union, they did what could be done
     F#m            D       E
Oh, the power of the factory was greater than the gun
    Bm       E      A      Bm
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain
    D       E      A
As you built one more link on the chain

verse 4:
A           C   D    A
And then in 1954, decisions finally made
 A                  C   D    A
The black man was a-risin' fast and racin' from the shade
     F#m             D     E
And your union took no stand and your union was betrayed
    Bm        E      A       Bm
As you lost yourself a link on the chain, on the chain
    D        E      A
As you lost yourslef a link on the chain

verse 5:
A                   C    D    A
And then there came the boycotts and then the freedom rides
A                    C    D     A
And forgetting what you stood for, you tried to block the tide
     F#m           D       E
Oh, the automation bosses werre laughin' on the side
     Bm          E      A       Bm
As they watched you lose your link on the chain, on the chain
     D          E      A
As they watched you lose your link on the chain

verse 6:
 A                       C   D   A
You know when they block your trucks boys, by layin' on the road
 A             C    D    A
All that they are doin' is all that you have showed
     F#m                D        E
That you gotta strike, you gotta fight to get what you are owed
       Bm        E      A       Bm
When you're building all your links on the chain, on the chain
       D         E      A
When you're building all your links on the chain

verse 7:
A                        C    D  A
Amd the man who tries to tell you that they'll take your job away
A                    C    D  A
He's the same man who was scabbin' hard just the other day
     F#m              D        E
And your union's not a union till he's thrown out of the way
     Bm       E      A      Bm
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain, of the chain
     D        E      A
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain

verse 8:
 A                   C    D    A
For now the times are tellin' you the times are rollin' on
 A                      C     D   A
And you're fighting for the same thing, the jobs that will be gone
     F#m            D         E
Now it's only fair to ask you boys, which side are you on?
      Bm        E      A      Bm
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain, on the chain
      D         E      A
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain