We Didn't Know chords by Tom Paxton

• Difficulty: Intermediate

Key: E

Intro:

 E                         A
"We didn't know", said the bürgermeister
E                       B7      E
"About those camps on the edge of town.



              A
It was Hitler and his crew
E               B7     E
That tore the German nation down.
C#m
We saw the cattle cars, it's true;
E                    B7     E
Maybe they carried a Jew or two.
     C#m
They woke us up as they rattled through
E              B7         E
But what did you expect me to do "

Chorus:
E
We didn't know at all;
A               E
We didn't see a thing.

You can't hold us to blame -
F#            B7
What could we do?
E
It was a terrible shame
A
But we can't bear the blame.
E          A             B7    E
Oh no, not us, we didn't know.



Verse 1:
E                           A
"We didn't know", said the congregation
E                   B7        E
Singing a hymn in a church of white.
                       A
"The Press was full of lies about us
E            B7      E
Preacher told us we were right.
C#m
The outside agitators came;
E                             B7      E
They burned some churches and put the blame
   C#m
On decent southern people's names
E                   B7      E
To set our colored people aflame.
    C#m
And maybe some of our boys got hot
E                     B7       E
And a couple of niggers and reds got shot
C#m
They should have stayed where they belong -
    E                         B7           E
The preacher would've told us if we'd done wrong."

Chorus:
E
We didn't know at all;
A               E
We didn't see a thing.

You can't hold us to blame -
F#            B7
What could we do?
E
It was a terrible shame
A
But we can't bear the blame.
E          A             B7    E
Oh no, not us, we didn't know.

Verse 2:
E                          A
"We didn't know", said the puzzled voter
E                B7       E
Watching the President on TV.
                      A
"I guess we've got to drop those bombs
E                      B7   E
If we're gonna keep South Asia free.
C#m
The President's such a peaceful man
E                     B7      E
I guess he's got some kind of plan.
     C#m
They say we're torturing prisoners of war
E               B7            E
But I don't believe that stuff no more.
   C#m
Torturing prisoners is a communist game
E                        B7       E
And You can bet they're doing the same.
  C#m
I wish this war was over and through
E             B7         E
But what do you expect me to do "

Chorus:
E
We didn't know at all;
A               E
We didn't see a thing.

You can't hold us to blame -
F#            B7
What could we do?
E
It was a terrible shame
A
But we can't bear the blame.
E          A             B7    E
Oh no, not us, we didn't know.