Thirty Thousand Men chords by Steve Forbert

• Capo on 1st

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Key: C#

Difficulty: Novice

From the album "Young guitar days" (released 2001).
Originally recorded sometime between 1979 and 1981.


Verse 1:
C                  G          C       C/B
  Thirty thousand men on the Bowery
Am                 F            C
  Thirty thousand men on the street
F               G             C            F
Can't help but roam when you ain't got no home
         C            G           Am   F
Beggin' handouts for something to eat
         C            G            C
Beggin' handouts for something to eat

Verse 2:
C                  G          C       C/B
  Thirty thousand men on the sidewalk
Am                 F          C
  Thirty thousand men in the town
F           G           C               F
Nowhere to go when the wind starts to blow
          C               G           Am   F
Lookin' 'round for some place to lay down
          C               G           C
Lookin' 'round for some place to lay down


Verse 3:
C                  G             C       C/B
  Thirty thousand men tired and dirty
Am                 F         C
  Thirty thousand men to be fed
F              G             C             F
Bussed out to Queens for a chance to get clean
       C             G         Am   F
And a shot at some sleep in a bed
       C             G         C
And a shot at some sleep in a bed


Verse 4:
C                  G          C       C/B
  Thirty thousand men in the arm'ries
Am                 F             C
  Thirty thousand men down the block
F               G              C         F
Neighbors all shout "We don't want 'em about"
          C           G           Am   F
"Bus 'em back in the morning and stop"
         C            G           C
"Bus 'em back in the morning and stop"


Verse 5:
C                  G         C       C/B
  Thirty thousand men of depression
Am                 F             C
  Thirty thousand men 'neath a cloud
F               G                C          F
Jobs getting scarce and they're cutting welfares
        C             G             Am   F
And we might find ourselves in the crowd
        C             G             C
And we might find ourselves in the crowd


Verse 6:
C                  G          C     C/B
  Thirty thousand men in the city
Am                 F           C
  Thirty thousand men killin' time
F             G              C               F
Helpless and cold, some are young, some are old
         C               G          Am   F
Shabby clothes and some bottles of wine
         C               G          C
Shabby clothes and some bottles of wine