All In A Family chords by Loudon Wainwright Iii

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Verse 1:
     Am
It’s all in a family, that’s no lie
     F
Even stays that way after we die
        C                    E7
Leaves, branches, twigs on a family tree

And the forest can be hard to see.

Verse 2:
   Am
Mother and father are in charge
        F
And the brand-new baby will loom large
C                  E7
Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts
                              Am
It’s a family life so take a chance.

Chorus 1:
       C                 E7
It’s a work in progress, can’t you see?
        Am                   E7
And the why, wherefore is a mystery
          C                  E7
When they family fights they know nextdoor,
Am               E7
No one wins in a family war.

Verse 3:
     Am
Then there’s that thing it’s all made of
     F
Dare we sing that the thing is love
     C                     E7
Love heals heartache and familial pain
                          Am      E7
And what family is not insane?

Instrumental break:
Am  F  C  E7  Am  E7

Verse 4:
     Am
Just give them all a hug and a kiss
       F
At the wake, the wedding, birthday, briss,
       C               E7
At the function let dysfunction rule

no shallow end in the family pool.

Verse 5:
   Am
We gather for the holiday
    F
and pray for a quick safe getaway
   C               E7
No one so close, nothing so real
                                          Am  E7
And the smallest thing is the biggest deal.

Chorus 2:
     C             E7
That so and so did such and such
    Am               E7
How can you love someone so much?
   C                E7
Forgive, forget and finally see
    Am              E7
The forest from the family tree.

Verse 6:
     Am
It’s all in a family, that’s no lie
      F
It’ll stay that way after we die
        C               E7
You forgive, forget and finally see
                               Am
When you get to hold the new baby.