They Might Be Giants – You Are Old Father William (Guitar)

Am       Em                        G
"You are old, Father William," the young man said

          C                    Em
"And your hair has become very white

    Em                  G
And yet you incessantly stand on your head

       C                         Em
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

       D
"In my youth," Father William replied to his son

   C                      G
"I feared it might injure the brain

    D           
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none

       C                D
Why, I do it again and again

D
"I am old

Am       Em                        G
"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before

          C                    Em
And have grown most uncommonly fat

    Em                  G
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door

       C                         Em
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

      D
"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his gray locks

  C                      G
"I kept all my limbs very supple

   D           
By the use of this ointment, one shilling a box

       C                D
Allow me to sell you a couple?

D
"I am old

Am       Em                        G
"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak

          C                    Em
For anything tougher than suet

    Em                  G
Yet you finish the goose, with the bones and the beak

       C                         Em
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

      D
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law

  C                      G
And argued each case with my wife

   D           
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw

       C                D
Has lasted the rest of my life

D
"I am old

Am       Em                        G
"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose

          C                    Em
That your eye was as steady as ever

   Em                  G
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose

       C                         Em
What made you so awfully clever?"

      D
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough"

  C                      G
Said his father, "don't give yourself airs!

   D           
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?

       C                D
Be off or I'll kick you downstairs

D
"Downstairs