F         Bb              F
Please open your hearts and your purses
F7   Bb         Bbm     F
To a man who is misunderstood
   A            A7            Dm
He gets all the kicks and the curses
          G          G7          C7
Though He wishes you nothing but good
   F         Bb          F
Well, he wistfully begs you to show him
F7  Bb           Bbm           F
You think he's a friend, not a louse
                F#dim         C
So remember the debt that you owe him
C#dim   Dm7      G7            C7
The landlord who lends you his house

   F        Bb          F
So pity the downtrodden landlord
    F7  Bb           Bbm          F
And his back that is burdened and bent
F#dim            Gm           C7      F
Respect his gray hairs, don't ask for repairs
    Gm         C7            F
And don't be behind with the rent!

Now, you're able to work for a living
And rejoice in your strength and your skill
So try to be kind and forgiving
To a man whom a day's work would kill
You can work and still talk to your neighbors
You can look the whole world in the face
But the landlord who ventured to labor
Would never survive the disgrace

So pity the downtrodden landlord
And his back that is burdened and bent
Respect his grey hairs, don't ask for repairs
And don't be behind with the rent! 

(When thunder clouds gather and darken
You can sleep undisturbed in your bed
But the landlord must sit up and hearken
And shiver, and wonder, and dread
If you're killed, then you die in a hurry
And you never will know your bad luck
But the landlord is shaking with worry 
"Has one of my houses been struck?")

When a landlord resorts to eviction
Don't think that he does it for spite
He's acting from deepest conviction
And what's right, after all, is what's right
But I see that your hearts are all hardened
And I fear I'm appealing in vain
Yet I hope my last plea will be pardoned
If I beg on my knees once again:

So pity the downtrodden landlord
And his back that is burdened and bent
Respect his grey hairs, don't ask for repairs
And don't be behind with the rent!