From: Phillip Charles Saunders 


Can't Win, Richard Thompson
transcribed by phillip@princeton.edu

Bm11         E             Dmaj7/E   Esus4
I started to cry, they put gin in my cup
  Dmaj7/E    E              Dmaj7       Esus4
I started to crawl and they swaddled me up
  Dmaj7/E    E              Asus2/E E
I got up and run, they said, easy son
         Asus2/E  E
Play up, play the game

Dmaj7/E         E            Dmaj7/E      Esus4
They told me to think and forget what I'd heard
     Dmaj7/E    E            Dmaj7         Esus4
They told me to lie and then questioned my word
     Dmaj7/E      E            Asus2/E   E
They taught me to fail, better sink than sail
     Asus2/E  E
Just play the game

Em7            A/E        Em7                    A/E
Oh towers will tumble and locusts will visit the land
Em7                A/E            Em7                            F#m7b5
B9sus4
Oh a curse on your house and your children and the fruit of your hand

              Em             G
They said you can't win, you can't win
    F#m7b5           Fmaj7b5
You sweat blood, you give in
    Em             G
You can't win, you can't win
F#m7b5           Fmaj7b5
Turn the cheek, take it on the chin
          Em                     Em/D
Don't you dare do this don't you dare do that
   C                     A7sus2
We shoot down dreams, we stiletto in the back
    Em                        Em/D
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
    C
The nerve of some people
  A7sus                                                    E Bm7 E Esus4
Bm11
I don't know who you think you are, who you think you are


Oh what kind of mother would hamstring her sons
Throw sand in their eyes and put ice on their tongues
Better to leave than stay here and grieve
And play the game

Don't waken the dead as you sleepwalk around
If you have a dream, brother, hush, not a sound
Stand there and rust, and die if you must
But play the game

Oh if we can't have  it, why should a wretch like you?
Oh it was drilled in our heads, now we drill it into your head too

You can't win, you can't win
You sweat blood, you give in
You can't win, you can't win
Turn the cheek, take it on the chin
Don't you dare do this don't you dare do that
We harpoon dreams, we stiletto in the back
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people