1985

Em    D


[Verse 1]
Em                  Bm
He's a really cool guy
                Am
He’s got a cool shirt
               Am
He's got cool shoes

Did I mention the shirt?
Em                  Bm
If you ever got the chance to meet 
him
Am
You'd know why I want to be him
Em                       Bm
He walks into a room and everyone 
respects him (Everyone respects him)
Am
He reads the news and doesn’t let 
that shit affect him (Let that shit 
affect him)
                        Bm
He's really happy, he's thrilled to 
be alive

His name is any white guy in 1985


[Chorus]
Em         Bm
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 19-80--)
Am
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 1985)
Em          Bm
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 19-80--)
Am
Any white guy, 1985 (White guy)


[Verse 2]
Continues after the ad
Remove ads
Em                   Bm
He's got a job and a family; how 
does he do it?
Am
Balance his work with his wife's 
underwhelming cooking
Em                Bm         
He's got all the answers that I 
          Am
wanna know

How can I be what I am but 40 years 
ago
Em                         Bm
Gee whiz, he got it and he flaunts
                  Am
I am the thing he is, but he isn't 
when I want
                       Em          
I guess it's true that some people 
               Bm
really got to fight to survive

And some people are white guys in 
1985


[Chorus]
Em         Bm
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 19-80--)
Am
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 1985)
Em         Bm
White guy, 1985 (White guy, 19-80--)
Am
Any white guy, 1985 (White guy)

Wait!


[Bridge]
Em             G
It wasn’t easy being any white guy 
in 1985
D                                 
Some white guys were living 
   C
through the AIDS crisis
Em                      G
Some white guys were... Italian
            D
And I’m not saying it's hard being a
 white guy now
C
...I’ve misspoke

(sung)
Em                              
I don't mean to lump a group of 
Bm
people in a hive
Am                             Ddim7
I think I just meant my dad in 1985


[Chorus]
F#m      C#m
My dad, 1985 (My dad!)
Bm
My father, 1985 (Papa!)
F#m     C#m
My dad, 1985
N.C.
Scott Burnham, 1985 (Scott!)
F#m     C#m
I wanna be my dad (My dad, 1985) 
(Scott!)
Bm
I wanna be my dad (My father, 1985) 
(Scott!)
       F#m   C#m
In the 80s (My dad, 1985) (Scott!)
   Bm
My oblivious white dad in the 
mid-80s (Scott Burnham, 1985) 
(Scott!)
F#m            C#m
My dad was an oblivious white guy 
(My dad, 1985) (General contractor!)
Bm
My dad was happier than I am (My 
father, 1985)
F#m                   C#m
If I could be anybody dead or alive
N.C.
I would want to be my dad in 1985