The Clock Was Tickin

G C D C Am D


[Verse]

             G
The teacher had you write a letter, 
you were eight years old
           C
About the man that you'd become and 
the positions you'd hold
              D                 
But this was long before you and 
   C
Jackie Geronimo met
          Am           D
In the Prelude Park at midnight

            G
Now when it came to bells and 
whistles, Jackie did not lack
             C
And when she kissed you on the 
kisser, boy, you kissed her back
        D                          
Now you tell her that you love her 
        C
and she cuts you slack
         Am                        
When you drink with your buddies on
     D              C
 the weekend


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years 
roll on
               G                   
You spend your whole life dropping 
G/F#           Em
nickels in the bucket
       D      C
Wakin' up at dawn
          Am                  B   
And while Jackie bestowed the joys
          Em           D C
 of fingerlickin'
    D                        C    
The clock up on the wall was 
    C/B C/A G
tickin'


[Verse]

     G
You got yourself a job cleaning 
hospital floors
     C
But Jackie had a baby, then she had 
five more
       D                      C
They'd pay you just enough to drag 
your ass to the store
       Am                          
To buy bread, milk and Better Homes
   D
 & Gardens

Continues after the ad
G
Jackie flips the pages and she 
dreams little dreams
  C
A cottage in the country built with 
real wood beams
          D                        
There's a baby in the bedroom, he's
 C
 starting to scream
    Am                          
She holds him though he probably 
    D
won't remember


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years 
roll on
          G                  G/F# 
Sometimes dreams are all you got 
           Em             D        
to keep you going when the day gets 
C
long
        Am              B         
And you gave up so many just to 
    Em        D C
make a livin'
    D                        C    
The clock up on the wall was 
    C/B C/A G
tickin'


[Verse]

     G
Now the kids are all grateful when 
they left the nest
     C
And Jackie wasn't perfect but she 
did her best
    D                        C
You cease the opportunity to get you
 some rest
        Am                       
But you can't sleep on account of 
            D
screaming grandkids

    G
The golden years are meant to leave 
a gleam in your eye
       C
You're starting to discover it's a 
great big lie
     D                          
They work you like a dog til you 
 C
quit or you die
        Am                     
But you can't quit cause Jackie 
           D
needs the benefits


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years 
roll on
         G             G/F#       
They say patience is a virtue but 
    Em              D         C
the doctor says she don't have long
    Am                      B     
You stood up and tried your 
            Em     D   C
damndest not to listen
         D                      
But the clock up on the wall was 
    C      C/B C/A G
tickin'


[Stick]

          G                    
When they told you to clear the 
                      C
room, that's when it hit you
    G                              
You watched as the caravan took 
             D
your sweetheart away
    G                              
The arguments and fights and money 
                 C
troubles seem so worthless
        G                D        
As the kids throw yellow roses on 
    G
her grave


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years 
roll on
             G            
The house is quiet now and 
 G/F#       Em                 D 
everything inside it seems to 
         C
know she's gone
          Am                 
There's a picture of you both 
  B                       Em      
sixteen years old just kissing
    D  C

        D                        
And that clock up on the wall was 
   C        C/B C/A G
tickin'

G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D


[Other]

           G
You always thought she had a chance 
and it was somewhere hidden
           C                     
Now you've come to the conclusion 
                D     C
that she never did
Am                  D
Have a chance, that is

G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D