A E D E A E D E
A D A D A D A D
[Verse 1]
A
'Twas Joey the weasel that gave us the wire
D A
They were closin' our factory down
A
Tho' we didn't believe him and we called him a liar
D A
The redundancy letters came 'round
E A
As we read them in silence I choked back a tear
D E
It is hard to believe after twenty-odd years
[Chorus]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and me workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D A D A D
By making us yesterday's men.
[Verse 2]
A
So we said our goodbyes by the factory gate
D A
One cold Friday evening last year
A
And I saw it all there in the eyes of me mates
D A
The anger the sadness the fear
E A
Like our fathers before us we worked there with pride
D E
Now we fought back the bitterness burning inside.
[Chorus]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D A D A D
By making us yesterday's men.
[Verse 3]
A
Now Ginny said she'd give the kids a few bob,
D A
After all sure it is Friday night
A
Ah, how could I tell her I was out of a job?
D A
From now things were going to be tight
E A
How well I remember it cut like a knife
D E
I was never a day on the dole in my life.
[Chorus]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D A D A D
By making us yesterday's men.
[Verse 4]
A
The machines now are silent, the workbench is bare
D A D A
And there's dust on the factory floor
A
They've boarded the windows and they've chained up the gate,
D A
And they've padlocked the factory door,
E A
And I'm on the scrap heap, and I'm thirty-nine
D E
As one of the hundreds shot down in my prime.
[Chorus]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D
By making us yesterday's men.
[Chorus]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D
By making us yesterday's men.
[Outro]
A D A
Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates
E A
Farewell to the paydays, the pints, and the craic
A D A
Oh we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back,
E D A
By making us yesterday's men sure as hell
E A D A D A D A D A
By making us yesterday's men.
