Twenty Years Ago

G G D D     G G D D

[Verse 1]
            G
 Well, I was at that smart-ass time 
of my life,

 When I’d pick a fight just to pick 
a fight
   D
 If he said black, I said white, if 
he took one side I took the other 
side
G
 The dinner table we sat around, was
 more like a battleground
      D
 And I lost more times than I won, I
 woulda learned later on
Bm                 G             
 That he was always preachin’ 
      A
‘bout his past
Bm          G                   
 I just kept screamin’ “Come on, 
A
Dad!”

[Chorus 1]
                       D       
 That was twenty years ago, you 
                 Em7/B
don’t know me at all!
                  G           
 Tryin’ to talk to you is like 
               A
talkin’ to the wall
                     D             
 Yeah, you gave me my life, but 
            Em7/B
it’s my life to live
              D/F#               
 Maybe I don’t wanna live it like 
    G    A             G  D
you did, Twenty years ago

[Verse 2]
       G
 He was built with blue collar sweat
 and blood, square jaw and a crew 
cut
D
 A purple heart, a Viet Vet, he'd 
tell you every chance he'd get
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       G
 Always runnin’ down my rock n' 
roll, my friends, my hair, my 
clothes
D
 One night it all got out of 
control, and right there we came to 
blows
Bm                G               
 And that was just enough to get 
 A     Bm         G              
me gone, I couldn't wait to prove
   A
 him wrong!

[Chorus 2]
              D                    
 Twenty years ago, I struck out on 
Em7/B
my own
                 G                 
 Couldn't tell me nothin’, I didn’t
        A
 already know
                  D             
 Yeah, I was on my way, what the 
         Em7/B
hell did I care
                         D/F#
 About my old man and his gray hair
                         G     
 Thought about the road I chose, 
A            Em7/B   Bm Em7/B Bm
twenty years ago

[Bridge 1]
Em7/B
 Well I left as fast as the leaves 
fell that autumn
Bm                             
 I never looked back and I never 
                  Em7/B
once called him, but every time I 
talked to Momma
                     Bm
 I wondered if he was there, or if 
he even cared
            Em7/B
 I figured I walked out on him and 
the course of our love had run
Bm
 Momma said 'no, no, you listen to 
me son,
Em7/B
 He’s a stubborn man and he won't 
give in.
   Bm
 He believes what he believes, well 
you’re just like him'

[Bridge 2]
Cadd9                         
 Well I could tell by her 
Csus2                     Cadd9
voice that there was something wrong
 She broke down, and said he ain’t 
        Cadd9
got long
 So I caught the next plane 
Csus2 Cadd9
home,       thought about all the 
years gone
Cadd9                Csus2
 How my pride had let so much time 
go by
G/B                               
 I ran up those stairs and stood 
         Em7
by his bed and I cried

[Chorus 3]
              D                    
 Twenty years ago, I thought I knew
   Em7/B
 it all
                      G            
 But tryin’ to talk to me, was like
               A
 talkin’ to the wall
                  D                
 I thought I was a man, actin’ like
  Em7/B
 I did
                     D/F#          
 But all I want right now, is just 
          G
to be your kid

[Other]
Em7/B          D/F#            G
 Just before my dad gave up the 
ghost
   Em7/B            D/F#          
 He took my hand and said "son let
   G    A                         G
 it go”, that was twenty years ago
G
 Twenty years ago