The Ballad of the Kingsmen — Todd Snider
Chords and lyrics for The Ballad of the Kingsmen by Todd Snider (key of C).
Intro
[G] [D] [C] [C]
[G] [D] [C] [C]
Verse 1
The [G]Kingsmen came [D]together in a garage,[C] they could hardly even play
But [G]they practiced night and day,[D] pretty soon they got to where they could
[C]really play that song Louie, Louie
So, [G]they saved up all the money from the [D]shows, went in to one of them
[C]studios and gave their version
of the song a try
[G]Now, I[D] don't know the words to that [C]song Louie, Louie and I'm pretty sure
the singer for the
[G]Kingsmen didn't know 'em either,[D] if he did know 'em he didn't[C] get 'em right
on the record
'Cause on the record they sound jumbled in his [G]jaw? It says, [D]"me think of
me [C]girl oh so [D]constantly"
[G]"Ahmayaaah [D]makaaaah aahh [C]ooohoooh [D]aaaaah"
[G]Well, that last part [D]scared everybody from the [C]PTA to the FBI
You see, [G]the kids had been going kind of [D]crazy lately and it seemed like
[C]nobody could figure out why,
So they [G]decided to form a coalition, [D]launch an investigation, you know for
the [C]children,
they at least had to try
[G]To figure out the [D]words to Louie, Louie
Chorus
It's the [G]feel [C]good[G] hit of this [C]endless summer
[G] It gets these [A7]kids out of [D]control
[C] Singin' [D]along to that [G]star spangled [C]bummer,
[G] Hail, [D]hail rock and [G]roll
Harmonica Solo
(G) D C
Verse 2
[G]Marilyn Manson’s[D] real name isn't even [C]Marilyn Manson, he's a skinny public
high school
[G]Kid from Florida,[D] not some monster from [C]out of this world and like of a lot
other skinny long hair public
[G]High school kids[D] he was sick of getting beaten up by the[C] pulling guard all
week only to go out on the weekend,
and watch the
[G]Quarterback get all the girls[D] so, he [C]formed a band, man
Now' [G]he gets all the [D]girls, a [C]few years later a couple of latchkey kids go
tragically
[G]Mad and everybody's standing around [D]the television store at the mall trying
to [C]figure out what went wrong,
this guy says,
you think the [G]life of a kid going to high school[D] could've gotten so bad
this other guy says [C]nah,
[C]It's just the words to one of them goddamn Marilyn Manson songs, you know
the one
Chorus
It's the [G]feel [C]good[G] hit of this [C]endless summer
[G] It gets these [A7]kids out of [D]control
[C] Singin' [D]along to that [G]star spangled [C]bummer,
[G] Hail, [D]hail rock and [G]roll
Solo
(G) D C
[G] [D] [C]
[G] [D] [C]
Verse 3
You [G]know, every ten [D]years or so our country and [C]some other little country,
we start firing all of our
newest weapons
At [G]each other for some [D]reason or another, right or [C]wrong, like it or not,
it happens, and when it happens
People get [G]shot and when people get [D]shot, they show it on [C]TV a lot every
night at six o'clock
And you don't even [G]have to be eighteen to see it,[D] you don't even have to be
in [C]first grade,
first grade where they teach the kid pride
They [G]tell him he'll need to thrive,[D] in a world where only the [C]strong will
survive, so he's taught
the art of more
To [G]compare to and to keep score[D] Monday thru Friday while he [C]stares at the
floor 'til Sunday
they make him go to
[G]School once more only [D]this time they make him wear a suit and a [C]tie and
listen to some guy who claims to know
where people go
When [G]they die tell him that only the [D]meek are gonna inherit the [C]earth Well
shit, by this time the kid doesn't
know what anything
Is [G]worth, now brothers and sisters[D] I am only one guy [C]and I don't even know
the words to that song Louie, Louie
[G]but I can tell you right now [D]without batting an eye that the [C]next time some
latchkey kid goes wrong
It [C]ain't gonna be 'cause that Eminem gets to say the word fag in his song
And [G]I'm not trying to preach to ya [D]either, I'm just trying to sing to [C]ya
too, you know string
a few words together
Outro
[G]Hey [D]kids...[C]
Let's get it [G][D]on,[C]
Let's get it[G] [D]on[C]
Harmonica Solo
[G] [D] [C]
[G] [D] [C]
X