Battered Old Bird Chords by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Tempo:
75 bpm
Chords used:

G

D

C

A

F

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
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Battered Old Bird chords
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[D] [A] [D]
The [A] landlady, his husband, [D] came up to town today
[G] Since he left them both ten years ago to serve [D] the ministry
[A]
The [D] dark down road [Am] of his approach [D] and constant rain [Dm] was drenched
[G] The tenant's boy said, how do you do, [A] then [D] swore in fray
Did you teach this little child these curses on my soul?
[G] We should both be shut down [D] in the [A] cold
[D] That's no way to treat a child who cries out in the night
[G] And a woman who teaches [D] wrong from right
Oh, he's [G] a bad old bird, [A] and [D] he's a living, living, oh
[G] He's a bad old bird, [A] and [D] he's a living, living, oh
[A] There's a place where time [D] stands still
[A] You keep taking [D] these little pain pills, oh
[A] [D] Hush your [A] mouth, you hypocrite, [D] his humor cut her deep
[G] The tight-lipped glare of judgment that had seen her love [D] [A] deserted just [D] like sleep
Filthy words on children's lips are better, my dear spouse
[G] Than a lie were to speak my [A] mind [D] about this house
Oh, [G] he's a bad old bird, [D] and he's a living, living, oh
He's [G] a bad old bird, [A] and he's [D] a living, living, oh
[A] There's a place where time stands [D] still
[A] You keep taking these [D] little pain pills, oh
[Am] But [C] [Am] on the first thought, there are two old maids
And each [G] one wishing [C] that their lover was afraid
[Am] And next door to them was a man so mild
He'd be chopped [C] out the head of a visitor's child
[F] He danced upon the bonfire, swallowed sleeping pills like dreams
With a bottle of sweet cherry that [C] [G] everything redeems
[C] Oh, [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[G] There's a place where time stands [G] still
You keep [C] taking these little pain pills, oh
[G] [C] And [G] [Am] on the second thought is the Macintosh man
[G] He's in his [C] old coat, mauling out of [Am] them
And then the tight riders rattling off through the night
He's [G] begging [C] me for breakfast [F] time
He says one day I'll throw away all my cares
And it is always Christmas in a cupboard [C] at the [G] top [C] of the stairs
Oh, [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[G] There's a place where time [G] stands still
You keep taking these [C] little pain pills, [G] oh
[D]
Who is a boy if ever there was who's gonna do big things
[G] I guess that's what they all say, and that's how the [D] trouble begins
I've seen them rise and fall, been through their big deals and [G] smalls
And he better have a dream that [A] goes [D] beyond false
You [Bm] think he should be sent outside, [A] playing [D] with the traffic
[G] When pieces of him are already scattered [A] in the [F] air
Oh,
[G] [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[G] There's a place where time stands still
You keep [C] taking these little pain pills, oh
[G] [C] You keep taking these [G] [C]
[G] [C] little pain pills
[G] [C] [Gm] [C] [G]
[C] [G] [C]
Key:  
G
2131
D
1321
C
3211
A
1231
F
134211111
G
2131
D
1321
C
3211
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Chords
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To start learning Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Battered Old Bird chords, delve into these chords sequence to get the song's feel: G, D, G, A, D, A, D, G, C, F and C. To build a solid grasp, start slowly at 37 BPM and then match the original tempo of 75 BPM. Considering the song's key of D Major, position your capo to suit your vocal and chord preferences.

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[D] _ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
The [A] landlady, his husband, [D] came up to town today
_ _ [G] Since he left them both ten years ago to serve [D] the ministry
_ _ _ _ [A]
The [D] dark down road [Am] of his approach [D] and constant rain [Dm] was drenched
[G] The tenant's boy said, how do you do, [A] then [D] swore in fray
_ Did you teach this little child these curses on my soul?
[G] We should both be shut down [D] in the [A] cold
_ [D] That's no way to treat a child who cries out in the night
[G] And a woman who teaches [D] wrong from right
Oh, he's [G] a bad old bird, [A] and [D] he's a living, living, oh
_ [G] He's a bad old bird, [A] and [D] he's a living, living, oh
_ [A] There's a place where time [D] stands still
[A] You keep taking [D] these little pain pills, oh _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [D] Hush your [A] mouth, you hypocrite, [D] his humor cut her deep
[G] The tight-lipped glare of judgment that had seen her love [D] [A] deserted just [D] like sleep
Filthy words on children's lips are better, my dear spouse
[G] Than a lie were to speak my [A] mind [D] about this house
Oh, [G] he's a bad old bird, [D] and he's a living, living, oh
He's [G] a bad old bird, [A] and he's [D] a living, living, oh
[A] There's a place where time stands [D] still
[A] You keep taking these [D] little pain pills, oh _
[Am] But [C] _ _ _ [Am] on the first thought, there are two old maids
And each [G] one wishing [C] that their lover was afraid
[Am] And next door to them was a man so mild
He'd be chopped [C] out the head of a visitor's child
[F] He danced upon the bonfire, swallowed sleeping pills like dreams
With a bottle of sweet cherry that [C] [G] everything redeems
[C] Oh, [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
_ [G] There's a place where time stands [G] still
You keep [C] taking these little pain pills, oh
[G] _ [C] And _ [G] _ [Am] on the second thought is the Macintosh man
[G] He's in his [C] old coat, mauling out of [Am] them
And then the tight riders rattling off through the night
He's [G] begging [C] me for breakfast [F] time
He says one day I'll throw away all my cares
And it is always Christmas in a cupboard [C] at the [G] top [C] of the stairs
Oh, [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh _
[G] There's a place where time [G] stands still
You keep taking these [C] little pain pills, _ [G] oh
_ [D] _ _ _
Who is a boy if ever there was who's gonna do big things
[G] I guess that's what they all say, and that's how the [D] trouble _ begins
I've seen them rise and fall, been through their big deals and [G] smalls
And he better have a dream that [A] goes [D] beyond false
_ You [Bm] think he should be sent outside, [A] playing [D] with the traffic
[G] When pieces of him are already scattered [A] in the [F] air
Oh, _ _ _
[G] _ [F] he's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
[F] He's a bad old bird, [C] and he's a living, living, oh
_ [G] There's a place where time stands still
You keep [C] taking these little pain pills, oh _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] [C] You keep taking these _ [G] _ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ [C] _ little pain pills
[G] _ _ [C] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _
[C] _ _ [G] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _

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