Chords for Cat's in the Cradle

Tempo:
79.975 bpm
Chords used:

F

Ab

Cm

Eb

Bb

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
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Cat's in the Cradle chords
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[F] [Cm] [F]
My child arrived [Ab] just the other day [Bb] He came to the [F] world in the usual way
But there were planes to [Ab] catch and bills to [Bb] pay
He learned to walk while [F] I was [Eb] away And he was talking for I knew it
And as he grew [Ab] he'd say [Cm] I'm gonna be [F] like you, [Ab] Dad
You [Cm] know I'm gonna [F] be like you
And the cats in the cradle and [Eb] the silver spoon
[Ab] Little boy blue and [Bb] the man in the moon
[F] When you're coming home, [Eb] Dad, I don't know [Ab] when
But we'll get [F] together then
[Ab] You [Cm] know we'll have a [F] good time then
My son turned ten [Ab] just the other day He [Bb] said thanks for the ball, [F] Dad, come on, let's play
Can you teach me to throw?
[Ab] I said not today
I [Bb] got a lot to do, [F] he said that's okay
[Eb] And then [D] he walked away [Cm] but his [Eb] smile never [Ab] dimmed
It said [G] I'm gonna be [F] like him, [Ab] yeah
You know [Cm] I'm gonna [F] be like him
And the cats in the [Eb] cradle and the silver [Ab] spoon
Little boy [Bb] blue and the man in the [F] moon
When you're coming [Eb] home, Dad, I don't know [Ab] when
But [Cm] we'll get [F] together then
[Ab] You [Cm] know we'll have a [F] good time then
Well, he came from college [Ab] just the other day
[Bb] So much like a man, I [F] just had to say
Son, I'm proud of you, [Ab] can you sit for a while?
[Bb] He shook his head and he [F] said with a smile
What [Eb] I'd really [Bb] like, Dad, [Cm] is to borrow [Eb] the car [Ab] keys
[Cm] See you later, [F] can I have them, please?
And the cats in the cradle [Eb] and the silver spoon
[Ab] Little boy blue and [Bb] the man in the moon
[F] When you're coming home, [Eb] Son, I don't know when
[Ab] But we'll get together [F] then, Dad
[Cm] You know we'll have a good [F] time then
[Db] I've [Cm]
[F] [Db] [Eb] [Cm]
[F]
long since [Ab] retired, my son's moved [Bb] away
I called him up [F] just the other day
I said I'd like to see [Ab] you if you don't mind
He [Bb] said I'd love to, Dad, [F] if I can find the time
You [Eb] see, my new [Bb] job's a hassle [Cm] and the kids are the flu
[Ab] But it's sure [Cm] nice [F] talking to you, Dad
[Ab] It's been sure [Cm] nice talking [F] to you
[Eb] And as I hung [Bb] up the phone, [Cm] it occurred to me
[Ab] He'd grown up just [F] like me
[Ab] My [Cm] boy was [F] just like me
And the cats in [Eb] the cradle and the silver [Ab] spoon
Little boy blue and the [Bb] man in the moon
[F] When you're [Eb] coming home, Son, I don't know when
[Ab] But we'll [Cm] get together [F] then, Dad
[Ab] We're gonna [Cm] have a good [F] time then
[Cm] [F]
Key:  
F
134211111
Ab
134211114
Cm
13421113
Eb
12341116
Bb
12341111
F
134211111
Ab
134211114
Cm
13421113
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Chords
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To start learning Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle chords, build your understanding on these basic chords - Ab, Bb, F, Ab, Cm, Eb and Ab in sequence. Kick off your practice at a gentle 39 BPM, then escalate to the song's tempo of 80 BPM. With F Minor as the song's key, tweak the capo to cater to your vocal pitch and chord likes.

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[F] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Cm] _ [F] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
My child arrived [Ab] just the other day [Bb] He came to the [F] world in the usual way
But there were planes to [Ab] catch and bills to [Bb] pay
He learned to walk while [F] I was [Eb] away And he was talking for I knew it
And as he grew [Ab] he'd say [Cm] I'm gonna be [F] like you, [Ab] Dad
You [Cm] know I'm gonna [F] be like you
_ And the cats in the cradle and [Eb] the silver spoon
[Ab] Little boy blue and [Bb] the man in the moon
[F] When you're coming home, [Eb] Dad, I don't know [Ab] when
But we'll get [F] together then
[Ab] You [Cm] know we'll have a [F] good time then
My _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
son turned ten [Ab] just the other day He [Bb] said thanks for the ball, [F] Dad, come on, let's play
Can you teach me to throw?
[Ab] I said not today
I [Bb] got a lot to do, [F] he said that's okay
[Eb] And then [D] he walked away [Cm] but his [Eb] smile never [Ab] dimmed
It said [G] I'm gonna be [F] like him, [Ab] yeah
You know [Cm] I'm gonna [F] be like him
And the cats in the [Eb] cradle and the silver [Ab] spoon
Little boy [Bb] blue and the man in the [F] moon
When you're coming [Eb] home, Dad, I don't know [Ab] when
But [Cm] we'll get [F] together then
[Ab] You [Cm] know we'll have a [F] good time then _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Well, he came from college [Ab] just the other day
[Bb] So much like a man, I [F] just had to say
Son, I'm proud of you, [Ab] can you sit for a while?
[Bb] He shook his head and he [F] said with a smile
What [Eb] I'd really [Bb] like, Dad, [Cm] is to borrow [Eb] the car [Ab] keys
[Cm] See you later, [F] can I have them, please?
And the cats in the cradle [Eb] and the silver spoon
[Ab] Little boy blue and [Bb] the man in the moon
[F] When you're coming home, [Eb] Son, I don't know when
[Ab] But we'll get together [F] then, Dad
[Cm] You know we'll have a good [F] time then
[Db] I've _ [Cm] _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ [Db] _ _ [Eb] _ [Cm] _
[F] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
long since [Ab] retired, my son's moved [Bb] away
I called him up [F] just the other day
I said I'd like to see [Ab] you if you don't mind
He [Bb] said I'd love to, Dad, [F] if I can find the time
You [Eb] see, my new [Bb] job's a hassle [Cm] and the kids are the flu
[Ab] But it's sure [Cm] nice [F] talking to you, Dad
[Ab] It's been sure [Cm] nice talking [F] to you
_ [Eb] And as I hung [Bb] up the phone, [Cm] it occurred to me
[Ab] He'd grown up just [F] like me
[Ab] My [Cm] boy was [F] just like me
And the cats in [Eb] the cradle and the silver [Ab] spoon
Little boy blue and the [Bb] man in the moon
[F] When you're [Eb] coming home, Son, I don't know when
[Ab] But we'll [Cm] get together [F] then, Dad
[Ab] We're gonna [Cm] have a good [F] time then _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Cm] _ [F] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Facts about this song

This song was featured on the Verities & Balderdash album.