Cats In The Cradle Chords by Harry Chapin

When Harry came home from the road, he would show me new stuff that he'd been working on,
and I'd show him some things that I'd been doing.
And I showed him the poem for Cats in the Cradle, and he kind of pushed it aside, and
he took more interest in a couple of other things that I'd been working on.
And then, after Joshua was born, he grabbed it and said, hey, I've got to put music to [F] this.
So it had been written a lot earlier, but it really hit him after Joshua was born.
If it didn't happen to me so often, it would almost be awkward.
But I'm used to it now, because people actually want to, because I look like my dad, too.
They'll want to have contact with me, put their arm on my shoulder, and really try and
communicate to me how it healed their relationship with their father, or it got them closer to
someone they had fallen away from.
It's always amazing to me, because people just almost, before [Gm] they even get words out,
I can see a shakiness [F] and emotion in their eyes, and the way they just kind of want to
get close to space between me and them, when I haven't even met them before, which is a
tribute to my dad.
My [Ab] child arrived just the other day.
[F] He came to the world in the usual way, but there were planes [Ab] to catch and bills to [Bb] pay.
[Eb] He learned [Fm] to walk while I was [Ebm] away, and he was [D] talking for a [Cm] new one.
And [Bb] as he grew, [Ab] he'd say, [A] I'm gonna [F] be like [Ab] you, Dad.
You know I'm gonna [F] be like you.
_ The cat's in the [Eb] cradle and the silver's bold.
[Ab] Little boy [Bb] blue and the man on the moon.
[F] When you're coming [Eb] home, Dad, I don't know [Ab] when, but [Eb] we'll get [F] together then, son.
[Ab] You know [Gm] we'll have a good [F] time then.
_ _ [Bb] _ [Fm] _ _ [Cm] _
[F] _ _ _ _ My son [Ab] turned ten just the other [F] day.
He said, thanks for the ball, Dad.
Come on, let's play.
Can you [Fm] teach me to throw?
I said, not today, I got a lot to do.
He said, that's okay.
[Eb] And he [Dm] walked [Cm] away, but he [Bb] smiled every [Ab] day.
And he said, [Cm] I'm gonna [F] be like him.
Yeah, [Fm] you know [C] I'm gonna be [F] like him.
_ _ The [Eb] cradle and the silver's bold.
[Ab] Little boy blue [Bb] and the man on the moon.
[F] When you're coming [Cm] home, Dad, I don't [Gm] know when, [Ab] but we'll [Cm] get together [F] then, son.
[Ab] You know [Cm] we'll have a good [F] time then. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Well, he came from [Ab] college just the other [Bb] day.
So much like [F] a man, I just had to say, son, I'm proud of [Ab] you.
Can you sit for a [Bb] while?
He shook his head, [F] and he said with a [Eb] smile, what I'd really like, [Cm] Dad, is to [Bb] borrow the
[Ab] car keys.
[Gm] See you [F] later, can I have them, please?
And the cat's in the [Eb] cradle and the silver's [Ab] bold.
Little boy [Bb] blue and the man on the [F] moon.
When you're coming [Eb] home, son, I don't know [Ab] when, but [Cm] we'll get [F] together then, Dad.
[Ab] You [Cm] know we'll have a [F] good time then.
[Db] _ _
[Eb] _ [Cm] _ [F] _ _ _ _ [Db] _ _
[Eb] _ [Cm] _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Well, I've long [Ab] since retired.
My son's [Bb] moved away.
I [F] called him up just the other day.
Said I'd like to [Ab] see you if you don't [Bb] mind.
He said I'd love to, [F] Dad, if I can find the time.
[Eb] You [Gm] see, my new [Cm] job's a hassle [Eb] and the kid's of the [Ab] flu.
But it's sure [F] nice talking to you, [Ab] Dad.
It's been sure [F] nice talking to you. _ _
[Eb] And as he hung up the [Cm] phone, it occurred to me, [Eb] he'd grown up [F] just like me.
[Ab] My boy [F] was just like me. _
And the cat's in the [Eb] cradle and the silver's [Ab] bold.
Little boy blue [Bb] and the man on the moon.
[F] When you're coming [Eb] home, son, I don't [Ab] know when, but we'll [Cm] get together [F] then, Dad.
[Ab] [Cm] You know we'll have a good [F] time then.
_ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ [Fm] _ _
[Cm] _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] Tom Shaffer, come on out here and help us [A] recircle.
Come on.
[D] _ [N] I wrote this thing