Streets Of London Chords by Ralph Mctell

[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
[B] _ _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ [G#m] _ .
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [E] _ .
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] _ .
_ _ _ Have you [B] seen the old man in the [C#m] closed [G#m]-down market?.
_ [A] Kicking up [E] the paper with [A] his worn [B]-out _ shoes?.
[E] In his [B] eyes you see no pride, [C#m] and held [G#m] loosely at his [A] side.
_ _ [E] Yesterday's paper [B] telling _ _ [E] _ yesterday's news.
_ _ So [A] _ how can [G#m] you tell me [C#m] you're _ [G#m] _ .
[C#m] lonely?.
_ _ _ [F#] _ And say for you that the sun [B] don't shine.
_ Let _ _ [E] me take you [B] by the hand [C#] and lead you [C#m].
through [G#m] the streets of London.
[A] _ Show you [E] _ something [B] to make you change [E] your mind _ _ _ _ .
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ .
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] Have you seen [B] the old girl [C#m] who walks the streets [G#m] of London?.
_ [A] _ Dirt in her [E] hair and [A] her clothes in [B] _ rags.
_ [E] She's no time for [B] talking, she [C#m] just keeps right on [G#m] walking.
_ _ [A] _ Carrying her [E] home in [B] two carrier _ [E] _ _ _ bags _ _ .
[A] So how [G#m] can you tell me [E] you're _ [F] _ lonely?
_ _ .
_ [F#] _ And say for you that the sun [B] don't shine.
_ _ Let _ [E] me take you [B] by the hand [C#m] and lead you through [G#m] the streets of [A] London.
_ Show [E] you something [B] to make you change [E] your mind.
_ _ In _ [B] _ _ _ .
_ [C#m] _ [C#] _ _ _ [G#m] _ _ _ .
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ .
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ .
_ _ the all [B]-night cafe _ [C#] at a quarter past [G#m] eleven _ .
_ [A] Same _ [E] old man [A] sitting there on [B] his own.
_ _ [E] Looking at [B] the world over the [C#m] rim of his [G#m] _ .
teacup.
_ [A] Each tea lasts [E] an hour and [B] he wanders home [E] alone.
_ So _ _ _ [G] how can [F#m] you tell me that you're _ _ _ [B] lonely?.
[D] _ _ [E] _ .
And say for you that the sun [A] don't shine.
_ _ Let _ .
[D] _ _ me take you [A] by the hand [Bm] and lead you through the [F#m] streets of London.
[G] _ _ Show [D] you something _ to [A] make you change [D] your _ _ _ mind.
_ _ _ [A] _ .
_ _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ .
[A] _ _ _ _ [D] Have you seen [A] the old man [Bm] outside the [F#m] seamen's mission?.
_ [G] _ Memory [D] fading with the metal [G] _ .
ribbons [A] that he _ wears.
_ [Dm].
In our winter [A] city the [B] rain cries a little [F#m] bit.
Of _ .
[G] one more forgotten [D] hero _ [A] and a world that [D] doesn't _ _ _ care.
_ _ _ [G] _ .
So how can [F#m] you tell me [D] you're _ _ [Bm] lonely?.
_ [D] _ _ [E] _ .
And say for you that the sun [A] don't _ shine _ _ _ _ _ .
[D] Let me take [A] you by the hand [Bm] and lead you through [F#m] the streets of London.
_ [G] _ I'll show [D] you something _ [A] to make you change [D] your mind.
Were you ever tempted to call the streets of London [A] the streets of Paris, [N] Ralph?.
Well, it was going to be that.
I had it in my mind that that would have a lovely ring to it.
And then suddenly it _ reminded me there was a song called The Poor People of Paris.
or a tune called The Poor People of Paris.
and I thought, well, _ if, _ _ you know, this situation is not just confined to this city, it's everywhere.
and London, which I know even better, has _ just the same characters.
_ _ in different circumstances, different locations.
so I just started reworking it.
but I have, hand on heart, I don't think it would have been written had I not been here.
and _ certainly the tune was here.
I remember I mentioned earlier about, you know, all the musicians around.
there was a guitar player called Gary Peterson who said to me.
that's such a pretty tune, man, you should write some words to it, you know.
and that's, so it started off [A] about [D] Paris and _ [Am] metamorphosed into London, [C#] you know.
When you wrote it, you were part of an [N] alternative culture.
but the song went on to achieve mass appeal.
[C#] _ How does that make you feel?.
A little bit weird, [G#] actually, yeah.
I would have liked it to have been a bit more left field, you know, [N] than _ that.
but, _ you know, if it is viewed as a pop song, let's hope it's a pop song that makes people have a think.
_ _ because there's a wonderful world of music and words out there that aren't just, _ you know.
what they sound like when you first hear them, they're worth looking at again.
Do you believe the song will outlive you?.
_ _ I think it will, yeah.
I do, I mean, I don't want it to sound vain but I just, you know, people still covering it.
you know, it's still picking up the odd cover version even now.
and I also have the added little pleasure of knowing that the song is actually used as a teaching aid.
not just in schools now but for young guitar players.
You'd be amazed how many rock and roll, hard-bitten rock and rollers come up to you.
You never guess the first tune I ever [G#] learnt to play and I think, oh really?.
Oh, that's quite nice as well.
So _ [G] it seems it's one song fits, seems to fit most [N] _ _ .
purposes somehow.
So _ I'm pretty [D] pleased about that.
_ _ [G] So how can you [F#m] tell me that [D] you're _ low?.
[Bm] _ _ _ _ .
_ [E] And you say, are you that the sun [A] don't [Bm] shine?.
_ _ [A] _ _ .
_ _ [D] Let me take [A] you by the [Bm] hand and lead you through [F#m] the streets of London.
[G] _ _ I'll show you [D] something _ to [A] make you change [D] your mind _ .
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ .
_ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .