Intro G G D D
[G]I was at that smart-ass time of my life
[G]Where Id pick a fight just to pick a fight
[D]If he said black, I said white
[D]If he took one side I took the other side
[G]The dinner table we sat around
[G]Was more like a battleground
[D]And I lost more times than I won
[D]I woulda learned later on
[Bm]That he was always [G]preachin bout his [A]past
[Bm]I just kept [G]screamin Come on, [A]Dad!
[D]That was twenty years ago
You dont know me at [Em]all!
Tryin to talk to [G]you is like talkin to the [A]wall
Yeah, you gave me my [D]life, but its my life to [Em]live
Maybe I dont [D/F#]wanna live it like you did[G], Twenty years ago
[G]He was built with blue collar sweat and blood
[G]Squared jaw and a crew cut
[D]A purple heart, a Viet Vet.
[D]He'd tell you every chance he'd get
[G]Always runnin down my rock n' roll,
[G]My friends, my hair, my clothes
[D]But one night it got out of control
[D]And right there we came to blows
[Bm]And that was just [G]enough to get me [A]gone
[Bm]I couldn't [G]wait to prove him [A]wrong!
[D]Twenty years ago
Struck out on my [Em]own
Couldn't tell me [G]nothin
That I didnt already [A]know
I was on my [D]way
So what the hell did [Em]I care
About my old man and his [D/F#]gray hair
Thought about the road I [G]chose
[A]Twenty years [Em]ago[Bm][Em][Bm]
(Bridge spoken, Fingerpicked)
[Em]"Well I left as fast as the leaves fell that autumn
[Bm]I never looked back and I never once called him
[Em]but every time I talked to momma
I wondered if he was [Bm]there, or if he even cared
[Em]I figured I walked out of him and the course of our love had run
[Bm]momma said 'no, no, you listen to me son, hes a s[Em]tubborn man and he
won't give in.
He [Bm]believes what he believes, well youre just like him'
[G]Well I could tell by her voice there was something wrong
she broke down, and said he aint got long
So I caught the next plane home,
thought about all the years gone
Had my pride that I let so much time go by
[Em]I ran up those stairs and [Em7]stood by his bed
and I cried"
[D]Twenty years ago
Thought I knew it [Em]all
but tryin to talk t[G]o me
was like talkin to a [A]wall
I thought I was a [D]man
Actin like I [Em]did
but all I want right [D/F#]now
Is just to be your [G]kid
[G]Just before my [D/F#]dad gave up the [G]ghost
He took my hand and said [D/F#]"son let it [G]go, that was twenty years ago"
Twenty years ago
[G]I was at that smart-ass time of my life
[G]Where Id pick a fight just to pick a fight
[D]If he said black, I said white
[D]If he took one side I took the other side
[G]The dinner table we sat around
[G]Was more like a battleground
[D]And I lost more times than I won
[D]I woulda learned later on
[Bm]That he was always [G]preachin bout his [A]past
[Bm]I just kept [G]screamin Come on, [A]Dad!
[D]That was twenty years ago
You dont know me at [Em]all!
Tryin to talk to [G]you is like talkin to the [A]wall
Yeah, you gave me my [D]life, but its my life to [Em]live
Maybe I dont [D/F#]wanna live it like you did[G], Twenty years ago
[G]He was built with blue collar sweat and blood
[G]Squared jaw and a crew cut
[D]A purple heart, a Viet Vet.
[D]He'd tell you every chance he'd get
[G]Always runnin down my rock n' roll,
[G]My friends, my hair, my clothes
[D]But one night it got out of control
[D]And right there we came to blows
[Bm]And that was just [G]enough to get me [A]gone
[Bm]I couldn't [G]wait to prove him [A]wrong!
[D]Twenty years ago
Struck out on my [Em]own
Couldn't tell me [G]nothin
That I didnt already [A]know
I was on my [D]way
So what the hell did [Em]I care
About my old man and his [D/F#]gray hair
Thought about the road I [G]chose
[A]Twenty years [Em]ago[Bm][Em][Bm]
(Bridge spoken, Fingerpicked)
[Em]"Well I left as fast as the leaves fell that autumn
[Bm]I never looked back and I never once called him
[Em]but every time I talked to momma
I wondered if he was [Bm]there, or if he even cared
[Em]I figured I walked out of him and the course of our love had run
[Bm]momma said 'no, no, you listen to me son, hes a s[Em]tubborn man and he
won't give in.
He [Bm]believes what he believes, well youre just like him'
[G]Well I could tell by her voice there was something wrong
she broke down, and said he aint got long
So I caught the next plane home,
thought about all the years gone
Had my pride that I let so much time go by
[Em]I ran up those stairs and [Em7]stood by his bed
and I cried"
[D]Twenty years ago
Thought I knew it [Em]all
but tryin to talk t[G]o me
was like talkin to a [A]wall
I thought I was a [D]man
Actin like I [Em]did
but all I want right [D/F#]now
Is just to be your [G]kid
[G]Just before my [D/F#]dad gave up the [G]ghost
He took my hand and said [D/F#]"son let it [G]go, that was twenty years ago"
Twenty years ago
