Allentown by Billy Joel
3x
Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms - Standing in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance, Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown
But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay
–
Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard , If we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke - And chromium steel
And we're waiting here in Allentown
But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away
Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that
Place
They threw an American flag in our face
Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be getting up today - ay - ay
SOLO> (4x)
And it's getting very hard to stay
And we're living here in Allentown
The D Chord is often lifted and dropped on the E string.
The F-G-A# part is played by sliding the F up the bridge.
Submitted by David Whitney