G C D C Am D


[Verse]

             G
The teacher had you write a letter, you were eight years old
           C
About the man that you'd become and the positions you'd hold
              D                    C
But this was long before you and Jackie Geronimo met
          Am           D
In the Prelude Park at midnight

            G
Now when it came to bells and whistles, Jackie did not lack
             C
And when she kissed you on the kisser, boy, you kissed her back
        D                                  C
Now you tell her that you love her and she cuts you slack
         Am                             D              C
When you drink with your buddies on the weekend


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on
               G                   G/F#           Em
You spend your whole life dropping nickels in the bucket
       D      C
Wakin' up at dawn
          Am                  B             Em           D C
And while Jackie bestowed the joys of fingerlickin'
    D                        C        C/B C/A G
The clock up on the wall was tickin'


[Verse]

     G
You got yourself a job cleaning hospital floors
     C
But Jackie had a baby, then she had five more
       D                      C
They'd pay you just enough to drag your ass to the store
       Am                             D
To buy bread, milk and Better Homes & Gardens

G
Jackie flips the pages and she dreams little dreams
  C
A cottage in the country built with real wood beams
          D                         C
There's a baby in the bedroom, he's starting to scream
    Am                              D
She holds him though he probably won't remember


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on
          G                  G/F#            Em             D        C
Sometimes dreams are all you got to keep you going when the day gets long
        Am              B             Em        D C
And you gave up so many just to make a livin'
    D                        C        C/B C/A G
The clock up on the wall was tickin'


[Verse]

     G
Now the kids are all grateful when they left the nest
     C
And Jackie wasn't perfect but she did her best
    D                        C
You cease the opportunity to get you some rest
        Am                                   D
But you can't sleep on account of screaming grandkids

    G
The golden years are meant to leave a gleam in your eye
       C
You're starting to discover it's a great big lie
     D                           C
They work you like a dog til you quit or you die
        Am                                D
But you can't quit cause Jackie needs the benefits


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on
         G             G/F#           Em              D         C
They say patience is a virtue but the doctor says she don't have long
    Am                      B                 Em     D   C
You stood up and tried your damndest not to listen
         D                          C      C/B C/A G
But the clock up on the wall was tickin'


[Stick]

          G                                          C
When they told you to clear the room, that's when it hit you
    G                                           D
You watched as the caravan took your sweetheart away
    G                                               C
The arguments and fights and money troubles seem so worthless
        G                D            G
As the kids throw yellow roses on her grave


[Chorus]

C                            D
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on
             G             G/F#       Em                 D          C
The house is quiet now and everything inside it seems to know she's gone
          Am                   B                       Em          D  C
There's a picture of you both sixteen years old just kissing
        D                           C        C/B C/A G
And that clock up on the wall was tickin'

G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D


[Outro]

           G
You always thought she had a chance and it was somewhere hidden
           C                                     D     C
Now you've come to the conclusion that she never did
Am                  D
Have a chance, that is

G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D
G C D C Am D