Transposing and reworking for the Redgum version by Jonas Beard 
 
(Originally transcribed by Damian Rossi for Cold Chisel version) 
 
The whole song has a beautiful picking pattern that is just too time consuming to work out.  
So just ad lib. 
 
INTRO: 
 
Bb  I  Eb  I (x3) 
 
Bb  I  Cm  I  Cm 
 
VERSE 1: 
	 Bb 
Working hard to make a living. 
	  Eb 
Bringing shelter from the rain. 
  Cm			Gm 
A father's son left to carry on. 
      Eb		   Bb 
Blue denim in his veins. 
Eb F			  Bb 
Woah he's a working class man. 
 
 
VERSE 2: 
	Bb 
He's a steel town deciple. 
	Eb 
He's a legend of his time. 
      Cm	     Gm 
He blew in like cyclone  
	Eb		Bb 
Organized the picket line. 
Eb F			  Bb 
Woah he's a working class man. 
Eb F			  Bb 
Woah he's a working class man. 
 
BRIDGE: 
 
     Eb		       Bb  
He believes in God and Elvis. 
   Eb		    Bb 
He gets out when he can. 
   Eb		   Bb 
He did his time in Vietnam, 
      Gm	   Bb 
still mad at Uncle Sam. 
       Eb		 F 
He's a simple man with a heart of gold 
     Dm	 Eb 
in a complicated land. 
 
Gm	   F	 	 Bb 
Oh, He's a working class man 
Gm	   F	 	 Bb 
Oh, He's a working class man 
 
{Guitar solo} 
 
	Bb 
They?re in love, he and the woman, 
      Eb 
One day they?ll share their lives. 
Cm		Gm 
He?s saving all his overtime, 
	Eb		Bb 
for the one love of his life. 
	 Bb 
He?s not worried about tomorrow, 
	   Eb 
because he just made up his mind. 
Cm		     Gm 
See life's too short for burning bridges, 
	Eb	     Bb 
take it one day at a time. 
 
Eb F			  Gm 
Woah he's a working class man 
Eb F			  Bb 
Woah he's a working class man 
    
{Guitar solo} 
 
	 Bb 
He works hard to make a living. 
	  Eb 
bringing shelter from the rain. 
  Cm			Gm 
A father's son left to carry on. 
      Eb		   Bb 
Blue denim in his veins. 
	 Bb 
He?s not worried about tomorrow, 
	   Eb 
because he just made up his mind. 
Cm		     Gm 
See life's too short for burning bridges, 
	Eb	     Bb 
take it one day at a time. 
 
 
Eb F			  Gm 
Woah he's a working class man (x4 and finish on the Gm)