[Verso 1]
 

Bm 
I learned in school 
F#m 
That I was mad if they were sane, you see 
G                   D 
They had to beat me black and blue 
 Am                    F# 
They said it hurt them more than me 
Bm                         F# 
But I learned who were my enemies 
F#m                       G 
And I learned who were my friends 
                  D 
I learned to read between the lines 
Gm 
When I was 10 

Instrumental 

G D A 

G  D                          G 
I'd do anything to get out of school 
D                        G 
Away from the teacher's stick 
    D 
To shoot streetlamps with my slingshot 
 Em                      G 
Smoke cigarettes and get sick 
      D         G 
Steal apples in September 
  D                    G 
Fight shadows in green June 
        D 
Or just sit and smell the burning leaves 
   Em                G 
Of an autumns's afternoon 
               D 
An autumns's afternoon 


[Verso 2]


Bm 
Once I met a mad girl 
F#m                             Am 
As she came hopping through the furze 
G                          D 
Her clothes all stuck with fluff and stuff 
Am                 F# 
Bearded barley and bristly burrs 
Bm                       F# 
And I was high among the branches green 
F#m                     G 
And she hadn't seen me there 
                              D 
As she went shuffling with her shadow 
Gm 
And snatching at the air 

Instrumental 

G D A 

G       D   G 
Wild weeds, wilting 
D                      G 
Were twined all in her curls 
 D                      A 
And I could tell by her mad blue eyes 
 Em            G 
She was a mad girl 
D                   G 
She was thin as any sparrow 
D                   G 
Her song it had no tune 
      D                          G 
Just scuffling through the piney glades 
 Em             G 
Of a summer's afternoon 
                D 
Of a summer's afternoon 


[Verso 3]


Bm                      F# 
I came dropping through the branches down 
 F#m                              Am 
She started round in surprise and fear 
G                                D 
I don't know what I had to say to her 
 Am                       F# 
But something I knew she had to hear 
Bm            F# 
She picked up a piece of flint 
 F#m                      Am 
Drew back her arm and she flung it high 
  G                  D 
Not a bad throw that cut my cheek 
Gm 
Just below the eye 

Instrumental 

G D A 

Outro 

D         G 
Mad girl, mad girl 
D              G 
Before you ran away 
                  D 
I knew you were as mad as me 
Em                     G 
And as sane as a summer's day 
D    G 
Mad girl 
D                  G 
We both were wrong again 
D                  G 
You took me for an enemy 
Em                  G 
And I took you for a friend 
                 D 
I took you for a friend 

D