Intro: 

G D G C 
C D C D 
G D G C 
C G D G 


G            D              G         C 
Brother, you know we're all in this alone, 
     C            D          C             D 
Take what you can get, break all but your bones 
               G      D              G             C      
And when they finally ask you "well, what have you done?" 
     C          G            D             G 
Say "life is a game and I've won, yes I've won. 
     C         D             G    
Say "life is a game and I've won!" 

G D 

             G         D              G              C  
You gave the asphalt a heave and then looked back at me, 
      C         D             C            D 
Said "that is a word from the wise ones indeed" 
            G              D         G         C 
When you've been here this long, one day you belong 
    C            G         D               G 
One day you wake up and forget what seemed wrong. 
        G            D            G              D 
And the first day of May, well it quietly passed by, 
        G            C             D  
And the bosses still reign five to nine. 
        G            D               G            C 
And you curse when I say words like "living" and "wage" 
         C         G           D              G 
You say "I made my house outta mud, so should they. 
        G             D             G 
Now the ball field is level, let's play!" 


  G            D            G              C 
I think of the bullets, the blood, and the rage 
     C                D           C          D 
That went in there to stir up the eight hour day 
          G            D                G           C 
Seems the masters have found themselves new rats to cage 
        C           D        G 
And the price for a union is great 

          G          D             G             C 
Well they gave her a raise so they raised up her rent 
          C          D               C            D 
She says "I'll never burst from this box that I'm in!" 
          G             D             G           C 
But she's too scared to talk, to step off the sidewalk, 
       C             G          D            G 
So she shrugs it all off as the luck of the draw 

        G         D               G                C 
And the labor you cry that's been robbed from your kind 
      C                      D 
With dirt on your hands and sweat in your eyes 
       G         D          G- 
If the fortunate son really wants to eat dust, 
         C                   G.              D 
Well I'm sure there's a good chance he'll be hired 
          G       C      G       C              D 
There's a million stories of the crimes left to rot 
      G           C       G         C            D 
But I never will raise as long as I sleep on the job 
                  G            D               G        C 
Oh yeah, you say "brother, you know, we're all in this alone 
     C            D           C            D 
Take what you can get, break all but your bones 
               G      D           G              C 
And when they finally ask us well what have you done?" 
     C         D            G   
Say "life is a game and I'm done!"