D 
He sat down, picked up the phone 
            Bm 
 And said, "Boy, I'm your old man" 
    A 
 He touched the glass between the two 
    Bm 
 As if to shake his hand 

    D 
The boy, he didn't budge 
          Bm 
 Not even so much as a blink 
     A 
 The man said, "Oh, come on 
                 Bm                      A 
 Better late than never, don't you think?" 

            D 
He said, "I read it in the paper 
       Bm 
 Can't believe you're 21 
       A 
 Can't believe some son of mine 
            Bm 
 Could do the things I hear you've done" 

       D 
He went on like some big hero 
         Bm 
 Who flew in to save the day 
        A 
 And the boy said, "If you're here 
            Bm                         A 
 To steer me right, man, it's too late" 


             D 
"You had to be there 
        A 
 And I'm talkin' from day one 
           Bm          A 
 That's the only time a man should talk 
         G                 A 
 Through glass to his new son" 
                  D 
"And you'd have to go back 
             A 
 And teach me how when I was nine 
          Bm             A 
 'Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball 
       G                  A 
 Even if she had the time" 
                        Em 
"And I should have been learnin' how to fish 
            F#m 
 Instead of learnin' how to smoke 
          G 
 I bet if you'd have whooped my tail 
           F#m 
 I'd never thought it was a joke" 
         Em 
He said, "Sometimes the will 
                    F#m 
 For doin' wrong is way too strong 
          A 
 For any Mama's prayers 
            D 
 You had to be there" 


    D 
The man said, "Boy, I'm sorry 
          Bm 
 That you hate me like you do" 
     A 
 The boy said, "Dry it up, man 
         Bm                     A 
 We ain't makin' this about you" 
              D 
"It's about a teenage girl against the world 
          Bm 
 Who was left there high and dry 
        A 
 About a kid who might have stood 
            Bm                   A 
 A whole lot better shot at life" 

             D 
"You had to be there 
        A 
 And I'm talkin' from day one 
           Bm          A 
 That's the only time a man should talk 
         G                 A 
 Through glass to his new son" 
                  D 
"And you'd have to go back 
             A 
 And teach me how when I was nine 
          Bm             A 
 'Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball 
       G                  A 
 Even if she had the time" 
                        Em 
"And I should have been learnin' how to fish 
            F#m 
 Instead of learnin' how to smoke 
          G 
 I bet if you'd have whooped my tail 
           F#m 
 I'd never thought it was a joke" 
         Em 
He said, "Sometimes the will 
                    F#m 
 For doin' wrong is way too strong 
          A 
 For any Mama's prayers 
            D 
 You had to be there" 


  D 
Before the boy hung up the phone 
          Bm 
 He said, "They say I'm out of time" 
        A 
 And it hit the man right there and then 
    Bm                 D 
 "My God, son, so am I"