[Verso 1]

 
A 
While stopping one innocent afternoon 
              E7 
For paper and magazines 
                             E 
My attention was drawn to a riot of color 
                        A 
The loveliest I've ever seen 
A 
All in the shape of a plastic cube 
A7                 D 
Red and yellow and blue 
D                              A 
 How lovely,  I cried,  What a clever design! 
       E7                        A 
Great  tell me sir, what does it do? 


[Verso 2]


A 
 That's easy,  he said as he handled my cash 
                               E7 
And he dropped the cube into a sack 
E 
 Some of the colors you twist left or right 
E7                           A 
Some you twist forward, some back 
A                                    A7 
Before very long if you're clever at this 
                               D 
You've got all the colors the same 
D                               A 
And then if you like, you start over again 
         E7                  A 
For it's fun and it's only a game. 


[Refrão]


A 
 Only a game, only a game. 
                       E7 
I'm muttering under my breath 
E 
 Only a game, only a game 
                   A 
Like dying is only death! 
A 
I talk to myself as I walk down the street 
                                  D 
Till old friends all cry,  What a shame! 
                                 A 
For he used to say 'Hello!' and 'How do you do?' 
       A7           E7     A 
All he says now is 'Only a game'! 


[Verso 3]


A 
That night after dinner, I settled myself 
                       E7 
Planning to watch some TV 
E 
Safe in the warmth of my favorite chair 
                     A 
And the bosom of my family 
A 
Basking in fellowship, brimful of cheer 
                              D 
I bade my child,  Turn on the tube! 
                         A 
And as I was watching my favorite show 
   E7                      A 
I carelessly picked up the cube 


[Verso 4]

 
A 
I twiddled it this way, I twiddled it that 
                              E 
 Haha!  I exclaimed,  This is strange! 
E7 
No matter how often I twiddle this cube 
                                A 
The blasted thing don't seem to change! 
A 
I felt myself growing the slightest bit warm 
                             D 
As I twisted and whirled and spun 
                                 A 
They tell me they found me there early next morn 
A7     E7                        A 
I was screaming,  By God, nearly done! 


[Refrão]


A 
 For it's only a game, only a game. 
                       E7 
I'm muttering under my breath 
E 
 Only a game, only a game 
                   A 
Like dying is only death! 
A 
I talk to myself as I walk down the street 
                     A7           D 
Till old friends all cry,  What a shame! 
                                 A 
For he used to say 'Hello!' and 'How do you do?' 
       E7                   A 
All he says now is 'Only a game'! 


[Verso 5]


A 
Somehow I got dressed and they drove me to work 
                         E7 
And I slowly came out my haze 
E 
By a fierce act of will, I sat down to my tasks - 
                                   A7 
There was talk I might soon earn a raise 
A 
The boss called me into his office at ten 
                                  D 
And he said to me,  Glad that you came! 
                                A 
For I'm thinking of adding this toy to our line 
         E7                  A 
For it's fun and it's only a game! 


[Verso 6]


A 
Well, I don't know what happened – 
A 
I don't want to know 
                         E7 
I'll have all my life to repent 
E 
They say I did something with that little cube 
                             A 
That the boss was obliged to resent 
A 
And now I get visitors here in my room 
                                    D 
And they murmur,  Poor man, what a shame! 
D 
For he's twisting his ears 
          A 
and he's twiddling his nose 
        E7                  A 
And he tells us it's only a game! 

Outro 

A 
 Only a game, only a game. 
                       E7 
I'm muttering under my breath 
E 
 Only a game, only a game 
                   A 
Like dying is only death! 
A 
I talk to myself as I walk down the street 
                                  D 
Till old friends all cry,  What a shame! 
                                 A 
For he used to say 'Hello!' and 'How do you do?' 
       A7           E7     A 
All he says now is 'Only a game'!