Kinky's History Lesson chords by
The Waterboys

N/A•

Key: C major•

Verse 1

G

G

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Fm

Fm

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C

C

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Am

Am

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G

G

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C

C

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Dear Kinky Friedman,

Fm

Fm

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I read what you wrote

C

C

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G

G

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C

C

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Neville Chamberlain surrender monkeys - yup,

G

G

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that was your quote

Fm

Fm

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Well, we all say stupid things sometimes,

C

C

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Fm

Fm

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so here with my blessing

C

C

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Kinky Friedman,

G

G

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this is your history lesson

C

C

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Verse 2

Am

Am

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C

C

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G

G

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Chamberlain declared war on

C

C

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the 3rd of September

G

G

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The US wasn't involved,

C

C

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G

G

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as I remember

Fm

Fm

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And after Poland fell,

C

C

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Fm

Fm

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then Belgium and France

C

C

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G

G

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Britain stood alone

with barely a chance

C

C

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Verse 3

We faced Hitler down,

E

E

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B

B

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E

E

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Am

Am

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he unleashed the blitz

E

E

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A hundred nine elevens

Am

Am

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that left London in bit s

F

F

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But we never caved in,

C

C

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Fm

Fm

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Britain never surrendered

C

C

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No petition for peace, Kinky,

G

G

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was ever fuckin' tendered

C

C

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Verse 4

F

F

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Oh, Kinky Friedman

C

C

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Dude, quit your messin'

G

G

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And listen up good

This is your history lesson

C

C

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Verse 5

Am

Am

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C

C

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Fm

Fm

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Roosevelt helped us

C

C

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with armaments and food

His vision was sure and his

G

G

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policy good

Fm

Fm

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He'd have brought the USA

C

C

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Fm

Fm

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into the war on our side

C

C

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G

G

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But the isolationists had

both his hands tied

C

C

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Verse 6

E

E

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Stay out, stay out was your

public's demand

Am

Am

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E

E

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Till Japan hit Pearl Harbour

Am

Am

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and that forced your hand

F

F

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Then your boys fought like lions

C

C

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Fm

Fm

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but so the hell did ours

C

C

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And only an as shole, Kinky,

G

G

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C

C

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could call the British cowards

Verse 7

F

F

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Oh, Kinky Friedman

C

C

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Take some quiet time processing

G

G

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These words of mine

C

C

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Your history lesson

Verse 8

Fm

Fm

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And here's a casualty count for you to muse upon,

C

C

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man

Military personnel and civilians

G

G

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Killed in the theatre of World

C

C

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War two

USA: four hundred and nineteen

Fm

Fm

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thousand and four hundred

C

C

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Great Britain: four hundred and fifty

G

G

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thousand and nine hundred

And just to keep perspective

C

C

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USSR: twenty- seven million...

Fm

Fm

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or thereabouts

Verse 9

C

C

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Yeah, war is no joke

F

F

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G

G

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And my friend you misspoke

C

C

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Or so I'm guessin'

F

F

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But take this well, buddy

C

C

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And may it ease your soul

G

G

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Kinky Friedman this has been

Your history lesson

C

C

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F

F

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C

C

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 7 Strings

B ₁

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 12 stringStandard

E ₃

E ₂

A ₃

A ₂

D ₄

D ₃

G ₄

G ₃

B ₃

B ₃

E ₄

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 6 stringPower

Guitar Tuner 6 stringOpen

Guitar Tuner 6 stringExtras

G ₄

C ₄

E ₄

A ₄

CavaquinhoStandard

D ₄

G ₄

B ₄

D ₅

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

Bass Tuner 5 Strings

B ₀

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

C ₂

G ₂

D ₃

A ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

G ₃

G ₃

D ₄

D ₄

A ₄

A ₄

E ₅

E ₅

Balalaika Tuner

E ₄

E ₄

A ₄

G ₄

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

D ₄

Banjo Tuner 4 Strings

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 7 Strings

B ₁

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 12 stringStandard

E ₃

E ₂

A ₃

A ₂

D ₄

D ₃

G ₄

G ₃

B ₃

B ₃

E ₄

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 6 stringPower

Guitar Tuner 6 stringOpen

Guitar Tuner 6 stringExtras

G ₄

C ₄

E ₄

A ₄

CavaquinhoStandard

D ₄

G ₄

B ₄

D ₅

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

Bass Tuner 5 Strings

B ₀

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

C ₂

G ₂

D ₃

A ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

G ₃

G ₃

D ₄

D ₄

A ₄

A ₄

E ₅

E ₅

Balalaika Tuner

E ₄

E ₄

A ₄

G ₄

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

D ₄

Banjo Tuner 4 Strings

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

Chords

G
Fm
C
Am
E
B
F

Capo: 0

Transpose: 0

0

Autoscroll20%

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of Kinky's History Lesson by The Waterboys is C major.

The primary chords used in Kinky's History Lesson are G, Fm, C, Am, E, B.

No capo is required for this song.

Yes, this version uses open chords like G, Fm, C, Am, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of Kinky's History Lesson is approximately 100 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of Kinky's History Lesson using our Transpose button located in the toolbar. This will automatically update all chord diagrams on the page to match your new key.

Yes! Click the Print icon to generate a clean, one-page version of the chords and lyrics for Kinky's History Lesson. This is perfect for practicing offline or adding to a physical songbook.

Yes, we have integrated a Mini-Tuner directly on this page. Use it to quickly check your string pitch (Standard Tuning: E A D G B E) before you start playing along with The Waterboys.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add Kinky's History Lesson to your account. You can access all your saved songs under My Library at any time.

You can view the full chord sheet and lyrics for Kinky's History Lesson by The Waterboys on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.