The Short Answer chords by Billy Bragg

SimplifiedD · A · Bm · G · Em …

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D
A
Bm
G
Em
Asus4

Intro 1

Verse 1
D 
Between  (D major) Marx
A 
Bm 
A 
D 
A 
D 
and  (A major) mar (B minor) zipan in the  (A major) diction (D major) ary  (A major) there was Mary  (D major) 
A 
D 
Bm 
 (A major) Between  (D major) the Deep Blue  (B minor) Sea
A 
D 
A 
D 
G 
 (A major) and the Dev (D major) il  (A major) that was me  (D major)  (G major) 
A 
G 
D 
If ever  (A major) anyone could help  (G major) me  (D major) with
G 
D 
my  (G major) obsession  (D major) with
G 
A 
The young  (G major)  (A major) Suzannah York
It was Mary

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Verse 2
D 
Bm 
A 
D 
A 
D 
A 
In  (D major)  (B minor)  (A major)  (D major)  (A major)  (D major) my pink pa (A major) jamas
Bm 
A 
D 
 (B minor) she  (A major) asked me  (D major) for something
A 
D 
 (A major) I  gave her the short  (D major) answer
A 
D 
A 
Bm 
 (A major) She  (D major) read our stars  (A major) out loud  (B minor) 
A 
D 
 (A major) And I knew then  (D major) that we should
G 
have gone sailing  (G major) 
A 
But we stayed  (A major) home instead
G 
D 
G 
D 
 (G major) Fight (D major) ing on the wa (G major) ter bed  (D major) 
G 
D 
A 
Like the honeymoon  (G major) couple  (D major) on  (A major) drugs

Interlude 1

Me and Mary

Verse 3
D 
A 
Bm 
 (D major) What happened  (A major) in the  (B minor) past
A 
D 
A 
D 
Re (A major) mained a mys (D major) tery of  (A major) natural his (D major) tory
A 
D 
A 
Bm 
 (A major) She  (D major) should have  (A major) been the  (B minor) last
A 
D 
A 
D 
But she was  (A major) just the latest  (D major)  (A major)  (D major) 
G 
A 
If she  (G major) wanted to be a farmer's  (A major) wife
D 
G 
D 
I  (D major) would endure that  (G major) muddy  (D major) life
G 
D 
A 
I would  (G major) dig for vic (D major) tory  (A major) 

Verse 4
A 
Bm 
 (A major) And the sound  (B minor) of happy couples
A 
D 
Coupling  (A major) happily in  (D major) the dark
While you and I sat down to tea
I remember you said to me
Bm 
That  (B minor) no  amount of poetry
D 
Would mend  (D major) this broken heart
Em 
G 
But  (E minor) you can put the Hoover  (G major) round
Em 
If you  (E minor) want to make a start

Interlude 2

Verse 5
D 
Bm 
 (D major) All my friends from school  (B minor) 
D 
A 
D 
 (D major) Introduce me  (A major) to their spouses  (D major) 
A 
Bm 
While I'm left standing  (A major)  (B minor) here
A 
D 
 (A major) With my hand (D major) s  down
the front of my trousers
G 
A 
 (G major) I just don't know what's  (A major) to be done
G 
D 
I won (G major) der some (D major) times how
G 
D 
 (G major) did Dad meet Mum  (D major) 
G 
A 
And  (G major) how did they conceive of  (A major) me
D 
Tell my Mary  (D major) 

Verse 6
Bm 
A 
D 
The  (B minor)  (A major)  (D major) boys who
Bm 
came to the  (B minor) shop
A 
Always  (A major) made her laugh
D 
A 
D 
 (D major) much  (A major) more than I  (D major) did
A 
D 
A 
Bm 
 (A major) When  (D major) I  told her  (A major) this must  (B minor) stop
A 
D 
A 
D 
She didn't  (A major) bat an eye (D major) lid  (A major)  (D major) 
G 
She said  (G major) you know honey
A 
it's such  (A major) a shame
G 
D 
You'll never  (G major)  (D major) be any good at this game
G 
A 
You bruise  (G major) too eas (A major) ily
So said Mary
D 
Bm 
A 
D 
 (D major)  (B minor)  (A major)  (D major) 

Verse 7
A 
Bm 
Her two brothers  (A major) took me out (B minor) 
A 
D 
A 
D 
Of circula (A major) tion  (D major) for  (A major) the duration  (D major) 
A 
D 
A 
Bm 
 (A major) So  (D major) we went our sep (A major) arate  (B minor) ways
A 
D 
but  (A major) does she still love  (D major) me
She still has my door key
G 
A 
Like a bully  (G major) boy in a  (A major) Benetton shop
G 
D 
 (G major) You're  (D major) never happy
G 
D 
 (G major) with what you've got  (D major) 
G 
Till  (G major) what you've got is
A 
Asus4 
A 
 (A major) gone  (Asus4)  (A major) 