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What's he building chords by
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
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Key: F# minor•
Verse 1
F#
F#
2

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Em
Em

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Am
Am

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F
F

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What's he building
Am
Am

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C
C

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in there?
Em
Em

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E
E

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Em
Em

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What the hell is he building in there?
B
B
2

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F
F

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He has subscriptions to
C
C

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those magazines
F
F

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B
B
2

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He never waves when he goes by
C
C

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And he's hid
Verse 2
Em
Em

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ing something from the
E
E

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Em
Em

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rest of us
F
F

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He's all to himself,
B
B
2

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E
E

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B
B
2

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Em
Em

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I think I know why
B
B
2

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He took down the tire- swing

from the pepper tree
E
E

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He has no children of his own, you see
Em
Em

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C
C

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Em
Em

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Am
Am

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He has no dog, he has no friends
Verse 3


B
B
2

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And his lawn is dying
Am
Am

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D
D

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C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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And what about those packages
C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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he send s?
C#m
C#m
4

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What's he build ing in there?
Verse 4
Em
Em

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C#
C#
4

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With that hook

light on the stairs
B
B
2

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C#
C#
4

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What's he building in there?
B
B
2

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I'll tell you one thing,
Em
Em

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he's not building a playhouse for the children
C#m
C#m
4

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What's he building in there?
Em
Em

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B
B
2

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Em
Em

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E
E

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Now what's that sound from underneath the door?
Verse 5
B
B
2

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He's pounding nails

into a hardwood floor

And I swear to God I heard
C#
C#
4

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C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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someone moaning low
E
E

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And I keep seeing the blue light
B
B
2

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E
E

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C#m
C#m
4

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of a TV show
A
A

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He has a router
Verse 6
C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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and a table saw
C#m
C#m
4

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F#
F#
2

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C#m
C#m
4

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And you won't believe what Mr.
Em
Em

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Sticha saw
C#m
C#m
4

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There's poison underneath the sink,
Em
Em

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D#
D#
6

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of course
Em
Em

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There's also enough formaldehyde
B
B
2

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Em
Em

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to choke a horse
D#
D#
6

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Em
Em

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What's he building in there?
Verse 7

E
E

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C#m
C#m
4

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What the hell is he building in there?
D
D

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Em
Em

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Am
Am

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I heard he has an ex- wife in some place called
Em
Em

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Mayor's Income, Tennessee
E
E

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C#m
C#m
4

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And he used to have a consulting busi
C
C

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Am
Am

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Em
Em

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C
C

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ness in Indonesia
Em
Em

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But what's he building in there?
Verse 8
B
B
2

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C#m
C#m
4

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Gm
Gm
3

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Em
Em

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He has no friends but he
C#m
C#m
4

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C
C

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get s a lot of mail
Em
Em

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C
C

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Em
Em

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C#m
C#m
4

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I bet he spent a little time in jail
D
D

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I heard he was up on the roof last night,
Em
Em

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C#m
C#m
4

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signaling with a flashlight
Verse 9
C#m
C#m
4

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And what's that tune he's al
F#
F#
2

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Em
Em

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ways whistling?
E
E

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C#m
C#m
4

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What's he building in there?
Em
Em

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What's he building in there?
C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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We have a right to know
C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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C#m
C#m
4

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C#m
C#m
4

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C#
C#
4

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C#m
C#m
4

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C#m
C#m
4

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner
Chords

  • F#

    2

  • Em

  • Am

  • F

  • C

  • E

  • B

    2

  • D

  • C#m

    4

  • C#

    4

  • A

  • D#

    6

  • Gm

    3

Capo: 2

Transpose: 0

0

Autoscroll20%

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of What's he building by Tom waits is F# minor.

The primary chords used in What's he building are G#, F#m, Bm, G, D, F#.

To play in the original key, place your capo on the 2 fret.

Yes, this version uses open chords like G#, F#m, Bm, G, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of What's he building is approximately 37 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of What's he building 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 What's he building. 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 Tom waits.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add What's he building 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 What's he building by Tom waits on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.