Standard (EADGBE)

 The teacher had you write a letter, you were eight years old

 About the man that you'd become and the positions you'd hold

 But this was long before you and Jackie Geronimo met

 In the Prelude Park at midnight

 Now when it came to bells and whistles, Jackie did not lack

 And when she kissed you on the kisser, boy, you kissed her back

 Now you tell her that you love her and she cuts you slack

 When you drink with your buddies on the weekend

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on

  [G/f#]

You spend your whole life dropping nickels in the bucket, Wakin' up at dawn

 And while Jackie bestowed the joys of fingerlickin'

 The clock up on the wall was tickin'

 You got yourself a job cleaning hospital floors

 But Jackie had a baby, then she had five more

 They'd pay you just enough to drag your ass to the store

 To buy bread, milk and Better Homes & Gardens

 Jackie flips the pages and she dreams little dreams

 A cottage in the country built with real wood beams

 There's a baby in the bedroom, he's starting to scream

 She holds him though he probably won't remember

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on

  [G/f#]

Sometimes dreams are all you got to keep you going when the day gets long

 And you gave up so many just to make a livin'

 That clock up on the wall was tickin'

 Now the kids are all grateful when they left the nest

 And Jackie wasn't perfect but she did her best

 You cease the opportunity to get you some rest

 But you can't sleep on account of screaming grandkids

 The golden years are meant to leave a gleam in your eye

 You're starting to discover it's a great big lie

 They work you like a dog til you quit or you die

 But you can't quit cause Jackie needs the benefits

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on

  [G/f#]

They say patience is a virtue but the doctor says she don't have long

 You stood up and tried your damndest not to listen

 But that clock up on the wall was tickin'.

 When they told you to clear the room, that's when it hit you

 You watched as the caravan took your sweetheart away

 The arguments and fights and money troubles seem so worthless

 As the kids throw yellow roses on her grave

And the weeks fly by and the years roll on

  [G/f#]

The house is quiet now and everything inside seems to know she's gone

 There's a picture of you both sixteen years old just kissing

 And that clock up on the wall was tickin'

 You always thought she had a chance and it was somewhere hidden

 Now you've come to the conclusion that she never did

… … … ...

Have a chance, that is...