Life in a Tenement Square

Song

This is one of Flogging Molly's tougher songs. It's only as complicated as you

make it, though. If you have accordion, tin whistle, fiddle, and electric guitar

players, you don't have to play everything I have here. I'm just including all

the parts I was able to figure out, with thanks to my guitar teacher for helping

me with the electric guitar solo.

As usual, ^=bend, /=slide up, \=slide down, h=hammer on, p=pull off.

Flogging Molly

Life in a Tenement Square

Intro: (strum on an acoustic)

Am C D G

Am C E

_________________ ____________________________________________________

| Accordion | |Tin whistle lead: |

e--0-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----3--1--3--1--0------------1---0-1-3---0--0h1p0------------1---0h1p0---
G----------------------2---0h2----------------------0--2---0-2-----------2-

D--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A--------------------------------------------------------------------------

E--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repeat intro chords

Accordion:

e--0------------------------------------------------------------------
B----3-1-3-1-0-1-0-------0-1---0-1-3---1-0---0---0---------1----------
G------------------2---2-------------------0---0---2-----------0---2--

D---------------------------------------------------------------------

A---------------------------------------------------------------------

E---------------------------------------------------------------------

Tin whistle: (with distorted chords)

A5 C5 D5 G5 A5 D5 E5

e--5--7p5----------------------------------------
B---------8---5-----------------------------5----
G---------------7-----7--4h5p4--------5--7-------
D-------------------7----------7--5h7------------

A------------------------------------------------

E------------------------------------------------

A5 C5 D5 G5 A5 C5 G5 A5

e--5---7p5------------------------------------------
B----------8---5------------------------------------
G----------------7-----7---4h5p4---------5--4h5p4---
D--------------------7-----------7---5h7----------7-

A---------------------------------------------------

E---------------------------------------------------

Verse 1:

Am C D G

Well I kissed the day, I was on my way

Am C E

From those cold grey blocks of stone

Am C D G

For seventeen years of squalor filled tears

Am C G Am

A time now with innocence lost

C G

As the sun split the room with its rays filled with gloom

Am E7

Turnin’ all hope to despair

Am C D G

And the only thing left was to flee from the nest

Am C G Am

That was life in a Tenement Square

Interlude:

Am C D G

Am C G Am

Verse 2:

I remember the song where the rats sang along

And danced for their daily bread

While the damp washed the walls that were twenty feet tall

Not a child in the house was fed

On the porter filled face of the men left no trace

Of the coin they had already spent

While our mothers asked God what was Hell ever for

When you lived in a Tenement Square

Bridge:

G Am

Grab what’s left of the coal from the ole cubbyhole

G Am

These cinders need more to be a fire

G Am

While the ghosts of the soldiers that lived there before us

C G Am

Laugh with their guns by their sides

C G Am

I hear them laugh, with their guns by their sides

Solo: (play it messily!)

e-----8---8---10---8\----3---3---5---3-----

B------------------------------------------

G--/9---9---9----9----/4---4---4---4-------

D------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------

E------------------------------------------

e------8----10----11----12----13----14----12----14---

B----------------------------------------------------

G---/9---10----11----12----13----14----12----14------

D----------------------------------------------------

A----------------------------------------------------

E----------------------------------------------------

e--15---15----12-----------8--7--5--8^--8^--5----
B-------13^---10^---8------8--8--5--8^--8^--5----

G------------------------------------------------

D------------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------------

E------------------------------------------------

Verse 3:

Now politicians they dwell in that forgotten Hell

Our misery’s been turned into news

Where the fat of the land now hog, hand in hand

A crime now of life was ever true

As the sun split the room with its rays filled with gloom

Turnin’ all hope to despair

And the only thing left was to flee from the nest

That was life in a Tenement Square

Repeat Accordion/Tin whistle intro

This is still one of my favorite songs ever. Have fun playing it!