E         
           Oh great

[Verse]
B7                                                          E
Granddaddy walked a-long the street with a ball and chain a-round his feet and
B7                                                                 E              
That's the way they'd like to see me walk just to give the toffs a chance to talk  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh the

[Verse]
B7                                                    E
Beer's gone up in the public bar and I can't afford a motor car but I
B7                                                      E              
Keep six bottles in the fridge and I pay no toll on the harbour bridge  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh there's

[Verse]
B7                                               E              
Rubbish on the T V screens too many nines on the poker machines  so for
B7                                              E          
Entertainment I go for Aust-ralian songs at the Troupedour  and the
E              
Chevron Hilton  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh if you

[Verse]
B7                                                        E              
Want to see one hell of a fuss take a peak hour ride on a government bus  well it
B7                                                                    E             
Doesn't matter if you're sick or dying you mustn't get off before the sit down sign  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        now if you're

[Verse]
B7                                                    E             
Having trouble learning guitar I've found the easiest method by far  just
B7                                          E         
Sit at home all alone and learn to play the saxophone
B7               
  No strings at-tached yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh have you

[Verse]
B7                                                E             
Heard about Oz magazine con-victed on a charge of being obscene  seems
B7                                                        E            
You're not allowed to satirise if you tell the truth they call it lies  tell a
B7                                                             E
Few home truths on the Palm Beach scene it's not sedition it's just unclean and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E                   
Out of breath        oh they

[Verse]
B7                                                      E                 
All throw heads when I bank tails and I got no dough to bank on the Wales  but
B7                                                         E            
I'll get a job that'll suit me fine on the Eastern Suburbs railway line  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E           
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town
E                                                            
Seems like we  lost the har-monica player there somewhere     oh the

[Verse]
B7                                           E
Funniest woman I ever had made me happy then made me sad she
B7                                                      E              
Swore our love would never end then went and married my ex best friend  yeah and the

CHORUS: (with harmonica)
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney
E                                 
There he is isn't he lovely        oh I

[Verse]
B7                                                       E                  
Went to the cross to get some sex the woman said sorry I don't take cheques  I said
B7                                                   E
That's all right as I closed my book truth is I only came to look and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh they

[Verse]
B7                                        E                  
Asked me on a T V show to sing a song the viewers would know  I re-
B7                                                                   E            
hearsed where have all the flowers gone they said cut a verse it's a bit too long  I ex-
B7                                                                      E
plained the song had a message to tell they said we've got a new toilet tissue to sell but the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        oh

[Verse]
B7                                                            E             
Late last night the phone wouldn't stop it was Mister Menzies calling me up  he said
B7                                                                                              E    
My friend Gary what do we need to make the country grow I said my friend Bob the Mavis Bramston show
E                      
  Les Miller's ban-jo
E                      
  Patter-son's ban-jo
E                    
  A coca cola yo-yo
E                                   
     Rin-so to keep Australia white
E                                          
   Marlboro   filter flavour flip top box oh what do we
E                                                
Need to make the country grow the man said
B7                             
  Try ferti-lising thistles     yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E                 
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town        now you

[Verse]
B7                                                    E
Ask me why I'm drunk all the time makes me better and eases my mind
B7                                                     E                
I just sit and I play and sing I see better days and I do better things
E                                    
  I win the Opera House in a lottery
E                          
   Go skin diving for pir-anha
E                     
     Throw Ayres rock
E               
   Vote D L P
E                                        
  Become mana-ging director of C B S re-cords
E                                       
     And sell one co-py of this re-cord  yeah and the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E           
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town  oh the

[Chorus]
A                E                B7               E
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town the
A                E                B7               E(#9)            Em11  E*
More they try to keep me down the better I live in Sydney town