Nofx - The Decline

the original song is played in standard tuning . in my youtube video i play down A
whole step . you can follow along to that video here :

Am F C G
Am C D ( a few times )
E C D ( once )
C C/B
Am C D ( a few times )
E C D ( once )
C C/B D

Am Dm
where are all the stupid people from?
Am F C G
and how’d they get to be so dumb?
C C/B
bred on purple mountain range
A#
feed amber waves of grains
F/A F
to lesser human beings , zero feelings

Am B C

blame it on
F C
human nature , mans destiny ( mans destiny )
F C
blame it on the greediocracy ( greediocracy )
Dm
fear of god
A#
the fear of change
F
the fear of truth
C F
add the bill of rights , subtract the wrongs
G#
there’s no answers
C F
memorize and sing star spangled songs
G#
when the questions
C G
aren’t ever asked
Am F
is anybody learning from the past?
C G F E
we’re living in united stagnation

Am F G E
Am F G E

Am G
father what have i done?
C C/B Am
i took that 22
F C G
a gift to me from you
Dm Am
to bed with me each night
F
kept it clean
C
polished it well
F C C/B F
cherished every cartridge , every shell
Am F
down , by the creek , under brush , under dirt
G Am G# G F# F E
there’s a carcass of my second kill
Am F
down , by the park , under stone , under pine
G Am
there’s a carcass of my brother william
F
brother where , have you gone to?
C
i swear , i never thought i could

i see so many times
Dm
they told me to shoot straight

don’t pull the trigger , squeeze
C
that will insure a kill
a kill is what you want
F C F C F C
a kill is why we breed

D D/C# C G D G D G D
D D/C# D G D G D G D

D D/C#
the christians love their guns
C G D G D G D
the church and nra
D D/C#
pray for their salvations
C G D G D G D
prey on the lower faiths
E E/D#
the story book’s been read
D A E A E A E
and every line believed
E E/D#
curriculum’s been set
D
logic is a threat
A E A E A E
reason searched and seized

E E7 A Am
E E7 A Am
E E B A
E C#m A B

E A Am
jerry spent some time in michigan
E C#m F#m B
a twenty year vacation , after all he had a dime
E E/D# C#m B
a dime is worth a lot more in detroit
A E A B
a dime in california , a twenty dollar fine

E E B A
E C#m A B

E A Am
jerry only stayed a couple months
E C#m F#m B
it’s hard to enjoy yourself while bleeding out the ass
E E/D# C#m B
asphyxiation is simple and fast
A E A B
it beats seventeen fun years of being someones bitch

E
don’t think ( stay )
D
drink your wine ( home )
D/C#
watch the fire burn ( be )
A
his problems not mine ( safe )
E A E E
just be that model citizen

E E7
i wish i had a schilling
A
for every senseless killing
Am
i’d buy a government
E E7
america’s for sale
A
and you can get a good deal on it
Am
and make a healthy profit

E C
or maybe , tear it apart
Am E
start with assumption
E C
that a million people are smart
Am E C D G D/F#
smarter than one

weird rhythm
Em C D Em
Em C D Em
Em C D G
Em B C G

Em B
serotonin’s gone
C G
she gave up , drifted away
Em D D/C#
sara fled , thought process gone
C D G
she left her answering machine on
Em D D/C#
the greeting left spoken sincere
C D G
messages no one will ever hear

Am C G
ten thousand messages a day
D Am
a million more transmissions lay
C G
victims of the laissez faire
Am C G
ten thousand voices , a hundred guns
D Am
a hundred decibels turns to one
C G
one bullet , one empty head

Em D
now with serotonin gone

C B Am G eoctave E with maj3 eoctave Emaj3
C B Am G E

C
the man who used to speak
E
performs a cute routine
D D/C#
feel a little patronized
C
don’t feel bad
G
they found a way inside your head
D
and you feel a bit misled
Am
it’s not that they don’t care , yeah

C E
the television’s put a thought inside your head
D D/C#
like a barry manilow , jingle
C G
i’d like , to teach the world to sing
D
in perfect harmony
Am
a symphonic blank stare , yeah
C E
it doesn’t make you care ( make you care )
C E
not designed to make you care ( make you care )
C E
they’re betting you won’t care ( you won’t . . . )

C E C Am G
C D G Em
C B Am G Em

tough bass ( i just play chords ) D Em G low E ring
Em D Em D

C G D Em
place a wager on your greed
C Em D
a wager on your pride
C G D Em C Em D
why try to beat them when , a million others tried?

C Em
we are the whore
G D
intellectually spayed
C Em
we are the queer
G D
dysfunctionally raised

Em C D G D/F#
Em C D G D/F#
Em ( let ring )
D string picked
5th fret G string picked
4th fret G string picked
1st fret G string picked

E G#m

one more pill to kill the pain
one more pill to kill the pain
E C
one more pill to kill the pain
D A
living through conformity

E G#m
E G#m
one more prayer to keep me safe
one more prayer to keep us warm
E C
one more prayer to keep us safe
D A
there’s gonna be a better place

E B D

A E
lost the battle , lost the war
Bm
lost the things worth living for
D
lost the will to win the fight

one more pill to kill the pain

A
na na na na na
F#m
la na na na na
D
na na na na na
E
na na na na na

A
the going get tough , the tough get debt
F#m
don’t pay attention , pay the rent
D
next of kins pay for your sins
E A
a little faith should keep us safe

Dm F C E
Dm
F
save us
C
the human , existence
E
is failing , resistance
Dm
essential , the future
F
written off , the odds are
C
astronomically against us
E
only moron and genius
Dm
would fight a losing battle
F
against the super ego
C E ( hold )
when giving in is so damn comforting

Dm F
and so we go , on with our lives
C E
we know the truth , but prefer lies
Am C
lies are simple , simple is bliss
Dm F
why go against tradition when we can
C E
admit defeat , live in decline
Am F
be the victim of our own design
Dm F
the status quo , built on suspect
C C/B Am
why would anyone stick out their neck?
F
fellow members
G
club “we’ve got ours”
C C/B Am
i’d like to introduce you to our host
F Fm
he’s got his , and i’ve got mine
C
meet the decline

Em C D G D/F#

we are the queer
we are the whore
ammunition
in the class war
we are worker
we love our queen
we sacrifice
we’re soilent green

we are the queer
we are the whore
ammunition
in the class war

Em C D G D/F#

( eventually modulates up a whole step to )
F#m D E A A/G#