Neil Young - Crime In The City Chords & Tabs

Harlan L Thompson 


CRIME IN THE CITY (SIXTY TO ZERO PART 1)- Neil Young

G      Am   G Am  Am   G Am  Am   G Am  Am   G Am
Am Asus2 Am G F  Am Asus2 Am G F
Am                          Am G F        Am              Am G F
Well the cop made the showdown,   he was sure he was right
       Am              Am G F          Am                  Am G F
He had all of the lowdown    from the bank heist last night 
G Dm                             G Dm
    His best friend was a robber     and his wife was a thief
G Dm                              G Dm
    All the children were killers,    they couldn't get no relief 
G F                            G F
   The bungalow was surrounded    when a voice loud and clear
G F                                    G F
   Said "Come on out with your hands up   or we'll blow you outta here"
                         Am  Am   G   F            Am  Am
There was a face in the window,  the TV cameras rolled
G          F           Am   Am   G     F     Am          Am G F
Then they cut to the announcer    and the story was told

REPEAT INTRO (after each verse except for Bridge)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/n/neil_young/crime_in_the_city_crd.html ]
The artist looked at the producer, the producer sat back
He said, "What we have got here is a perfect track
But we don't have a vocal and we don't have a song
If we could get these things accomplished nothin' else could go wrong"
So he balanced the ashtray as he picked up the phone
And said, "Send me a songwriter who's drifted far from home
And make sure that he's hungry, make sure he's alone
Send me a cheeseburger and a new Rolling Stone," yeah

"There's still crime in the city", said the cop on the beat
"I don't know if I can stop it, I feel like meat on the street
They paint my car like a target, I take my orders from fools
Meanwhile some kid blows my head off, well, I play by their rules
That's why I'm doin' it my way, I took the law in my hands
So here I am in the alleyway, a wad of cash in my pants
I get paid by a ten year old, he says he looks up to me
There's still crime in the city, but it's good to be free," Yeah

BRIDGE (play slower):
C  G  F  G ...then Intro at usual speed

Now I come from a family that has a broken home
Sometimes I talk to Daddy on the telephone
When he says that he loves me, I know that he does
But I wish I could see him, I wish I knew where he was
But that's the way all my friends are, except maybe one or two
Wish I could see him this weekend, wish I could walk in his shoes
But now I'm doin' my own thing, sometimes I'm good, then I'm bad
Although my home has been broken, it's the best home I ever had, yeah

BRIDGE (as before)

Well, I keep gettin' younger, my life's been funny that way
Before I ever learned to talk, I forgot what to say
I sassed back to my mom, I sassed back to my teacher
I got thrown out of Bible school for sassin' back at the preacher
Then I grew up to be a fireman, put out every fire in town
Put out anything smokin', but when I put the hose down
The judge sent me to prison, he gave me life without parole
Wish I never put the hose down, wish I never got old


NOTE:  Neil sometimes plays this tuned down one whole step, so in that 
case the chords are A and Bm and so on.