John Oaks chords

Neil Young

Key: 

Simplify chords 

  			
Intro: F  G    G F   G 

Verse: 
 G    F                      G 
John Oaks is in the neighborhood 
 G  F                G 
Protecting all the trees 
 G        F               G 
He's the master of irrigation 
 G       F            G 
And he knows what he sees 


Verse: 
  G    F                      G 
Grape farmers watering everywhere 
 G     F                    G 
Pipes running where they please 
 G    F                    G 
John sees his laws are broken 
 G      F                         G 
Trees drowning where they breathe 


Verse: 
 G   F                 G 
Now John used to be a mellow man 
  G       F                G 
Drinking Chai and smoking weed 
 G    F              G 
Ain't no one in the county 
 G    F                 G 
Ever see'd whatever he see'd 


 G    E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks, 


Verse: 
 G   F                 G 
Old John rides in his pickup 
 G    F                        G 
With rakes and friends in the back 
G  F                G 
  Workers he takes with him 
 G        F                 G 
Then he drives them all back 


Verse: 
G    F                        G 
To protect them from the politicians 
G      F                G 
Using them to get ahead  
G   F              G 
  Preying on the people 
 G         F                 G 
Trying to get inside their heads 


Verse: 
 G    F               G 
John Oaks is really stand-up 
G   F                     G 
He won't take shit lying down 
G   F                G 
He calls it like he sees it 
 G      F              G 
And he puts his money down 

 
 G    E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks, 


Verse: 
 G   F                 G 
One day at the demonstration 
 G    F                G 
John Oaks was standing up 
G     F                    G 
He arrived there at the location 
G   F               G 
In his old pickup truck 


Verse: 
 G      F           G 
Took a rake in his hand 
 G       F              G 
And his workers by his side 
G   F                          G 
  Stood there waiting for his turn 
G    F                 G 
To speak and turn the tide 


Verse: 
 G        F               G 
When he found himself surrounded 
G   F            G 
By police everywhere 
 G     F                G 
They tried to take his workers to jail 
  G       F                 G 
When he grabbed one by his hair 


 
 G    E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks, 


Verse: 
G   F                 G 
  Shots rang out and people yelled 
G       F               G 
As the police took control 
 G       F               G 
Shot a black man right where he fell 
 G       F             G 
With a sniper on the knoll 


Verse: 
 G    F                G 
John Oaks saw law and order 
 G    F             G 
Was leading him astray 
G   F                       G 
  Tried to get back in his pickup 
 G        F               G 
With his workers to get away 


Verse: 
  G     F                    G 
That's when the police moved in 
 G    F                 G 
And stood there in his way 
 G     F             G 
John started up his pickup 
 G   F                 G 
And that was his last day 

 
 G    E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks, 


Instrumental/Solo: 
F G   
F G 
F G 
F C G 


Verse: 
 G    F             G 
They said he had a pistol 
 G        F              G 
When the old pickup backfired 
 G   F                          G 
And shot him there behind the wheel 
 G   F                G 
And then John Oaks expired 


Verse: 
 G   F                   G 
The workers grabbed the rakes 
 G          F              G 
And that's all that I can say 
 G    F                G 
They went to the cemetery 
 G        F                  G 
And they stay there to this day 


 G    E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks, 

John Oaks 


OUTRO: 

E  E7 
E  E7 
E  E7 
E  E7 

      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,  
      E   E7 
John Oaks,