30,000 Pounds of Bananas
Harry ChapinVersion1
90
Chords in this song
Strum
D-DU-UDU
It was just after dark when the truck started down
The hill that leads into Scranton Pennsylvania.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
He was a young driver,
just out on his second job.
And he was carrying the next day's pasty fruits
For everyone in that coal-scarred city,
Where children play without despair
In backyard slag piles, and folks manage to eat each day
About thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, just about thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
TEMPO INCREASE
He passed a sign that he should have seen,
saying, "Shift to low gear or fifty dollar fine, my friend."
He was thinking perhaps about the warm-breathed woman
Who was waiting at the journey's end.
He started down the two-mile drop,
The curving road that wound from the top of the hill.
He was pushing on through the shortening miles that ran down to the depot.
TEMPO INCREASE
He was picking speed as the city spread its twinkling lights below him.
But he paid no heed as the shivering thoughts of the night's
Delights went through him.
His foot nursed the brakes to slow him down,
But the pedal floored easy without a sound.
He said, "Christ!"
It was funny how he had named the only man who could save him now.
He was trapped inside a dead-end hellslide,
DOUBLE TIME!
He barely made the sweeping curve that led into the steepest grade.
And he missed the thankful passing bus at ninety miles an hour.
And he said, "God, make it a dream!"
As he rode his last ride down.
And he said, "God, make it a dream!"
As he rode his last ride down.
And he sideswiped nineteen neat parked cars,
Clipped off thirteen telephone poles,
Hit two houses, bruised eight trees,
And Blue-Crossed seven people.
It was then he lost his head,
Not to mention an arm or two before he stopped.
And he smeared for four hundred yards
Along the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
All those thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
ORIGINAL TEMPO
(Fade in)
You see the man who told me about it on the bus,
As it went up the hill out of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
He shrugged his shoulders, he shook his head,
And he said (and this is exactly what he said),
"Boy, that sure must've been something.
Just imagine thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, there were thirty thousand pounds of mashed bananas.
Of bananas. (Repeat with Barred , then , etc. until fade out.)
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Readable chord sheet for 30,000 Pounds of Bananas by Harry Chapin
[E] [E] [E] [E]
It was [E]just after dark when the [E7]truck started down
The [A]hill that leads into [Am]Scranton Pennsyl[E]vania.
Carrying [D]thirty [D/C#]thousand [Bm]pounds of [E]bananas.
Carrying [D]thirty [D/C#]thousand [Bm]pounds of [E]bananas.
[E] [E] [E] [E]
He was a [E]young driver,
[A]just out on his second job.
[E]And he was carrying the next day's pasty fruits
For [A]everyone in that [Am]coal-scarred city,
Where [E]children play without despair
In [A]backyard slag piles, and folks manage to [E]eat each day
About [D]thirty [D/C#]thousand [Bm]pounds of [E]bananas.
Yes, just about [D]thirty [D/C#]thousand [Bm]pounds of bananas.
TEMPO INCREASE
[E] [E] [E] [E]
He [E]passed a sign that he [E7]should have seen,
saying, "[A]Shift to low gear [Am]or fifty dollar [E]fine, my friend."
He was [A]thinking perhaps about the [Am]warm-breathed woman
Who was [E]waiting at the journey's end.
He [A]started down the [Am]two-mile drop,
The [E]curving road that wound from the top of the [B]hill.
He was [E]pushing on through the shortening miles that ran down to the depot.
TEMPO INCREASE
He was [E]picking speed as the [E7]city spread its [A]twinkling [Am]lights be[E]low him.
But he [E]paid no heed as the [E7]shivering thoughts of the [A]night's
[Am]Delights went [E]through him.
His [E]foot nursed the brakes to [E]slow him down,
But the [Bm]pedal floored easy wi[Bm]thout a sound.
He said, "[E]Christ!"
It was funny how he had named the only [Am]man who could save him now.
He was trapped [E]inside a dead-end hellslide,
DOUBLE TIME!
He [E]barely made the [E7]sweeping curve that [A]led [Am]into the [E]steepest grade.
And he [E]missed the thankful [E7]passing bus at [A]ninety [Am]miles an [E]hour.
And he said, "[A]God, make it a [E]dream!"
As he [G]rode his [D]last ride [A]down.
And he said, "[A]God, make it a [E]dream!"
As he [G]rode his [D]last ride [A]down.
And he side[Am]swiped nineteen neat parked cars,
[E]Clipped off thirteen telephone poles,
[Am]Hit two houses, bruised eight trees,
And [E]Blue-Crossed seven people.
It was [Bm]then he lost his head,
Not to [Am]mention an arm or two before he [E]stopped.
[N.C.]And he smeared for four hundred yards
Along the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
All those [D]thirty [D/C#]thousand [Bm]pounds of [E]bananas.
ORIGINAL TEMPO
(Fade in) [E]
You see the man who told me about it on the bus,
As it [A]went up the hill out of [Am]Scranton, [E]Pennsylvania.
He [E]shrugged his shoulders, he shook his head,
And he [A]said ([N.C.]and this is exactly what he said),
"Boy, that sure must've been something.
Just imagine thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, there were [D]thirty [D/F#]thousand [Bm]pounds of [N.C.]mashed bananas.
[E]
Of bananas. (Repeat with Barred [F], then [F#], etc. until fade out.)