After These Wars

[Intro] (flute arranged for guitar)
E|----------1--0-----0------|----------1--0-----3--5--|    
B|----------------3-----1-0-|----------------3--------|    
G|-2-----2------------------|-2-----2-----------------|    
D|----2---------------------|----2--------------------| x2 
A|--------------------------|-------------------------|    
E|--------------------------|-------------------------|    

[Verse 1]
Am                 G         Am
After battle, with wounds to lick
    G                    Em Am
And beaus and belles all reuniting
Am            G   Am
Rationing, austerity:
   G             Em      D
It did us good after the fighting
     Dm               C        Dm
Now, time to bid some fond farewells
    C              Dm C     Dm
And walk away from em-pires crumbling
Dm            C       Dm
Post-war baby-boom to fuel
     C              Dm   C       Dm
With post-Victorian half-dressed fumbling
  Bm                 A       Bm
I see a screen, grey cathode tube
   A               F#m      Bm
In walnut cabinet, pride of place
   Bm          A      Bm
In holy family living room
A                       F#m      E
Clipped-tone announcer, powdered face
    Em             D     Em
And now to mould public opinion
D            Em   D   Em
Sanctify the good and great
Em          D     Em
Lordly over his dominion
D                Em    D   Em
Brash television seals our fate

[Chorus 1]
Am          G                             Am
After these wars, when gentler winds were blowing
Am C         G                   F         C
Af-ter these wars, when stocking tops were showing
         F             C               G/B        Am
When the Co-op gave us daily bread and penicillin raised the dead
    F       G          C5   E5 Am   G Em        F    G Am
And combine harvesters kept us fed, after these wars

[Verse 2]
   Am                   G           Am
We thanked the Yank and thanked the Lord
    G               Em     Am
For sparing us from dark invasion
Am         G       Am
Now to liberate, rebuild
    G                Em   D
And balance Europe's new equation
Dm              C        Dm
Spooky spies in from the cold
     C                Dm C  Dm
With lies and secrets to be sold
   Dm               C      Dm
To bigger brothers, bigger bombs
C                  Dm C  Dm
Le Carré thrillers to be told
   Bm              A            Bm
We take our place amongst those others
A                F#m        Bm
Who would punch above their weight
  Bm                A       Bm
Divest ourselves of glowing mantle
A             F#m     E
Mantle of old Britain Great
Em               D    Em
Bit part cast in Hollywood
D                  Em D Em
Ripe old thespian, to-lerated
Em               D       Em
World-weary ham upon the stage
D             Em D   Em
Evergreen but o- ver-rated

[Chorus 2]
Am          G                             Am
After these wars, when gentler winds were blowing
Am C         G                   F         C
Af-ter these wars, when stocking tops were showing
         F             C               G/B        Am
When the Co-op gave us daily bread and penicillin raised the dead
    F       G          C5   E5 Am   G Em        F    G Am
And combine harvesters kept us fed, after these wars

[Instrumental]
Am G Am
Am C G F C
F C G/B Am
F G C5 E5 Am G Em F G Am

[Outro] (flute arranged for guitar)
E|----------1--0-----0------|----------1--0-----3--5--| 
B|----------------3-----1-0-|----------------3--------| 
G|-2-----2------------------|-2-----2-----------------| 
D|----2---------------------|----2--------------------| 
A|--------------------------|-------------------------| 
E|--------------------------|-------------------------| 

E|----------1--0-----0------|----------1--0--------0--| 
B|----------------3-----1-0-|----------------1--3-----| 
G|-2-----2------------------|-2-----2-----------------| 
D|----2---------------------|----2--------------------| 
A|--------------------------|-------------------------| 
E|--------------------------|-------------------------|