Tom: C
C F Am F
[Verse 1]
Am
My old man was young once
F
Or so the photo album claims
C
Flip the page the baby jumps
G
Some twenty years and change
[Verse 2]
Am
From the cradle to the naval base
F
A newlywed recruit
C
Through the boot camp of a family man
G
In a loose civilian suit
[Bridge]
F
But it was anchors aweigh now
Singing "Courage, service true"
Am F
All them anchors will weigh you down
C G
If you ain't fit for blue
[Chorus]
F
What did I know about it then?
C G
What do I know now?
F
I have known the kind of man
G Am
It takes to keep the vow
F
To keep the vow
C F Am F
[Verse 3]
Am
I'd say "Well I just thought…"
And he'd cut me off
F
Saying ‘That's what you get for thinking'
C G
I remember thinking that's probably not the best lesson for a kid
[Verse 4]
Am
And although that was just something he said
F
When I see what I get with my thinking
C
I get to thinking he may have been some kinda genius
G
In the effortless way he just did
[Bridge]
F
I learned your word is one thing,
You keep it if you give it out
Am F
But silence fans the fires a man
C G
Requires to keep the vow
[Chorus]
F
What did I know about it then?
C G
What do I know now?
F
I have known the kind of man
G Am
It takes to keep the vow
F
To keep the vow
[Instrumental]
C F Am F
[Middle 8]
Gm
I could've curled up in one footprint,
F
One giant laugh, one giant hand
C
Until the sickness and the treatment
G
Shrunk him down to just a man
F
A shrinking man still tinkering with my old busted car
C G
When his wedding ring must've slipped into the muddy yard
F
At least that's what he figured when he noticed it was gone
Am F C G
I can still see him on his knees digging up that lawn
[Verse 5]
Am
Now the flag is folded and the numbers are carved,
F
Mississippi is glistening green
C
Another summer's softly calling off
G G7
The search for missing things
[Bridge]
F
But I have found that something kept
To keep me company
Am F
On these nights when me and my old man
C G
Go digging into dreams
[Chorus]
F
What did I know about it then?
C G
What do I know now?
F
I have known the kind of man
G Am
It takes to keep the vow
F
I can only hope as I propose
C G
To man the outpost now
F G Am
I'll be armed with memories of the man it takes to keep the vow
F
To keep the vow
