Earl Strickling - Lessons

	  		
verse 1 
A                        E        Bm 
A young boy wakes in the morning, excited for 
            E    A 
a brand new day. His little mind full of 
E                F#m                   E 
simple thoughts, like going outside to play. 
D                            Bm      D 
But things aren’t quite that simple, they do 
                    E     A 
it like it’s no big deal. Quietly watching 
E                   F#m               E 
from the car, while they go inside to steal. 
D                         F#m    D 
Still learning right from wrong, he looks to 
                   E      A 
them with love and trust. As they lead him 
       E            F#m 
down a broken path, that ends in innocence 
E E7 
lost. 

D                A               E 
Life goes on and time heals all. Lessons 
                 F#m               D 
learned are them bricks in a wall. Build it 
                    A           E 
tall with truth and honesty and never give in 
         F#m        D 
to their hypocrisy. There’s no escape from 
    A                    E 
the ghosts of your past, just do your best to 
     F#m            D 
make everyday last. You get what you give 
       A                     Bm 
that’s what they always say. The good folks 
            E E7     A 
win and the bad fade away. 


verse 2 
A                       E        Bm 
A teenager wakes in the morning, looking just 
            E    A                       E 
to find his way. School is out and there is 
          F#m                           E 
no doubt, there’s gonna be some hell to pay. 
    D                    Bm          D 
Cuz he does just as they taught him, a 
                        E     A 
tribute to their broken name. Walkin’ along 
     E                     F#m 
that same old path full of heartache, crime 
    E     D 
and pain. And sometimes he looks in the 
F#m        D                     E 
mirror and wonders where it ever ends. 
A                E                  F#m 
Getting out, his reflection shouts, it’s the 
                 E E7 
only way to make amends. 
 
D                A               E 
Life goes on and time heals all. Lessons 
                 F#m               D 
learned are them bricks in a wall. Build it 
                    A           E 
tall with truth and honesty and never give in 
         F#m        D 
to their hypocrisy. There’s no escape from 
    A                    E 
the ghosts of your past, just do your best to 
     F#m            D 
make everyday last. You get what you give 
       A                     Bm 
that’s what they always say. The good folks 
            E E7     A 
win and the bad fade away. 


verse 3 
A                        E       Bm 
A grown man wakes in the morning and notices 
           E      A 
a few more greys. Twenty-Five years have 
E                      F#m            E 
passed on by, since he finally walked away. 
D                  Bm        D 
The sins they laid upon him, they’re a weight 
             E     A 
he’ll always bare. But blessings sometimes 
E                    F#m              E 
come with cost and a message you must share. 
D                 F#m 
Those little eyes watch him now, with the 
D                         E     A 
same loving trust he once gave. And daddy 
                  E 
leads them down a brighter path, but his 
F#m            E 
memories still remain. 
Bm                 E E7 
The memories still remain... 

E E7 

Bridge 
D                          E 
You used my mother and you stole my brother. 
A                            F#m    D 
All you’ve ever done is ruin lives. So many 
                 E                  A 
suffered by your hands and I wonder how you 
                  Bm        D 
keep up with your disguise. I’m stained from 
                  E               A 
that day, I can’t forget the way, I saw you 
                       F#m   D 
hurt that girl til she died. There’s so 
                             E 
much to say, but thank God I got away and 
F#m                          C#m 
you’re slowly fading from my mind. 
 
D                    A 
Cuz life goes on and time heals all. 
E                        F#m 
Lessons learned are them bricks in a wall. 
D                            A 
Build it tall with truth and honesty and 
E                      F#m        D 
never give in to their hypocrisy. There’s no 
                A                    E 
escape from the ghosts of your past, just do 
                  F#m            D 
your best to make everyday last. You get what 
                A                     Bm 
you give that’s what they always say. The 
                       E E7     A 
good folks win and the bad fade away.
 

Outro 
   D                A               E 
Ya Life goes on and time heals all. Lessons 
                 F#m               D 
learned are them bricks in a wall. Build it 
                    A        E 
tall with truth and honesty, define yourself 
            A 
and who you want to be.