[Verse 1]
   F                                             Bb
Me first day in the shipyard, the gaffer says to me,
    F                    Bb            C                  C7
"I want ye to go to the store lad and get a few things, ye see?
     F                     Bb               F              C
Now here's a list, can ye read lad? Can ye read it back to me?
    F                   Bb                C                 F
And me and the boys'll listen while were having wah morning tea."

    F                                              Bb
Now reading was me pride when I left school at fourteen,
    F                    Bb            C                  C7
There wouldn't be no problem here, I'd show them I was keen,
     F                     Bb               F              C
But when I starts to reading, they just couldn't hold their mirth,
    F                   Bb                C                 F
Hugging themselves and spluttering like they was giving birth.

[Chorus 1]
       C                              Bb                   C
"First off a brace of sky hooks and a packet of nail holes neat,
     C                                   F                  C
And then three cans of tartan paint, and that's me task complete."
     C             Bb                F            C
The gaffer pats me on the head and sends me on me way,
               F          C     Bb     C            Bb      C       F
He says, "Don't come back empty handed lad, or I'll have to dock yer pay."

[Verse 2]
G                                                            C
So I gets to the store all nervous and the quartermaster's there,
            G               C            D                  D7
I pulls the list out of me pocket and I starts to read all square,
        G             C                   G                    D
Well I hadn't barely finished when the store-man's face turns red,
      G              C          D                    G
He gives me such an evil look I thought I'd soon be dead.

[Chorus 2]
        D                              C                    D
"First off a brace of sky hooks and a packet of nail holes neat,
     D                                   G                  D
And then three cans of tartan paint, and that's me task complete."
     D                  C                G             D
The store-man swipes me on the head and sends me on me way,
       G           D           C    D        C        D        G
With a kick in the arse for me efforts, and such was my first day.

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]
A                                                   D
I gets back home that evening and me mother says to me,
      A               D            E                  E7
"How was it son? How was your day? Sit down and have some tea."
   A               D                     A            E
I told her of the list I'd read and the trouble I was in,
   A                 D              E                A
I couldn't go back tomorrow or the gaffer'd have me skinned.

[Chorus 3]
        E                              D                    E
"First off a brace of sky hooks and a packet of nail holes neat,
     E                                   A                  E
And then three cans of tartan paint, and that's me task complete."
     E              D                A             E
Me mother swipes me on the head and sends me on me way,
       A           E           D    E        D        E        A
With a kick in the arse for me efforts, and such was my first day. CHORUS X2