Tom: E
E A B A D B
A E
For the longest time he was the kind I just didn't understand
C#m E
Hard to read and hard to please, yeah that was my old man
E A
On the day I left for college, it was nothing new
E
We never had that heart to heart, he had too much to do
B C#m A
He checked the air in my tires, the belts and all the spark-plug wires
E A
He said "When was the last time you had this oil changed?"
B C#m A
And as I pulled out the drive he said, "Be sure to call your mom sometime"
E
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
B E A B A
He was saying "I love you," the only way he knew how
A E
B A
A hundred twenty thousand miles and 6 years down the road
E C#m B
Brand new life, a brand new wife, we just bought our first home
A
When he finally came to visit, I thought he'd be so proud
E D B
He never said he liked the place, he just got his tool belt out
C#m A
And put new locks on the doors, went back and forth to the hardware store
E F#m A
He said "Come and hold this flashlight", as he crawled beneath the sink
B C#m A
"These old wires ain't up to code and that circuit box is gonna overload"
E
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
B E A B G
He was saying "I love you", the only way he knew how
G
But last Sunday we all gathered for his 65th birthday
D
And I knew he'd stiffen up, but I hugged him anyway
G
It was finally time to say goodbye, I knew what was next
F#m E B
Just like he always did right before we left
B C#m A
He checked the air in my tires, the belts and all the spark-plug wires
E A
He said "When was the last time you had this oil changed?"
B C#m A
And as I pulled out the drive he said, "Be sure to call your mom sometime"
E
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
B E A B A
He was saying "I love you," the only way he knew how
