James McMurtry-Painting By Numbers
Album-Too Long In The Wasteland

E                B
The gates of the schoolyard
B                   E
Are padlocked and chained
E                B          F#         E
To keep all the children in out of the rain
E                 B
The art teacher's preaching
B                     E
The virtues of pastel shades
E            B              F#              E
You pay no attention but it won't hurt your grades

Chorus:
E                       B

Cause your painting by numbers

B              E
Connecting the dots

E                  B         F#                E
They don't have to tell you, you don't call the shots
E                  B
You jump when they say jump
B                   E
And you don't ask how high
E                 B        F#                 E
Cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by

You take a position

In the old man's firm

He signs all the papers

You agree to the terms

They let you run errands

And you don't get days off

You take out the garbage and hope it pays off

Chorus:

Cause your painting by numbers

Connecting the dots

You work from the neck down, you don't call the shots
You jump when they say jump
And you don't ask how high
Cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by

You might be in grad school

Up at M.I.T.

You might be down in the canal zone

Being all that you can be

You might get to thinking you're ahead of the game

But when you break it all down

It all comes out the same

Chorus:

You're painting by numbers

Connecting the dots

You work from the neck down as often as not
You jump when they say jump
And you don't ask how high
Cause painting by numbers they know you'll get by