Cottagers Reply
View chords used in this chart
C F C F
[Verse 1]
C F
Five hundred thousand English pounds
F C
For this old house and a piece of ground,
C F
You and your wife have always planned
F C
To settle down in Cotswold land.
[Chorus]
G Am
Well you’d best come in, you’d best sit down
G C
It’s such a long drive from London town
C F
Would you like some tea now while I tell?
F C
The reasons why I will not sell.
[Verse 2]
C F
This stone built house that you call nice
F C
Was gained at far too high a price,
C F
For me to gaily sign away
F C
What others toiled for night and day.
G Am
They hammered bluestone by the yard
G C
And they found the rent when times where hard,
C F
And they lived and died beneath the sun
F C
Tending the fields you gaze upon.
[Verse 3]
C F
Well they’re all gone, but as for me
F C
The wild hare still runs as free,
C F
And at dusk the badger travels still
F C
Ancestral highways on the hill.
G Am
I am as Cotswold bred as these
G C
And I still need these field and trees,
C F
And I need the soil that bore my race
F C
And holds their bones beneath this place.
[Verse 4]
C F
Enough for me this cot of stone,
F C
a might of land to call my own
C F
A friend to drink with, wife to smile
F C
and Cotswold country by the mile
G Am
So take your cup and drain it down
G C
you would be peasants from the town
C F
Go on your journey let me bide
F C
content in my own countryside
[Verse 5]
G Am
You say you’ll pay five hundred pounds
G Am
For this old house and a piece of land,
C F
Well London’s about four hours for me
F C
But in your 4 x 4 you’ll do it in three.
How to play Cottagers Reply
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is C. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.