Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967
View chords used in this chart
Capo 6
C F
Walt Grace, desperately hating his whole place
Am
Dreamed to discover a new space
F
And buried himself alive
C F
Inside his basement, tongue on the side of his face meant
Am
He's working away on displacement
F
And what it would take to survive
F Am G F
'Cause when you're done with this world
Am G
You know the next is up to you
C F G
And his wife told his kids he was crazy
C F G
And his friends said he'd fail if he tried
C F
But with a will to work hard
Am D
And a library card
F G C
He took a homemade, fan-blade, one-man submarine ride
C F
That morning, the sea was mad and I mean it
Am
Waves as big as he'd seen it
F
Deep in his dreams at home
C
From dry land
F
He rolled it over to wet sand
Am
Closed the hatch up with one hand
F
And pedaled off alone
F Am G F
'Cause when you're done with this world
Am G
You know the next is up to you
C F G
And for once in his life it was quiet
C F G
As he learned how to turn in the tide
C F
And the sky was a flare
Am D
When he came up for air
F G C
In his homemade, fan-blade, one-man submarine ride
C
One evening
F
When weeks had passed since his leaving
Am
The call she'd planned on receiving
F
Finally made it home
C
She accepted
F
The news she'd never expected
Am
The operator connected
F
A call from Tokyo
F Am G F
'Cause when you're done with this world
Am G
You know the next is up to you
C
Now his friends
F G
Bring him up when they're drinking
C F G
At the bar with his name on the side
C F
And they smile when they can
Am D
As they speak of a man
F G C
Who took a homemade, fan-blade, one-man submarine ride
How to play Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967
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.