Intro
Dm A# C G 
 
Verse 1
  Dm 
I knew when I enlisted 
    Dm/C# 
Military life existed 
       Dm/C 
Ford a brige, you're down 
                 G   A# 
Destroy you by degrees 
         Dm 
But then any kind of living 
         Dm/C# 
Would be just as unforgiving 
        Dm/C 
For the outside like the inside 
         G    A# 
Ain’t no breeze 
 
Verse 2
               Dm 
And though you give up your ambition 
    Dm/C# 
Do so on one condition 
          Dm/C 
That some other bastard 
                G   A# 
Has to make the plan 
            Dm 
Oh it’s the same ol’ GI story 
          Dm/C# 
You don’t sell your soul for glory 
        Dm/C 
But for freedom 
                         G 
To leave thinking to the man 
 
Pre-chorus
A#       Dm 
I wanted out 
           Dm/C# 
From being poorer than poor 
        Dm/C 
From Kentucky where I knew 
           G  A7 
I couldn’t win 
         Dm 
I wanted out 
        Dm/C# 
And the only light I saw 
        Dm/C 
Was the army 
                    G A7 
And I knew I wanted in 
 
Chrous
Dm 
  Thirty Year Man 
A# 
  Thirty Year Man 
C 
 Thirty Year Man 
Gm 
 
Verse 3
      Dm 
We’re told the war is coming 
         Dm/C# 
That the bombs will soon be humming 
          Dm/C                         G    A# 
That this paradise will soon be up the creek 
   Dm 
So get your shit together, hurry! 
      Dm/C# 
But I say there ain’t no worry 
                                        G    A# 
I’ve got thirty years so what’s another week? 
 
Verse 4
           Dm 
Oh this is white trash happy waiting 
         Dm/C# 
We’ve no problem contemplating 
          Dm/C                            G   A# 
Different people marching to the same ol’ drum 
       Dm 
Jews, Italians, Hispanics, 
        Dm/C# 
Polacs, Negros, no one panicks 
      Dm/C                                G 
I got thirty years, I’ll take ‘em as they come 
 
Pre-chorus
A#          Dm 
One thing I want (one thing I want) 
           Dm/C# 
And she’ll see me alright 
     Dm/C                            G 
Is a shack-up waiting on the edge of town 
A          Dm 
I want her now (I want her now) 
         Dm/C# 
But I’ll settle for tonight 
       Dm/C                        G   A7 
Golden body and the softness going down 
 
Chorus
Dm 
  Thirty Year Man 
A# 
  Thirty Year Man 
C 
 Thirty Year Man 
Gm 
 
Bridge*
D#m              D#m/D 
   So the army’s family 
   D#m/C#             G# 
It feeds me, keeps me well 
             B           C#            D#m 
And the life outside was sure a living hell. 
              D#m/D 
So give me my orders, Sergeant 
           D#m/C#    G# 
Just don’t give me a plan 
                     B                   D#m C# 
You’ve got your volunteer, Robert E Lee Prewitt 
 
Outro
         D#m 
I’m your man 
       D#m/D   D#m/C# 
Thirty Year Man 
       D#m/D    D#m 
Thirty Year Man 
        D#m/C#  B 
Thirty Year Man 
       A# 
Thirty Year Man 
        D#m D#m/C# A#m C#         B 
There’s no  one    out there that I miss 
D#m D#m/C A#m   C# B 
No  one   cares if I exist 
    D#m  D#m/C# B C#  G#  A#7 
The best thing  I did was enlist 
                A#7 D#m 
For thirty years