[Intro]
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------5--7--7b8r7--5--------------------------------------------------|
A|------5/7------------------5h7p5-------------------------------------------|
E|---3-------------------------------3---------------------------------------|


   G               Em                D                            C
E|-3----------------0----------------2----------5--5--5-----------0----------|
B|-0----------------0----------------3----------5--5--5-----------1----------|
G|-0----------------0----------------2----------------------------0----------|
D|-0----------------2----------------0----------------------------2----------|
A|-2----------------2---------------------------------------------3----------|
E|-3-3--2-----------0--------------------------------------------------------|


[Verse 1]
G                    Em             D                   C
It stabbed me in the chest like the pimp prudent's knife
G                    Em             D                   C
Into poor wandering Beckett under a mother of pearl sky
At the back of the wall, I bawled, cursing all in reel and rhyme
G                    Em                       D                   C
While feeling out of sorts like a roadsweeper dressed up to the nines

           C
As the multicolored kite
           C
Over shoulders taking flight
           C
And the local matador
           C
Gives two fingers to the girl next door

[Chorus]
G                    Em             D                  C
I had a dream that James Dean was alive and well today
G                    Em     D                  C
Looking for the quiet life, working for Irish rail
G                    Em             D                      C    Cadd4 C
In my fathers clothes with a blood nose, I sang isn't it so sweet
G                    Em             D                      C    Cadd4 C
By the slot machine there's James Dean out cold beneath my feet

[Bridge]
    C
The disciples from the street
    C
All burst in through open doors
    C
The creaking of the stairs and
    C
The running down the stairs
Pure ecstacy

[Verse 2]
G                    Em                D                  C
The circus master smiles, pointing his finger at the mime
G                            Em                     D                 C
I hear the distant call of a boy named Paul who was taken before his time
G                              Em                  D          C       C
All the precious stones or the mongrels bone won't entice me, silly child
G                              Em                  D                  C
You just run on home for your tea's gone cold I heard your mother cursed you blind

   C
As the backdoor man feels wrong
C
For switching off when signing on
C
And the double-jointed thief
C
Wins an award
For pure indecency


[Chorus]
G                    Em             D                  C
I had a dream that James Dean was alive and well today
G                    Em     D                  C
Looking for the quiet life, working for Irish rail
G                    Em             D                      C    Cadd4 C
In my fathers clothes with a blood nose, I sang isn't it so sweet
G                    Em             D                      C    Cadd4 C
By the slot machine there's James Dean out cold beneath my feet

[Bridge]
    C
The disciples from the street
    C
All burst in through open doors
    C
The creaking of the stairs and
    C
The running down the stairs
Pure ecstacy


[Outro]
E|----------------------------0----------|
B|----------------------------0----------|
G|----------------------------0----------|
D|-----------5h7p5------------2----------|
A|----------------------------2----------|
E|---3------------------0-----0----------| x4


G                    Em                     D
I had a dream that James Dean was alive and well today
     C                              G
He's working for Irish rail