G  C  G  C  G  C  G  D

[Verse 1]
  G                 Em
I raised my son the Eighties way 
C               D
I never let him rest a day 
         C                D            G      C G  D
I said, "Wasting time can only lead to losing 
     G                   Em
When you're a man you'll be my son 
         C                D
And I've never lost, I’ve always won 
          C                   D                G         C G 
There are those who serve and those who do the choosing"


[Chorus]
             Em
And I said, "Always fight, don't lose face 
C
Always lead, never chase 
A
No one knows the second place 
   D                           C      D
So hurt and bleed, but win the race"


[Verse 2]
       G             Em
He was number one in every school 
C                   D
He couldn't stand a wimp or fool 
   C          D                  G      C G  D
Or anyone who dribble-drooled of caring 
       G                  Em
And he won the prizes, he won the fame 
C              D
Till everybody knew his name 
         C                 D              G      C G F
And they loved him for his devil-may-care daring 


[Verse 3]
      G                  Em
And I liked his taste, I liked his style 
      C              D
And I knew that in a little while 
       C              D                  G       C G  D
He'd begin to use his charm and guile to make it 
     G               Em
He'd be the boss man of this town 
     C          D
He’d let nobody push him down 
            C                D                 G       C G 
He'd be the hardest, and the toughest and he'd take it 


[Chorus]
             Em
And I said, "Always fight, don't lose face 
C
Always lead, never chase 
A
No one knows the second place 
   D                           C      D
So hurt and bleed, but win the race"


[Verse 4]
   G                  Em
So when he passed the big exam 
      C                  D
I was proud he came, the Big I Am 
        C                    D        G          C G  D
I could see he didn't give a damn who thought it 
      G                  Em
And I said it’s time you had your wheels 
C                  D
So you can see how power feels 
     C                     D               G         C G 
So I found the best and the fastest, and I bought it 


[Verse 5]
       C          
In his sports car and designer jeans 
   G                  Em
He played the king of all the teens 
       Am              C                 D      G D C
And he soon found out, money means, best label 
        G                 Em
And the girls he had wore sweet perfume 
      C                    D
Their scent still lingered in his room 
       C                  D                G     C G 
In the morning, he'd just smile across the table 


[Instrumental]
Em    C    A    D  G  D  G  C


[Verse 6]
     G              Em
Then last week in a country lane 
   C               D
In darkness and in pouring rain 
  C                   D              G       C G  D
A young kid must have been insane to try him 
     G                     Em
In a clapped out Ford with white-walled tyres 
    C                D
His chiming horn lit my son's fires 
      C                     D                G      C G 
As he flashed his beams and tried to roar on by him 


[Verse 7]
    C
And like the man I knew he'd be 
G                  Em
My son chose to disagree 
         Am             C                 D      G D C
And they raced together fast to see who'd weaken 
    G              Em
And just as my son pulled ahead 
  C                 D
A white-walled tyre lost its tread 
        C                  D                   G      C G 
And the two cars locked as flames became their beacon 


[Chorus]
             Em
And I said, "Always fight, don't lose face 
C
Always lead, never chase 
A
No one knows the second place 
   D                           C     D
So hurt and bleed, but win the race____"


[Verse 8]
  G                 Em
I raised my son the Eighties way 
C               D
I never let him rest a day 
         C                D            G      C G  D
I said, "Wasting time can only lead to losing 
     G                   Em
When you're a man you'll be my son 
         C                D
And I've never lost, I’ve always won 
          C                   D                G         C G 
There are those who serve and those who do the choosing"
             C                 D            G      C G 
I know I was right to make him so afraid of losing
                  C                   D                G   
Because there are those who serve and those who do the choosing