Three Chords and a Thank-You

Lyrics

You showed me G and C and D
On a bench beside the hall
Your fingers patient on my hand
When I could barely play at all
Notebook full of chord charts
Coffee going cold
You said just keep on strumming
And the song will find its hold

Three chords and a thank-you
That's all I really need
Three chords and a thank-you
For the way you helped me lead
Every song I've ever sung
Began on that old bench
Three chords and a thank-you
And a friend who would not flinch

Years went by and I got braver
Played in rooms with softer light
You were in the back row smiling
Humming every line just right
Now I teach a girl the same way
With her small hands on the frets
And I pass along your patience
Like the best of all my debts

Three chords and a thank-you
That's all I really need
Three chords and a thank-you
For the way you helped me lead
Every song I've ever sung
Began on that old bench
Three chords and a thank-you
And a friend who would not flinch

Some gifts are small and simple
Some gifts are just your time
A bench, a song, a stubborn chord
And a friend who made it rhyme

Three chords and a thank-you
That's all I really need
Three chords and a thank-you
For the way you helped me lead
Every song I've ever sung
Began on that old bench
Three chords and a thank-you
And a friend who would not flinch

Thank you, thank you
G and C and D