Rock and roll gave me the best years of my life (the Cats) D G A I can still remember when I bought my first guitar, D G A Remember just how good the feeling to put it proudly in my car, D7 B7 Em And my fam'ly listened fifty times to my two song repertoire. G A I told my mom her only son was gonna be a star. D G A Bought all the Beatles records, I sounded just like Paul, D G A I bought all the old Chuck Berry's 78's and all D7 B7 Em I sat by my record player playing ev'ry note they played. G A D I watched them all on TV making ev'ry move they made. D G Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life A G D All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moonlit summer nights. G I was so busy in the backroom writing love songs to you A G D While you were changing your direction and never even knew A G D That I was always just one step behind you. D G A '66 seemed like the year I was really going somewhere; D G A We were living in San Francisco with flowers in our hair, D7 B7 Em Singing songs of kindness so the world would understand, G A To the guys and me you were something more than just another band. D G A And then sixty-nine in L. A. came around so soon, D G A We were really making headway and writing lots of tunes, D7 B7 Em And we must have played the wildest stuff that we had ever played, G A D And the way the crowds cried out for us, we thought we had it made. D G Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life A G D All the crazy, lazy, young days, all the magic moon at night. G I was so busy on the road singing love songs to you, A G D While you were changing your direction and never even knew A G D That I was always just one step behind you. D G A Seventy-one and so alone when I met Susanne, D G A I was trying to go it solo with someone else's band. D7 B7 Em She came up to me later and I took her by the hand, G A And I told her all my troubles and she seemed to understand. D G A And she followed me through London, through a hundred hotel rooms, D G A Through a hundred record companies who didn't like my tunes; D7 B7 Em She followed me when finally I sold my old guitar, G A D She tried to help me understand I'd never be a star. D G Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life A G D All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moonlit summer nights. G And though I never knew the magic, of making it with you A G D That I thank the lord for giving me the little bit I knew A G D And I was always just one step behind you.