[Intro]
G Bb G Bb C x8
[Verse]
G Bb G Bb C
On July second, 1953
G Bb G Bb C
I was serving time for armed robbery
G Bb G Bb C
'Bout four in the morning
G Bb G Bb C
I was sleepin' in my cell
I heard a whistle blow, I heard somebody yell
[Chorus]
F
There's a riot goin' on
C
There's a riot goin' on
G
There's a riot goin' on
F
Up in cell block number nine
[Verse]
G Bb G Bb C
The trouble started in cell block number four
G Bb G Bb C
It spread like fire across the prison floor
G Bb G Bb C
I said "Come on boys, get ready to run -
Here comes the warden with a tommy gun"
[Chorus]
F
There's a riot goin' on
C
There's a riot goin' on
G
There's a riot goin' on
F
Up in cell block number nine
[Verse]
The warden said
G Bb G Bb C
"Come out with your hands up in the air
If you don't stop this riot
G Bb G Bb C
You're all gonna get the chair"
G Bb G Bb C
Scarface Jones said, "It's too late to quit
And pass the dynamite, 'cause the fuse is lit"
[Chorus]
F
There's a riot goin' on
C
There's a riot goin' on
G
There's a riot goin' on
F
Up in cell block number nine
[Verse]
The ninety-second hour
G Bb G Bb C
The tear gas got our men
Crawled in our cells, but every now and then...
[Outro]
F
There's a riot goin' on
C
There's a riot goin' on
G
There's a riot goin' on
F
Up in cell block number nine