They Never Came Home Chords & Lyrics - Christy Moore

[C] x32010
[G] 320033
[F] xx3211

picking pattern is base note then 2 plucks of 3 strings as tabbed below.
then at the end of the sentences a single strum for 2 bars (the extra bar on every 2nd line)

[G]xxxxxx [C]xxxxxx [F]xx1x1x
xx3x3x xx1x1x xx2x2x
xx0x0x xx0x0x xx3x3x
xx0x0x xx2x2x 0xxxxx
xxxxxx 3xxxxx xxxxxx
3xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

or just by string numbers if you dont understand tab yet
[G]6, 432, 432
[C]5, 432, 432
[F]4, 321, 321

[VERSES]
[C] [C] [G] [C]
[C] [C] [F] [G] [G]
[C] [C] [F] [C]
[C] [C] [G] [C] [C]

[F] [F] [C] [C]
[C] [C] [F] [G] [G]
[C] [C] [F] [C]
[C] [C] [G] [C] [C]

[CHORUS]
[F] [F] [C] [C]
[C] [C] [F] [G] [G]
[C] [C] [F] [C]
[C] [C] [G] [C] [C]

most notable memory aids are:
2nd half of verse and chorus are same chords,
2nd third and 4th lines of each section the same

[VERSE 1]
St. [C]Val-en-tine's [C]day comes a-[G]round once a [C]year,
our [C]thought turn to [C]love as the [F]day it draws [G]near, [G]
When [C]sweet-hearts and [C]dar-lings, [F]hus-bands and [C]wives,
Pledge [C]love and de-[C]vo-tion for.the [G]rest of their [C]lives [C]
As [F]day turns to [F]even-ing soon [C]night-time does [C]fall,
Young [C]peo-ple get [C]ready for the [F]Val-en-tine's [G]Ball, [G]
As the [C]night rings with [C]laugh-ter some [F]peo-ple still [C]mourn
The [C]for-ty eight [C]chil-dren who [G]ne-ver came [C]home [C]

[CHORUS]
[F]Have we for-[F]got-ten the [C]suff-ering and [C]pain
the sur-[C]viv-ors and [C]vic-tims of.the [F]fire in Ar-[G]tane, [G]
the [C]moth-ers and [C]fath-ers for-[F]ever to [C]mourn
the [C]for-ty eight [C]chil-dren who [G]ne-ver came [C]home. [C]

[VERSE 2]
it's [C]down to the [C]Star-dust they [G]all made their [C]way
The [C]boun-cers looked [C]on as they [F]lined up to [G]pay [G]
The [C]rec-ords are [C]spin-ning there's [F]dan-cing as [C]well
Just [C]how the fire [C]start-ed sure [G]no one can [C]tell. [C]
In.a [F]mat-ter of [F]sec-onds con-[C]fus-ion did [C]reign
The [C]room was in [C]dark-ness fire [F]ex-its were [G]chained[G]
The [C]fire-fight-ers [C]wept for [F]they could not [C]hide,
Their [C]sorr-ow and [C]an-ger for [G]those left in-[C]side. [C]

[CHORUS]

[VERSE 3]
All a-[C]round the [C]city the [G]bad news it [C]spread
There's a [C]fire in the [C]Star-dust there's [F]for-ty eight [G]dead [G]
[C]Hun-dreds of [C]chil-dren are [F]in-jured and [C]maimed
And [C]all just be-[C]cause the fire [G]ex-its were [C]chained.[C]
Our [F]lead-ers were [F]shocked, grim [C]state-ments were [C]made
They shed [C]tears by the [C]graves as.the [F]bo-dies were [G]laid [G]
The [C]vic-tims have [C]wait-ed in [F]vain for four [C]years
It [C]seems like our [C]lead-ers shed [G]croc-o-dile [C]tears.[C]

[CHORUS]

[VERSE 4]
Half a [C]mill-ion was [C]spent on so-[G]lic-itor's [C]fees,
A [C]for-tune to.the [C]ow-ner and [F]his fa-mil-[G]y [G]
It's [C]hard to be-[C]lieve not [F]one pen-ny [C]came
To the [C]work-ing class [C]peo-ple who [G]suff-ered the [C]pain. [C]
[F]Days turn to [F]weeks and [C]weeks turn to [C]years
Our laws [C]fav-our the [C]rich or [F]so it app-[G]ears [G]
A [C]wo-man still [C]waits for her [F]kids to come [C]home
In-[C]jus-tice breeds [C]an-ger and [G]that's what's been [C]done. [C]

[CHORUS]