This will be Fogerty's most enduring song. "Proud Mary" may be played
by more bands, "Bad Moon Rising" may be a signature song, and "Fortunate Son"
played at political rallies, but hundreds of years from now, when baseball
is still the same game, millions of kids will still be singing this
song every summer. A John Fogerty interview follows the tab.
CENTERFIELD by John Fogerty
intro/riff
e--------|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|
B--------|-------------|---0-3----------|-------------|----------------|
G--------|-----0-----2-|-0--------------|-----0-----2-|-0-2-4----------|
D--------|---2---0-4---|-------0--------|---2---0-4---|-------0--------|
A----0-2-|-3-----------|------------0-2-|-3-----------|------------0-2-|
E--3-----|-------------|----------3-----|-------------|----------3-----|
e--------------|----------------|
B--------------|---0-3----------|
G------0-----2-|-0--------------|
D----2---0-4---|-------0--------|
A--3-----------|------------0-2-|
E--------------|----------3-----|
... then play: |C |G |D | |G | |
G
:Well beat the drum and hold the phone
C G
:The sun came out today
Em D / Dsus4
:We're born again and there's new grass on the field...
G
:A-'roundin' third and a'headin' home
C G
:It's a brown-eyed handsome man...
D G
:Anyone can understand the way I feel.
:chorus
G C G
: Put me coach, I'm ready to play...today
G C G
: Put me coach, I'm ready to play...today
D
: Look at me I can be....
G
: Centerfield
:Well I spent some time .....
:chorus
:Got a beat-up glove a ....
:chorus
*************************
Here are the lyrics from a different transcription:
CENTERFIELD
by John Fogerty
Intro: G C D G (3x) C Bm Am D7
G
Well beat the drum and hold the phone
C G
The sun came out today
G Em D D7
We're born again there's new grass on the field
G
A-'roundin' third and headed for home
C G
It's a brown-eyed handsome man
C D G
Anyone can understand the way I feel.
chorus
G
Put me in Coach
C G
I'm ready to play today
G
Put me in Coach
C Bm
I'm ready to play today
Am
Look at me
D7
I can be
G
Centerfield
G
Well I spent some time in the Mudville Nine
C G
Watchin' it from the bench
G Em D D7
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Case struck out
G
So Say Hey Willie tell the Cobb
C G
And Joe DiMaggio
C
Don't say it ain't so
D G
You know the time is now.
chorus
intro
G
Got a beat-up glove a homemade bat
C G
And a brand new pair of shoes
G
You know I think it's time
Em D D7
To give this game a ride
G
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all
C G
A moment in the sun
C D G
It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye.
chorus
--
"I packed several images into "Centerfield." The only thing
I didn't include was that quote, "Son, it's a game of inches."
All the baseball stuff I could remember is in there. I really do
love baseball, so I didn't have to research it. Baseball is
something I've researched practically my whole life. When I sing,
"And you can tell that one good-bye," I'm quoting [former Giants
and A's announcer] Lon Simmons. "Centerfield" gets played almost
everywhere there's baseball. As you may know, I'm very touchy
about people using my songs in films and things. That other guy
who controls the Creedence stuff, he hardly ever says "no", but I
almost always say "no" to anybody using the songs I control. But
when little league teams call up and say they're making a video,
and they ask for the rights, usually that could mean thousands of
dollars. But I say, hell yes, go ahead and use it, that's what the song
is for; it's about baseball and America. No charge. I remember when
"Centerfield" had just come out, and I was up in Oregon at my little
place. There I was, it was 1985, with all these hunters and loggers,
it felt like I was at the end of the earth, watching the World Series
off a satellite dish at this little cafe that served burgers and beer.
The network started to play "Centerfield." One of my friends who
was working as a waitress during the busy season, she looked over
at me and I looked at her. She could tell I was bursting with fatherly
pride at my little child, my little song being played during the World
Series. Nobody else in the room knew I had written the song. If I had
been sitting in a Hollywood penthouse, it probably wouldn't have meant
anything, but to those guys coming out of the woods reeking of body odor
and beer, it was extremely cool. " John Fogerty