Boy In The Background

Intro 

Fmaj7 A7sus Am 
Fmaj7 A7sus Am 



              Fmaj7            A7sus 
He sat in the back, head down, quiet and small 
Am                                         Fmaj7 
Never raised his hand, never spoke at all 
              A7sus                  Am 
Marched home alone down that same old street 

Fmaj7                A7sus                Am 
  He walked like his backpack was made of stone 
(Am) 
  Kicking rocks as he wandered home 
Fmaj7                 A7sus       Am 
  He fought wars that nobody could see 


N.C.          F                      E           Am 
He was just a boy in the background, fading away 
        F                          E                 Am 
Just a whisper in the hall, just a face with no name 
           F              E            Am 
But he had dreams, he had fire, he had stories to tell 
                        F            E 
He was screaming on the inside where no one could 
              Am 
No one could, no one could, hear him yell 

Break 
F Dm Am 
F Dm Am 



N.C.              Fmaj7     A7sus 
His mother worked late, his father was gone 
Am 
Left to raise himself, left to carry on 
Fmaj7               A7sus                 Am 
  He learned how to smile like nothing was wrong 

                Fmaj7               A7sus 
He learned real fast how to play pretend 
            Am 
That people hate when you don't blend in 
          Fmaj7                 A7sus 
So no one asked if he was okay 
       Am 
No one stopped to watch him fade 


N.C.          F                      E           Am 
He was just a boy in the background, fading away 
        F                          E                 Am 
Just a whisper in the hall, just a face with no name 
           F              E            Am 
But he had dreams, he had fire, he had stories to tell 
                        F            E 
He was screaming on the inside where no one could 
              Am 
No one could, no one could, hear him yell 

Break 
F Dm Am 
F Dm Am 



Fmaj7  A7sus      Am 
  Then one day he vanished, like he was never there 
Fmaj7 A7sus Am 
  An empty desk, and an empty chair 
Fmaj7       G               Am 
  And suddenly, the absence met their eyes 
         Fmaj7            E7        Am 
Now they saw him, but too late this time 

Fmaj7                        Am 
  He was never just a shadow, never just a name 
Fmaj7                             Am 
  He was more than just a whisper, more than just a face 


N.C.       Fmaj7          E            Am 
And he had dreams, he had fire, he had stories to tell 
                       Dm7         E 
But without someone to listen, his silence 
                 Am                 N.C. 
His silence, his silence, became his tale 

Fmaj7      Dm7               Am 
  Now they speak his name in candlelight 
Fmaj7        Dm7            Am 
  And wonder why they never saw his fight 
         F                        E 
Maybe if someone had stopped that day 
         Am 
Maybe if someone had looked his way 
         Dm                     E 
Maybe if someone had called his name 
           Am 
The boy no one knew would have stayed 

Outro 
F Dm 
Am 
Mmm... 
F Dm 
Am 
Mm... 
                     F                    Dm 
So if you ever see a boy in the background 
      Am 
Maybe look his way, before he fades 
                     F                        Dm 
He's silent cause he learned not to make sound 
      Am 
Maybe tell him it'll be okay... 
             Fmaj7          A7sus               Am 
Cause he has dreams, he has fire, but he's been strong for too long 
                         F     C     E                 Em 
He just needs someone to listen, for someone to hear his... song