I first came across “People in a Hurry” by Hamilton Camp on Slacker radio. I was probably listening to some crusty old folkie like Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk or even the big kahuna (Bob Dylan) when Slacker threw this cryptic little ditty my way. This was probably around 2007, because it coincides with the heyday of digitally downloaded music. This was the second mp3 song I bought (after Steve Goodman’s “Videotape”) on iTunes.

I always liked the song and felt like it should get some more recognition. The lyrics to me suggest an awareness of people wasting their lives saying and doing things of little consequence. Of course, the interpretation of consequence is the part that makes it interesting. Is political activism (anti-war, civil liberties, or otherwise) a respectable use of your days? Is the creation of art, for that matter, a good use of your time? Or, would we all be better off if our time was spent less on thinking and talking about existence and more on building things and pushing science to its limits? To that, I do not know.

What I do know is I like to hear this song and I wanted to share it when I play, so I wrote up the chart and the lyrics. I’ve shared them below if you’d also like to learn to play it. If you do, please share a link to a video or audio of your performance in the comments here. Would be great to see it someday.

Miles

The Chords

The chart is pretty straightforward but lacks a chorus. It’s more of a strophic verse thing with a slight variation for the intro.

Intro

C | Em | Am | F G |

chord chart


C | Em | Am | G |
F | Em Am | F | G |
F | Em | Am | C |
F | Em | F | Em |

Lyrics and chords

C Em
People in a hurry
Am G
Going nowhere in a hurry
F Em Am
Talking on of this and that
F G
Having nothing much to say

F Em
Smiling smiles that have no meaning
Am C
Outward laughing inward screaming
F Em
Devil take the one behind
F Em
And damn the one who's in my way

============
C Em
Give our children education
Am G
And we'll build a mighty nation
F Em Am
Teach them war and competition
F G
Pride of nation, race and kin

F Em
Dollars are the only measure
Am C
Dull the heart with empty pleasure
F Em
Fill the mind with thoughts and chatter
F Em
Never let the silence in
============
C Em
We have lost our sense of being
Am G
Seeing all yet never seeing
F Em Am
Grasping much and touching nothing
F G
Tasting nothing always filled
F Em
Racing hard with war and sorrow
Am C
Scheming for that sweet tomorrow
F Em
While today goes by neglected
F Em
Now is ever unfulfilled
==========

C Em
People, people in a hurry
Am G
Going nowhere in a hurry
F Em Am
Talking on of this and that
F G
And having nothing much to say

F Em
Smiling smiles that have no meaning
Am C
Outward laughing inward screaming
F Em
Devil take the one behind
F Em
And damn the one who's in my way

If you want to take it to go, grab the People in a Hurry by Hamilton Camp – Chords and Lyrics PDF.

More about Hamilton Camp

In addition to writing this song and having a great voice, Hamilton Camp enjoyed a stellar professional acting career. A tribute site with his music and career accolades has been built at hamiltoncamp.com.