Author: Jim

Brown's Ferry Blues

Jim,

—Alton Delmore

Hard luck papa can't stand his ground,
He was a good papa, but he done gone down.
Lawd, Lawd, got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Hard luck papa standing in the rain,
If the world was corn he couldn't buy grain.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Two old maids, playing in the sand,
Each one a-wishin' that the other'n was a man.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Two old maids done lost their style,
If you want to be lucky you've got to smile.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Hard luck papa countin' his toes,
You can smell his feet wherever he goes.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Hard luck papa can't do his stuff,
The trouble with him, he's been too rough.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Early to bed and early to rise,
And your girl goes out with other guys.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

If you don't b'lieve it, try it yourself;
I tried it but I got left.
Lawd, Lawd, he got them Brown's Ferry Blues!

Verse (roughly):

I I IV IV
I I* V V
I I IV IV
I V* I I

*Gets extra beat singing, but not instrumental break


Doc's Lyrics:

Hard luck papa comin' down the lane
Mama give him back his walkin' cane
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
Thrown it away and he went to town
To see that woman and now he's down
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues

Hard luck papa gettin' too tired
If he don't quit drinkin', he'll be high as a kite
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
He's drinkin' that block and tackle kind
He can walk a block and tackle a lion
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues

I walked up to my girl's old man
And I asked him for my true love's hand
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
He said, "You la-la-little galoot"
And instead of her hand, I got his foot
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues

Hard luck papa standin' in the rain
If the world was corn, he couldn't buy grain
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
He runs around in secondhand clothes
You can smell his feet wherever he goes
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues

Revenue man took my gin
I hope they won't come back again
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
Took my sweetie with them too
'Cause she'd had a little drink or two
Lord, Lord, I got them Brown's Ferry blues
Said that's why he took her

Not Gonna Cry Over You

Jim,

—A.J. Lee

My little darlin' you took my heart
I loved you so, I loved you true
You've found another while I was sleepin'
Not gonna cry cry cry over you

Chorus
I don't want you, crawlin' near
I've heard all I need to hear
I'll find another, one that's true
Not gonna cry cry cry over you

Now come tell me of your love
You were the one I'd fallen to
Now you're gone, and I'm not dying
Not gonna cry cry cry over you

Chorus

Are you happy now it's over
Are you happy as can be
Well I'm long gone, with another
You're gonna cry cry cry over me

Chorus

I'll find another, one that's true
Not gonna cry cry cry over you

Verse:

I I I I
I I V V
III III IV IV
I V I I

Chorus:

IV IV I I
I I V V
IV IV I I
I V I I

My Heart Skips a Beat

Jim,

—Buck Owens

Chorus:
Oh, my heart skips a beat when we
walk down the street
I feel a trembling in my knees
And just to know you're mine until the end of time
Makes my heart skip a beat

Well, I did a double take the day I met you
My heart turned a flip as I stood next to you
And I knew right there I never could forget you
For you are my every dream come true every dream come true

Chorus

You came into my life without a warning
And you turned my cloudy skies from gray to blue
You're my sunshine that comes up every morning
Yes you are my every dream come true

Chorus:

I IV V I
I IV V I

Verse:

I V V I
I IV V I

 

Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia

Jim,

—Bruce Phillips

Chorus:
The green rolling hills of West Virginia
Are the nearest thing to Heaven that I know,
Though the times are sad and drear' and I cannot linger here,
They'll keep me and never let me go.

My Daddy said, "Don't ever be a miner,
For a miner's grave is all you'll ever own.
Oh it's hard times everywhere, I can't find a dime to spare,
These are the worst times I've ever known."

Chorus

Oh I'll move away into some crowded city,
In some Northern factory town you'll find me there.
Though I'll leave the past behind, I will never change my mind,
These troubled times are more than I can bear.

Chorus

And someday I'll go back to West Virginia,
To the green rolling hills I love so well.
Yes, someday I'll go home, and I know I'll right some wrongs,
These troubled times will follow me no more.

Yes, someday I'll go home, and I know I'll right ssome wrongs,
And these troubled times will follow me no more.

Verse & Chorus:

I V I I
IV IV V V
I I IV IV
I V I I

 

Willow Springs

Jim,


Leave It to Beaver

Jim,
Fancy version with modulations

The Fields Have Turned Brown

Jim,

—Carter Stanley

I left my old home to ramble this country
My mother and dad said son don't go wrong
Remember that God will always watch o'er you
And we will be waiting for you here at home

Chorus:
Son don't go astray was what they both told me
Remember that love for God can be found
But now they're both gone this letter just told me
For years they've been dead, the fields have turned brown

For many long years this world I have rambled
No thoughts of the day when I would return
Now as I go home and find no one waiting
The price I have paid to live and to learn

Verse:

I I I I
IV IV I I
IV IV I I
V V I I

Chorus:

|:   IV IV I I
V V I I   :|


Dim Lights Thick Smoke

Jim,

—Joe Maphis, Rose Lee Maphis, and Max Fidler

Chorus:
Dim lights, thick smoke, and loud, loud music
Is the only kind of life you'll ever understand
Dim lights, thick smoke and loud, loud music
You'll never make a wife to a home-loving man

A home and little children mean nothing to you
A house filled with love and a husband so true
You'd rather have a drink with the first guy you meet
And the only home you'll know is the club down the street

A drinking and dancing to a honky tonk band
Is the only kind of life you'll ever understand
Go out and have your fun, you think you've played it smart
I'm sorry for you and your honky tonk heart

Verse & Chorus:

I I I IV
I I I V
I I I IV
I I V I


If That's the Way You Feel

Jim,

—Ralph & Peggy Stanley
I don't blame you for I know you want him
That your love for me was never real
I could hold you but you'd be unhappy
But it's alright if that's the way you feel

Chorus:
I know that I will always go on caring
And my feelings now I must conceal
I still need you and I want you with me
But it's alright if that's the way you feel

I always knew some day I would lose you
When those lies about me were revealed
Its plain to see sweetheart you believe them
But its alright if that's the way you feel

Verse:

I – IV I V I
I – IV I V I

Chorus:

IV I V I
I – IV I V I

 

Stumptown Stomp

Jim,