Author: Jim

I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew

Jim,

—Tom T. Hall

The first strange town I was ever in
The county was hangin' a man
Nobody cared if he lived or died
And I just didn't understand

Chorus:
So I washed my face in the morning dew
Bathed my soul in the sun
Washed my face in the morning dew
And kept on movin' along

The second strange town I was in
They were laughing at a poor crippled man
Begging for nickels and dimes on the street
And I just didn't understand

Chorus

The third strange town that I was in
Was settled, peaceful and nice
The rich got richer and the poor got poorer
And to me it didn't seem right

Chorus

Some day times are bound to change
It can't be very far
And each injustice I have seen
Will come before the bar

Chorus
(last line changes to "And my journey will be done")

Verse:

|:  I IV – I I – V I  :|

Chorus:

IV I IV I
IV I I – V I

 

Thanks a Lot

Jim,

—Ernest Tubb

Chorus:
Thanks, thanks a lot
I got a broken heart that's all I've got
You made me cry and I cried a lot
I lost your love baby thanks a lot

You told our friend as I was passin' by
That you're not sorry that you made me cry
You said I deserve just what I got
Well if that's how you feel, honey thanks a lot

Chorus

You wanted a fool and I played the part
Now all I've got is a broken heart
We loved a little and laughed a lot
Then you were gone, honey thanks a lot

Chorus

Chorus & Verse:

I VIm I VIm
I IV I – V I

 


She's Gone, Gone, Gone

Jim,

—Harlan Howard, first recorded by Lefty Frizzel

She said if I ever deceived her
She'd be gone before I could count ten
I guess that I didn't believe her
'Cause look at the trouble I'm in

Chorus:
She's gone, gone, gone… gone, gone, gone
Crying won't bring her back
The more that I cry the faster that train flies
Farther on down the track

I've lost every right to be happy
When I lost the heaven I found
She warned me she'd leave and she left me
Before my first tear hit the ground

Chorus

If I only knew where to find her
I'd crawl there on my hands and knees
Each tick of the clock's a reminder
She's one second farther from me

Chorus

Verse & Chorus:

|:  I IV V I  :|

 

Farewell Blues 2

Jim,

(Couldn't find it on YouTube)

Will You Miss Me

Jim,

—The Carter Family

When death shall close these eyelids
And this heart shall cease to beat
And they lay this soul to rest
In a flowery boundary tree

Chorus:
Will you miss me? (miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me? (miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me? (miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

When these lips shall never more
Place a kiss upon thy brow
When my eyes close still in death
Will you love me then as now?

Or perhaps you'll plant some flowers
On my cold and unworthy grave
Come and sit alone beside me
When the roses nod and wave

Verse:

I I IV I
I I V V – I

Chorus:

I I 1/2 measure IV I 1/2 measure
I I 1/2 measure V V – I 1/2 measure

 


Original Carter lyrics (1935):

When death shall close these eye lids
And this heart shall cease to beat
And they lay me down to rest
In some flowery bound retreat

Chorus:
Will you miss me? (Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me? (Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me? (Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

Perhaps you'll plant a flower
On my poor unworthy grave
And come and sit alone beside me
When the roses nod and wave

When these footsteps ne'er are heard
And these lips are pale and cold
In a winding sheet of daisies
This frail body you'll enfold

Louisville Breakdown

Jim,



Steer Me On the Righteous Pathway

Jim,

—The Stanley Brothers

In our church house Sunday morning
Sat a man unwelcome there
Judged by men and not by Jesus
He lifted up his voice in prayer

Chorus:
Steer me on the righteous pathway
Help me humbly to abide
Hold me to thy precious bosom
Let me walk, Lord, by your side

Several silent moments followed
It seemed there's no one in the room
When a voice spoke like thunder
Said, "Look for Me, I'm coming soon.

Such a change I never witnessed
Tear-stained eyes were plainly showin'
As they gathered 'round the stranger
Sayin', "God bless you, you're welcome home."

Verse:

|:  I I I – V I  :|

Chorus:

I I I – V I – I7
IV I I – V I

(a.k.a. Let Me Walk, Lord, By Your Side)
 

Sophronie

Jim,

—Jimmy Martin

My Sophronie's from Kentucky, she's found another man
Can't even kiss her, can't even hold her hand
The moon we used to love beneath is still up in the sky
But now I'm just a hotshot with a teardrop in my eye

Chorus:
Love em and leave em, kiss em and grieve em
That used to be my motto so high
Till my Sophronie left me so lonely
Now there's teardrops in my eyes

Till Gabriel blows his bugle, I'll be loving that sweet girl
She means more to me than the whole wide world
I used to be a killer with the women me-oh-my
But now I'm just a hot shot with a teardrop in my eye

I used to slay the pretty girls from Maine to Alabam
Until I met Sophronie and then she let me down
I seen so many pretty eyes and filled with bitter tears
Find em, forget em, but now I have my fears

Verse:

|:  I I IV IV
V V V I  :|

Chorus:

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

Virginia Darlin'

Jim,



 

You Can Have Her (I Don't Want Her)

Jim,

—Bill Cook

Chorus:
You can have her, I don't want her
She didn't love me anyway
She only wanted someone to play with
And all I wanted was love to stay

The girl I love, she up and left me
She ran away with my best friend
She comes in around midnight
Daylight comes, she's gone again

Chorus

Now life gets… mighty empty
Without love to call your own
I'd rather have love that I can cling to
Than have the world and all of it's gold

Chorus

If you're in love with the wrong woman
There's just one thing that you can do
Just dig a hole and crawl right in it
And pull the ground right over you

Chorus x 2

Chorus and Verse:

I IV I V
I IV I – V I



Break from SPBGMA 2020 YouTube Video