Author: Jim

Teach Your Children Well

Jim,

—Graham Nash
A:
You, who are on the road
Must have a code you try to live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a goodbye
B:
Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by
Feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's the one you'll know by
C:
Don't you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

A:
And you, of tender years
Can't know the fears your elders grew by
Help them with your youth
They seek the truth before they can die
B:
Teach your parents well
Their children's hell will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's the one you'll know by
C:
Don't you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

Repeat C

A:

I IV I V  :|

B:

I IV I (IIm) – V :|

C:

I IV I VIm
IV – V I


Cold Feet (Lefty's)

Jim,

—Lefty Frizzel

I met a gal when I was young and yes she won my heart
I promised to love and cherish her till death do us part
Now she is awful big and fat and not so very sweet
But what I hate most about her is she's always got cold feet

Chorus:
Cold feet, cold feet
What I hate most about her is she's always got cold feet

Now I come home all tired and sore cause I worked hard all day
I eat a bite read the news and then I hit the hay
About the time I settle down to get a little sleep
What I feel upon my back is nothing but cold feet

Chorus:
Cold feet, cold feet
What I feel upon my back is nothing but cold feet

Sometimes I think I'd rather be a tramp out on the street
Than have to live this kind of life with a pair of old cold feet
Now I don't mind that rollin' pin when she hits me over the head
But when she sticks them feet to me I wish that I was dead

Chorus:
Cold feet, cold feet
When she sticks them feet to me I wish that I was dead

Verse:

I I I V
V V V I  :|

Chorus:

IV IV I I
V V V I

You've Been A Friend To Me

Jim,

—The Carter Family

My bark of life was tossing down the troubled stream of time
Since first I saw your smiling face and youth was in its prime

Chorus:
Oh I'll never forget where'er I roam wherever you may be
If ever I have had a friend you've been that friend to me

Misfortune nursed me as her child and loved me fondly too
I would have had a broken heart had it not been for you

I now look back upon the past across life's troubled sea
And smile to think in all I've seen you've been a friend to me

Verse:

I IV I V
I IV I V-I

Chorus:

IV I I V
I IV I – V I

We'll Have A New Home In The Morning

Jim,

—Willard Robison

Verse:
Oh, ye careless daughters, gather round ye proud and boastful sons.
I've been preachin' in this schoolhouse askin' you to raise some buildin' funds.
Your contributions have been very slow. I ask the lord what I should do.
Now I have his answer bretheren, so I'll shout it out for you.

Chorus:
Bring along your hammer and bring along your nails, we'll have a new home in the morning
Bring along your hymn books we'll sit on cotton bales, and we'll sing a new song in the morning
You gotta start givin' before you can get, you gotta start doin' some things you haven't done yet
Bring along the old folks and bring the children, too. We'll have a new home in the morning.

Bridge:
We'll have a big camp meeting and a big revival day, we gotta have religion to keep that devil at bay.
We'll have a southern moon to shine on while we pray, we'll have a Swannee river to wash our sins away

Instrumental
Verse
Chorus

intro-verse—chorus—bridge—instrumental(ch)—verse—chorus—out

Verse:

I – IV I I – IV I
I – IV I I – IV I
V7 I V7 I
I – IV I V – II V

Chorus:

I – IV I – IV I – IV I
I – IV I – IV I – IV I
III7 III7 – IV II7 V7
I – IV I – IV I – IV I

Bridge:

I-IV I-IV I III7 I
I-IV I-IV I III7 I


So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed

Jim,

—Merle Travis, 1947

Verse 1:
So round, so firm, so fully packed, that's my gal
So complete, from front to back, that's my pal
Toasted by the sun, well I'm a son of a gun
If she don't make my five o'clock shadow come around at one.
You can bet your boots I'd walked a mile, through the snow
Just to see her tooth brushed smile they mentioned on the radio
If you don't think she's lot of fun just ask a man that owns one
So round, so firm, so fully packed, that's my gal.

Verse 2:
So round, so firm, so fully packed, that's for me
She's just like a money-back guarantee
Like a barfly goes for drink, like the bobbysocks go for Frank
And just like Jesse James, would go for money in the bank.
From head to foot she's a perfect size, she's a whiz
Always wears a forty-five, gun that is
She's got the looks that's so impressin'
She's got the pause that's so refreshin'
So round, so firm, so fully packed, that's my gal.

Tag
She's done told me I'm top hand
Won't be long till she wears my band
So round, so firm, so fully packed, that's my gal

Verse:

I II7 V7 I
III7 – VIm III7 – VIm V II7 – V7
I II7 V7 V7 – III7
I II7 I V – I

Tag:

I II7 I V – I

I Carried Water For The Elephant

Jim,

—Leroy Carr*

Circus came to town, to the circus I went
Didn't have a ticket, didn't have a cent
Circus man said to see the show without a cent
You got to carry water for the elephant

Instrumental

I carried water for the elephant
Back and forth to the well I went
Arms got sore and my back got bent
But I couldn't fill up the elephant

Instrumental

I said to the man in the standin' up collar
I bet four bits that elephant's a hollow
He gave me a ticket, said first you'll see
The animals in the menagerie.

Vamp:
First I saw the lion and the lion he roared: "A-Rrrrrrr"
Saw the wild duck and the wild duck quacked: "Quack, quack quack"
Saw the wild cat and the wild cat meowed: "Meow-ow"
Saw the old crow and the old crow cawed: "Caw caw caw"

Saw Mr. Possum sittin' on a limb
Big black bear sittin' next to him
Saw the old monkey like in a zoo,
and the wild rooster says cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo.

Instrumental

Saw the hippopotamus splash in the water
Tryin' to flirt with the crocodile's daughter
Saw the giraffe and the big kangaroo
Saw an owl holler, hoo hoo hoo"

Vamp:
Saw the wild birds and the birds sang sweet: "Tweet tweet tweet"
Saw the wild dogs and the wild dogs barked: "Arf arf arf"
Saw the cuckoo and the cuckoo cooed: "Cuckoo cuckoo"
Saw the hyena and the hyena laughed: "Ha ha ha"

I went down to the circus tent
Sure am doggone glad I went
Saw the whole show and didn't cost a cent
'Cause I carried water for the elephant

Instrumental

Verse:

I I I I
I I V V – I

Instrumental:

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


Papa's on the Housetop

Jim,

—Leroy Carr

Mama made Papa be quiet as a mouse
So Papa climbed up on top of the house
Made a lot of whoopee, made a lot of noise
Stood up and cheered with the rest of the boys.

Chorus:
Baby's in the cradle, brother's gone to town
Sister's in the parlor, trying on a gown
Mama's in the kitchen messing all around
Papa's on the house top, won't come down.

The blues they come, the blues they come
Nobody knows where the blues come from
The blues they go, the blues they go
And everybody's happy when the old blues go.

Chorus

Papa saw a chicken out in the yard
Picked up a rock and hit him hard
Hit him hard, killed him dead
Now the chicken's in the gravy and the gravy's on the bread.

Chorus

Hush-a-little baby, don't you cry
Blues gonna leave you by and by
Papa came in, it sure was cold
Put the baby in the cradle and the blues outdoor.

Chorus

Verse & Chorus:

I I I I – I7
IV IV V V – I
I I I I – I7
IV IV V V – I


Poor White Folks

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Stoney Creek

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Last Waltz

Jim,