—Bill Monroe/Monroe Brothers

I wandered apart from my Savior my King
And I have no one on which I can lean
I came my poor soul for pleasure and joy
And now I'm alone, a poor wayward boy

Chorus:
What can I give (in exchange), what can I give (in exchange)
What can I give in exchange for my soul
If I possessed all silver and gold
I'd give it all up in exchange for my soul

Dear mother prayed in the past days of old
For me to reform for the sake of my soul
Raging (wagering?) and gambling for silver and gold
I accepted the pleasure of life for my soul

Jesus our Savior on the cross long ago
Suffered and died for his loved ones below
Please don't reject what is (safe?) and behold
Accept not one thing in exchange for your soul

3/4
Verse

I	I	I	I
I	I	V	V
I	I	I	I
V	V	I	I

 

—Bill Monroe/Monroe Brothers

There's not one price on the earth here below
That I'd accept in exchange for my soul
My home in the sky is dearer to me
Than all of the gold on land or on sea.

Chorus:
I won't accept (in exchange), I won't accept (in exchange)
No price I'd accept in exchange for my soul
In that fair land where the angels will sing
No price for my soul, I'd accept in exchange

Chorus

Others receive in exchange for their soul
Pleasure and joy and silver and gold
There's coming a time when the young and the old
Will gladly exchange everything for their soul

Chorus

Brother I warn you to stop and take heed
Your silver and gold some day you won't need
You cannot exchange your silver and gold
Or anything else in exchange for your soul

Chorus

3/4
Verse and Chorus

I	I	I	V
I	I	V	I

 

—The Monroe Brothers

Oh weary soul, there's coming a day
Oh weary soul then what will you say
The trumpet will sound, all hasten my friend
So what will you give for your soul in the end

Chorus:
What will you give (what will you give ) for your soul in the end
What will you give (what will you give ) for your soul in the end
The trumpet will sound, all hasten my friend
So what will you give for your soul in the end

Oh weary soul, the one who survived
For you and for me He suffered and died
He will return for judgement my friend
So what will you give for your soul in the end

Chorus

Some day the gate will swing open wide
Oh weary soul will you meet me inside
Silver and gold won't buy your way in
So what will you give for your soul in the end

Chorus

6/8
All

I	I	I	V
I	I	V	I

 

—Bill Monroe

Chorus:
Yippee ti yi yay, yippee ti yi yo
Down the Sunset Trail
I'm bound to go

Across the plains and the desert
Where the wild winds wail
Someone waits for me
On the Sunset Trail

From the east I will travel
to the west
Lookin' for the one
that I love best

I'll settle back
and then we are ridin'
and I won't stop
Until I'm by her side

Repeat Verse 1 & Chorus

Chorus & Verse:

|: I

I

V

I :|

 

—Bill Monroe

I don't know, I don't know where I'll go or what I'll do
It makes no difference what I do without you
Oh I love you my darling but I'll try and let you be
Goodbye, it's the last you'll hear of me

Chorus:
Well I found a bluebird high on a mountain side
And the little bird would sing its little song
So I'll sigh, I'll cry, I'll even want to die
For the one I love is gone

3/4
Verse

Im	IVm	Im	Im
Im	IVm	V	V7
Im	IVm	Im	Im
IVm	V7	Im	Im

Verse

IV	IVm	Im	Im
IVm	VII	III	V7
Im	Im	IVm	Im
Im	V	Im	Im

 

—Bill Monroe

Oh my brother take this warning
Don't let old Satan take your hand
You'll be lost in sin forever
You'll never reach the promised land

Chorus:
The old cross road now is waiting
Which one are you going to take
One leads down to destruction
The other to the pearly gate

One road leads up to heaven
The other goes down below
Jesus our savior will protect you
He'll guide you by the old cross road

Soon your life will be over
You'll have to face the old cross road
Will you be ready then my brother
To shun the one goes down below

All

|: I	I	I – V	I
I	I	I – V	I :|

 

—Bill Monroe

Springtime is near my darling
You say that you are going away
My heart will be with you my darling
And I'm counting now the days

Chorus:
I know that soon I'll have to travel
I know I'm over the hill
I feel so all alone my darling said she'd be gone
When I heard that first whippoorwill

The flowers are blooming little darling
With the budding of the trees
I hear the night birds a crying
I know that they are warning me

Our love was planted little darling
Just like the farmer plants his grain
But there will never be a harvest
On the hills the whippoorwill now sings

Verse

I	I	I-V	I
I	I	I-V	I

Chorus

IV	I	I	I
IV	I	I-V	I

 

—Bill Monroe

You went away to leave me here
To find somebody new
You're happy now with your new love
And I'm alone and blue

Chorus:
Shadows a creepin' around my door
The sun will soon go down
The nightbirds are cryin' away on the mountain
I'm the bluest man in town

You took away the love we knew
You wrecked our happy home
You left me with a broken heart
So blue and all alone

3/4
Verse and Chorus:

I	I	IV-V	I
I	I	I	I

 

—Bill Monroe

Oh the home above (repeat) so far away (repeat)
That's where we pray (repeat ) we'll live someday (repeat)
In the home above (repeat) beyond the starlight sky (repeat)
Where the soul of man (repeat) will never die (repeat)

Chorus:
I'm ready to leave (repeat ) this world below (repeat )
To the home above (repeat ) I'm ready to go (repeat)
Then mother will say (repeat) welcome home our son (repeat)
In a heavenly home (repeat ) our life has just begun (repeat)

Oh my mother and dad (repeat) have gone on before (repeat)
They're waiting for me (repeat) on the heavenly shore (repeat)
I long to see (repeat ) and shake their hand (repeat)
When I'm safe at home (repeat) as they had planned (repeat)

Oh the beautiful land (repeat ) where we'll never die (repeat)
That's where my soul (repeat) shall rest on high (repeat)
I'll sing and shout (repeat) for His face I'll see (repeat)
With God I'll rest (repeat) for eternity (repeat)

Verse

I	I	I	V
I	I	I-V	I

Chorus

V	I	V	I
I	I	V	I

 

It was long, long ago in the moonlight
We were sitting on the banks of the stream
When you whispered so sweetly, I love you
As the waters murmured a tune

Chorus:
Oh they tell me your love is like a flower
In the springtime blossoms so fair
In the fall then they wither away dear
And they tell me that's the way of your love

I remember the night, little darling
We were talking of days gone by
When you told me you always would love me
That for me your love would never die

It was spring when you whispered these words dear
The flowers were all blooming so fair
But today as the snow falls around us
I can see that your love is not there

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