Intro: E (See below for tab)
MI
When I woke up this mornin'
LA MI
I was tired as I could be
SI
I think I was countin' my money
LA MI
When I should a' been countin' sheep
My agent he just called me
And told me what I should be
If I would make my music for money
Instead of makin' music for me
Chorus
LA MI
I said, "I know that this may sound funny
LA MI
But money don't mean nothin' to me
LA MI
I won't make my music for money
SI MI
No, I'm gonna make my music for me"
He said, "The people only buy the love songs
Rock n' Roll and not too long"
He said, "Son you got to be commercial
If you want to turn the people on"
And I said, "Turnin' on the people
Now that's a beautiful place to be
But if I spend my time makin' them up a rhyme
Well, who's gonna turn on me?"
(Repeat Chorus)
Bridge: (Use bar/power chords)
D-E D-E D-E-D-B-A#-A-E-G
D-E D-E D-E-D-B-A#-A-E-G
Well now I went up to Country
And I'll tell you all about the scene
I found a place with much charm and much grace
That wasn't touched by the music machine
Whoa, the people were havin' a good time
Makin' music all day long
And nobody cared if they ever got paid
One penny for playin' a song
CHORUS (2x)
Intro tab:
e|---------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------|
D|-6---9-9--------6---9-9--------6---9-9-------------|
A|-7-------9-7----7-------9-7----7-------9-7-9---7---|
E|---------------------------------------------9-----|
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Intro DO SOL RE SOL
SOL
Oh I took a wrong turn, it was the right turn
DO SOL
My turn to have me a ball
SOL
Boys at the shop told me just where to stop
LA7 RE
If I wanted to play for it all
DO SOL DO
I didn't know I'd find her on daytime TV
DO SOL RE SOL
My whole world lies waiting behind door number three
SOL
I chose my apparel, I wore a beer barrel
DO SOL
And they rolled me to the very first row
SOL
I held a big sign that said, "Kiss me I'm a baker
RE SOL
And Monty I sure need the dough"
DO SOL DO
Then I grabbed that sucker by the throat until he called on me
DO SOL RE SOL
'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
DO SOL
And I don't want what Jay's got on his table
DO SOL
Or the box Carol Merrill points to on the floor
DO SOL
No I'll hold out just as long as I am able
RE SOL
Or until I can unlock that lucky door
DO SOL
Well, she's no big deal to most folks
RE SOL
But she's everything to me
DO SOL RE SOL
'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
Oh Monty, Monty, Monty, I am walkin' down your hall
Got beat, lost my seat, but I'm not a man to crawl
Though I didn't get rich, you son of a bitch
I'll be back just wait and see
'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
Yes my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
*This song was recorded with a capo 5 guitar, but
*I've arranged it here for a standard guitar.
Intro LA LAsus2
LA FA#m
If you ever get the chance to go to Dallas
RE LA
Take it from me pass it by
FA#m
'Cause you'll only sing the blues down in Dallas
RE LA
Take it from me don't go and cry
Chorus
MI
And I'm leavin' this town as soon as I can
SOL LA
Gonna stop off for awhile and see my woman
People do you wrong down in Dallas
I know well they've done it to me
Stealin' all your bread, they're so callous
I know well just look and see
(Repeat chorus)
Bridge:
RE SOL
Well, people like me just can't be free
RE SOL RE LA
The Provo man won't let us be-ee
RE SOL
If the people who knew could get away
RE SOL RE MI
I'm real sure they'd heed the day
(instrumental)
Yeah, now come on down and lose your mental balance
Look at me half crazy now
Oh, talkin' to chairs is strange and I know it
Look at me I'm doin' it know
(Repeat Chorus) (3x)
Chord Diagrams:
x02230 - LAsus2 244222 - FA#m
Intro SOL
SOL
Well now I'm in love with a fast-movin' angel
DO RE SOL
Dresses like the city girls do
DO RE SOL MIm
When we're apart there's no ache in my heart
DO RE SOL
When we're together we're a hell of a crew
Chorus
DO RE SOL
And I got presents to send you
DO RE MIm
Even got money to lend you
DO RE SOL
But honey I can never ever pretend
RE
You're not there on my mind
There sits a fifth of Tequila
God I swore I'd never drink it again
But my last little bout I had my hair pulled out
By a man who really wasn't my friend
And I know I'll never see him again
(Repeat chorus)
FA DO SOL
Yeah, I thought I might sail down to Bridgetown
FA DO SOL
Spend some time in the Barbados sun
FA DO
But my plans took a skid when I smoked a whole lid
LA7 RE
Wound up where I'd begun
(Repeat chorus)
(instrumental)
(Repeat chorus)
Intro RE REsus2
RE
Talkin' to myself again
LA
Wonderin' if this travellin' is good
Is there somethin' else a' doin'
RE
We'd be doin' if we could
Chorus
SOL LA RE
But ah, the stories we could tell
SOL LA RE
And if it all blows up and goes to Hell
SOL LA RE SOL
I wish that we could sit upon a bed in some motel
RE LA RE
Listen to the stories we could tell
RE
Stared at that guitar in that museum in Tennessee
LA
Nameplate on the glass brought back twenty melodies
RE SOL
Scars upon the face told of all the times he fell
RE LA RE
Singin' all the stories he could tell
Chorus
Ah, the stories he could tell
And I'll bet you it still rings like a bell
I wish that we could sit upon a bed in some motel
And listen to the stories it could tell
So if you're on the road trackin' down your every night
Playin' for a livin' beneath brightly colored lights
And if you ever wonder why you ride the carousel
You do it for the stories you can tell
Chorus
Ah, the stories we could tell
And if it all blows up and goes to Hell
I wish that we could sit apon a bed in some motel
And listen to the stories it could tell
SOL LA RE
I remember the smell of the creosote plant
MI FA#m SOLdim MI7 LA SIm DOdim LA
when we'd have to eat on Easter with my crazy old uncle and aunt
SOL LA RE
They lived in a big house Antebellum style
SOL RE SOL RE
and the wind would blow across the old bayou
LA RE
and I was a tranquil little child
Chorus
RE SIm
Life was just a tire swing
SOL RE
'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing
SOL RE
Black-berry pickin', eatin' fried chicken
SOL RE LA
and I never knew a thing about pain
SIm
Life was just a tire swing
In a few summers my folks packed me off to camp
yeah, me and my cousin' Baxter in our pup tent with a lamp
And in a few days Baxter went home, and he left me by myself
And I knew that I'd stay, it was better that way
and I could get along without any help
(2nd chorus)
Life was just a tire swing
'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing
Chasin' after sparrows with rubber-tipped arrows
knowin' I could never hurt a thing
and life was just a tire swing
SIm SOL FA#m MIm RE
And I've never been west of New Orleans nor east of Pensacola
SOL FA#m MI7 LA
My only contact with the outside world was an R.C.A. Victrola
SIm LA
And Elvis would sing and then I'd dream about expensive cars
MI7
and who would've figured twenty years later
LA MI7 FA#m7
I'd be rubbin' shoulders with the stars
SIm
Life was just a tire swing
Then the other morning on some Illinois road
I fell asleep at the wheel
But was quickly wakened up by a 'Ma Bell' telephone pole
and a bunch of Grant Wood faces screaming 'Is he still alive?'
But through the window I could see it hangin' from a tree
and I knew that I had survived
Last Chorus:
Life was just a tire swing
'Jambalaya's still the best song that I sing
Black-berry pickin', eatin' fried chicken
And I finally learned a lot about pain
'Cause life is just a tire swing
Life was just a tire swing
Chord diagrams:
FA#m - xx3222 FA#m7 - xx2222 SOLdim - xx2323
Bm - |xxo432| Cdim - |xx1212| Em7 - |o2oooo|
SOL
Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
DO RE LAm7 SOL
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
LAm RE LAm7 SOL
You've seen it all, you've seen it all
2)
Watched the men who rode you switch from sails to steam
And in your belly you hold the treasure that few have ever seen
Most of them dreams, most of them dreams
3)
Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late
4)
I've done a bit of smugglin', I've run my share of grass
I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast
Never meant to last, never meant to last
5)
I have been drunk now for over two weeks,
I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks,
But I've got stop wishin', got to go fishin'
I'm down to rock bottom again
Just a few friends, just a few friends
6)
I go for younger women, lived with several awhile
And though I ran away, they'll come back one day
And I still can manage a smile
It just takes a while, just takes a while
7)
Mother, mother ocean, after all these years I've found
My occupational hazard being my occupation's just not around
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown
DO
Lookin' back at my background
SOL7
Tryin' to figure out how I ever got here
Some things are still a mystery to me
DO DO7
While others are much too clear
FA
I'm just livin' in the sunshine
DO LAm
Stay contented most of the time
RE7
Yeah, listenin' to Murphy, Walker, and Willis
SOL SOL7
Sing me their Texas rhymes
Now most of the people who retire in Florida
Are wrinkled and they lean on a crutch
And mobile homes are smotherin' my keys
I hate those bastards so much
I wish a summer squall would blow them
All the way up to fantasy land
LAm RE7
Yeah, they're ugly and square, they don't belong here
FA SOL7 DO
They looked a lot better as beer cans
Chorus
LAm
Yeah and that's why it's still a mystery to me
SOL
Why some people live like they do
LAm
So many nice things happenin' out there
RE7 SOL
They never even seen the clues
FA
Oh, but we're doin' fine, we can travel and rhyme
DO LAm
I know we been doin' our part
FA DO
Got a Caribbean soul I can barely control
SOL7 LAm DO
And some Texas hidden here in my heart
Well, now I might have joined the Merchant Marine
If I hadn't learned how to sing
And on top of all that I got married too early
'Cost me much more than a ring
But now those crazy days are over
Just gotta learn from the wrong things you've done
I came off the rebound, started lookin' around
Figured out it's time to have a little fun
(repeat chorus)
Well, now if I ever live to be an old man
I'm gonna sail down to Martinique
I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit
And an African parakeet
And then I'll sit him on my shoulder
And open up my trusty old mind
I gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss
And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine
(repeat chorus, then)
FA DO
Yeah, got a Caribbean soul I can barely control
SOL7 FA SOL DO DO7
And some Texas hidden here in my heart
RE SOL RE
Squalls out on the gulf stream, big storms comin' soon
SOL RE MI7 LA7
I passed out in my hammock, God, I slept 'till way past noon
SOL RE
Stood up and tried to focus
DO SOL LA
I hoped I wouldn't have to look far
SOL RE
I knew I could use a Bloody Mary
LA7 RE
so I stumbled next door to the bar
Chorus
RE SIm FA#m
And now I must confess, I could use some rest
SOL LA7 RE
I can't run at this pace very long
SIm FA#m
Yes it's quite insane, I think it hurts my brain
SOL LA7 RE
But it cleans me out and then I can go on
There's something about this Sunday, it's a most peculiar gray
Strolling down the avenue that's known as A1A
I was feeling tired, then I got inspired
And I knew that it wouldn't last long
So all alone I walked back home, sat on my beach
and then I made up this song
(repeat chorus)
Well, the wind is blowin' harder now, fifty knots or there abouts
There's white caps on the ocean, and I'm watchin' for waterspouts
It's time to close the shutters, it's time to go inside
In a week I'll be in gay Paris
Well that's a mighty long airplane ride
(repeat chorus and fade)
Chord diagrams:
Bm - |xxo432| F#m - |xx4222| A7 - |xo2o2o| E7 - |o2o1oo|
Intro: A D D6 (see bottom for chord diagrams)
LA RE LA RE
LA RE LA
Nautical Wheelers who call themselves sailors
RE LA LA7
Play fiddle tunes under the stars
RE LA FA#m
Petti-coats rustle, working shoes scuffle,
SI7 MI
Hustle on down to the bars
RE LA LA7
Where the juke-box is blastin' and the liquor is flowin'
RE LA MI MI7
An occasional bottle of wine
RE LA
That's 'cause everyone here is just more than contented
MI MI7 RE LA
To be living and dying in three quarter time
Chorus
LA MI7 RE LA
And it's dance with me, dance with me Nautical Wheelers,
RE LA MI MI7
take me to stars that you know
FA#m RE LA
Come on and dance with me, dance with me Nautical Wheelers,
MI MI7 LA
I want so badly to go
Well, the left foot it'll follow
Where the right foot has travelled
Down to the sidewalks unglued
And into the street of my city so neat
Where nobody cares what you do
And Sonna's just grinnin' and Phil is ecstatic
And Mason has jumped in the sea
And I'm hangin' on to a line from my sailboat
MI7 LA
Oh, Nautical Wheelers save me
(repeat Chorus)
Well the sunrise will bring on
The sleep that's escaped us
And everyone's off to their beds
There'll be huggin' and squeezin'
A little pleazin' and teasin'
And rubbin' of each other's heads
So won't you dream on comrades, seems nothin' escapes you,
Nothin', no reason, nor rhyme
That's 'cause everyone here is just more than contented
To be living and dying in three quarter time
(repeat chorus and fade)
Chord diagrams: B7 - x212o2 D6 - xxo2o2
Intro SOL DO SOL SOL DO SOL
SOL DO SOL
I want to go back to the island,
DO RE SOL
where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin'
MIm
Give me oysters and beer
LA7 RE
for dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine
RE7
I'll feel fine
Chorus
DO RE SOL
'Cause I want to be there
RE
C |1. lie beside | Em
I want to go back down and |2. get high by | the sea there
|3. die beside |
DO SOL SI7 MIm
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
LA7 RE SOL DO SOL
and I'm a' chewin', on a honey-suckle vine
Yeah, now, the sun goes slidin' 'cross the water
Sailboats, they go searchin' for the breeze
Salt air it ain't thin, I can stick right to you skin
And make you feel fine
It makes you feel fine
(repeat chorus)
Yes, and now you heard my strange proposal
Get that pack gear up and let's move
I want to be there 'fore the day, tries to steal away
And leave us behind
I've made up my mind
(repeat chorus and fade)
Chords diagrams:
Em - |o22ooo| D7 - |xxo212| A7 - |xo2o2o| B7 - |x212o2|
|