The Dirty South


WHERE THE DEVIL DON'T STAY E E G My Daddy played poker on a stump in the woods back in his younger days A E Prohibition was the talk, but the rich folks walked to the woods where my Daddy stayed E G Jugs and jars from shiners, these old boys here, they ain't miners A They came from the twenty-niners E It didn't take a hole in the ground to put the bottom in their face E, G, A, E E, G, A, E Back in the thirties when the dust bowl dried And the woods in Alabama didn't see no light My Daddy played poker by a hard wood fire Squeezing all his luck from a hot copper wire Scrap like a wildcat fights till the end Trap a wildcat and take his skin Deal from the bottom, put the ace in the hole One hand on the jug but you never do know D, A, C, G D Son come running A You better come quick C G This rotgut moonshine is making me sick D A Your Mama called the law and they're gonna take me away C G Down so far even the Devil won't stay Where I call to the Lord with all my soul I can hear him rattling the chains on the door He couldn't get in I could see he tried Through the shadows of the cage around the forty watt light Daddy tell me another story Tell me about the lows and the highs Tell me how to tell the difference between what they tell me is the truth or a lie Tell me why the ones who have so much make the ones who don't go mad With the same skin stretched over their white bones and the same jug in their hand My Daddy played poker on a stump in the woods back when the world was gray Before black and white went and chose up sides and gave a little bit of both their way The only blood that's any cleaner is the blood that's blue or greener Without either you just get meaner and the blood you gave gives you away Lyrics by Mike Cooley and Ed Cooley (based on a poem by Ed Cooley) / Music by Drive-By Truckers © Wayward Johnson's Music (BMI) / The Minor Hill Singers: Jason Isbell, Kimberly Morgan Shonna Tucker __________________________________________________________________________________ TORNADOES Make an E chord, then move it up to the B and A position as listed below: B variation E-0 B-0 G-8 D-9 A-9 E-0 A variation E-0 B-0 G-6 D-7 A-7 E-0 (E)Clouds started forming, (B)5:00 PM. (A)Funnel clouds touched down 5 miles (E)north of Russellville... repeat through verse... the other part for the "pieces of that truckstop" part is something like this: --------------------------0-----------| -----------------------------3--------| ---------------------0---------0------| ---------------2-------2----------0---| ------0-2-3------3--------------------| 0-3-----------------------------------| __________________________________________________________________________________ THE DAY JOHN HENRY DIED G D Cadd9 Em7 I watched the rain; it settled in. We disappeared for days again. G D Cadd9 G Most of us were staying in, lazy like the sky. G D Cadd9 Em7 The letters flew across the wire filtered through a million liars. G D Cadd9 G The whole world smelled like burning tires the day John Henry died. We knew about that big machine that ran on human hope and steam. Bets on John were far between and mostly on the side. We heard he put up quite a fight. His hands and feet turned snowy white. That hammer rang out through the night the day John Henry died. Em7 Cadd9 G D When John Henry was a little bitty baby Em7 Cadd9 G D nobody ever taught him how to read Em7 Cadd9 G D but he knew the perfect way to hold a hammer Cadd9 Am was the way the railroad baron held the deed. It didn't matter if he won, if he lived, or if he'd run. They changed the way his job was done. Labor costs were high. That new machine was cheap as hell and only John would work as well, so they left him laying where he fell the day John Henry died. John Henry was a steel-driving bastard but John Henry was a bastard just the same. An engine never thinks about his daddy and an engine never needs to write its name. So pack your bags, we're headed west and L.A. ain't no place to rest. You'll need some sleep to pass the test, so get some on the flight and say your prayers John Henry Ford 'cause we don't need your work no more. You should have known the final score the day John Henry died. Jason Isbell © House of Fame Music (BMI) __________________________________________________________________________________ PUTTIN' PEOPLE ON THE MOON I found this one on allcountrytabs, but I didn't see an author. If you need credit for please let us know. Em Mary [Em] Alice had a baby and he looked just like I did We got [Em] married on a Monday and I been working ever since Every [Am] week down at the Ford Plant but now they say they're shutting down God Damned [Em] Reagan in the White House and no one there gives a damn Double [Am] Digit unemployment, TVA be shutting soon While [Em] over there in Huntsville, They puttin' people on the moon So I [Em] took to runnin' numbers for this man I used to know And I [Em] sell a few narcotics and I sell a little blow [Am] I ain't getting rich now but I'm gettin' more than by Ain’t it [Em] tough to make a living but a man just got to try If I [Am] died in Colbert County, Would it make the evening news? They too [Em] busy blowin' rockets, Puttin' people on the moon [C] [C/B] [Am] [Em] Mary [C] Alice quit [C/B] askin' why I [Am] do the things I [Em] do I ain't [C] sayin' that she [C/B] likes it, but what [Am] else I'm gonna [Em] do? If I could [C] solve the world's [C/B] problems, Probably [Am] start with hers and [Em] mine But they can put a [C] man on the [C/B] moon And I'm [Am] stuck down here just scraping by Mary [Em] Alice got cancer just like everybody here Seems [Em] everyone I know is gettin' cancer every year And we [Am] can't afford no insurance, I been 10 years unemployed So she [Em] didn't get no chemo so our lives was destroyed And [Am] nothin' ever changes, the cemetery gets more full And [Em] over there in Huntsville, even NASA's shut down too Another [Em] Joker in the White House, said a change was comin' round But I'm [Em] workin' at The Wal Mart and Mary Alice, in the ground And [Am] all them politicians, they’re all lyin' sacks of **** They say [Em] better days upon us but it’s sucking left hind tit And the [Am] preacher on the TV says it ain't too late for me But I [Em] bet he drives a Cadillac and I'm broke with some hungry mouths to feed [C] [C/B] [Am] [Em] 2X And I [C] wish I'z still an [C/B] outlaw, was a [Am] better way of [Em] life I could [C] clothe and feed my [C/B] family Still have [Am] time to love my [Em] pretty wife [C] [C/B] [Am] [Em] And if you [C] say I'm being [C/B] punished. Ain’t got [Am] better things to [Em] do? Turnin' [C] mountains into [C/B] oceans Puttin' [Am] people on the [Em] moon [C] [C/B] [Am] [Em] Turnin' mountains into oceans Puttin' people on moon OUT over D slide to Emhe moon Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers (I-24E and I-75S Nashville to Atlanta - 11/19/2003) © Dump Music (BMI) Piano - David Barbe __________________________________________________________________________________ CARL PERKINS' CADILLAC Notes: I'm not sure of the names of some of these chords, but I can correct them if I'm wrong. The F#/G thing is the chord when you move your finger to the 2nd fret of the low E while playing G. Same thing with the B/C. The C chord is the one that you make while pressing the 3rd of the high E and B strings... Also, this song is tuned down a whole step, as are most of their songs... G F#/G Em D G F#/G Em D G F#/G Em Life ain't nothin' but a blendin' up all the ups and downs C Damn it, Elvis, don't you know? D You made your mama so proud. G F#/G Em Before you ever made that record, before there ever was a Sun C D Before you ever lost that Cadillac, the Carl Perkins one. G F#/G Em D (2x) G F#/G Em Mr. Phillips found ol' Johnny Cash when he was high C high before he ever took those pills D and he's still too proud to die. G F#/G Em Mr. Phillips never said anything behind nobody's back C like damn it Elvis, don't he know? D He ain't no Johnny Cash C B/C A F#/ Mr. Phillips was the only man that Jerry Lee still would call sir Em D I just wish Mr. Phillips did all of y'all, bout as good as you deserved C B/C He did just what he said he's gonna do A G F#/G and the money came in sacks. Em D New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac I got friends in Nashville, or at least they're folks I know Nashville is where you go to see if what they said is so Carl drove his brand new Cadillac to Nashville and he went downtown This time they promised him a Grammy He turned his Cadillac around Mr. Phillips never blew enough hot air to need a little gold plated paperweight He promised him a Cadillac and put the wind in Carl's face He did just what he said he was gonna do and the money came in sacks New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac Dammit Elvis, I swear son I think it's time you came around Making money you can't spend ain't what being dead's about You gave me all but one good reason not to do all the things you did Now Cadillacs are fiberglass, if you were me you'd call it quits Mike Cooley / Drive-By Truckers © Wayward Johnson's Music (BMI) 12 String Electric Hagstrom Guitar - Jason Isbell __________________________________________________________________________________ THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA (I think I found this one on panicfreaks.org. If you need credit for it, please let us know. Not sure if I am calling these Em chords by the right name so here is how I finger them, to high: Em/G- 020033 E/Bm7- 020032 [Em/G] [E/Bm7] [D] [Am] 2X George [Em/G] A. was at the [E/Bm7] movies in [D] December '4 [Am] 1 They [Em/G] announced it in the [E/Bm7] lobby what had [D] just gone [Am] on [Em/G] He drove up from [E/Bm7] Birmingham back [D] to the family's [Am] farm Thought he'D [Em/G] get him A de[E/Bm7]ferment There was [D] much work to be [Am] done He was a [Em/G] family man, [E/Bm7] [D] even in those [Am] days But [Em/G] Uncle Sam de[E/Bm7]cided he was [D] needed any [Am] way [Em/G] In the South Pa[E/Bm7]cific over [D] half a world [Am] away He be[Em/G]lieved in God and [E/Bm7] Country, things was [D] just that [Am] way Just that [F] way [G] [Em/G] [Am] - [Em/G] [Am] When [F] I was just a kid I [G] spent every weekend On the [Em/G] farm that he grew up on so I [Am] guess so did I And we'd [F] stay up watching movies on the [G] black and white TV We watched [Em/G] "The Sands of Iwo Jima" starring [Am] John Wayne [Em/G] [E/Bm7] [D] [Am] 2X [Em/G] Every year in [E/Bm7] June George A. goes to A [Am] reunion Of the [Em/G] men that he [E/Bm7] served with And their [D] wives and kids and [Am] grandkids My Great [Em/G] Uncle used to [E/Bm7] take me and I'd [D] watch them re[Am]collect about some [Em/G] things I [E/Bm7] couldn't compre[D]hend [Am] And I [F] thought about that movie, asked [G] if it was that way He just [Em/G] shook his head and smiled at me in [Am] such a loving way As he [F] thought about some friends he will [G] never see again He said "I [Em/G] never saw John Wayne on the [Am] sands of Iwo Jima" [Em/G] [E/Bm7] [D] [Am] 4X Most [Em/G] of those men are [E/Bm7] gone now but he goes [D] still every [Am] year And [Em/G] George A's still doing [E/Bm7] fine, [D] especially for his [Am] years He's still [Em/G] living on that [E/Bm7] homestead in the [D] house that he was [Am] born in And I [Em/G] sure wish I could [E/Bm7] go see him to[D]day [Am] He [F] never drove a new car though he could [G] easily afford it He'd just [Em/G] buy one for the family and take what [Am] ever no one wanted He said a [F] shiny car didn't mean much after [G] all the things he'd seen George [Em/G] A. never saw John Wayne on the [Am] sands of Iwo Jima [Em/G] [Am] repeat 1X Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers (October 19, 2003) © Soul Dump Music (BMI) Banjos - Mike Cooley / Fender Rhodes - David Barbe / Harmonica - Mike Cooley __________________________________________________________________________________ DANKO / MANUEL Let the night air cool you off. Tilt your head back and try to cough. Don't say nothing 'bout the things you never saw. Let the night air cool you off. I ain't living like I should. A little rest might do me good. Got to sinking in the place where I once stood. Now I ain't living like I should. Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold. Maybe I can only hear it in my head. Fifteen years ago we owned that road now it's rolling over us instead. Richard Manuel is dead. God forbid you call their bluff. Like the nightmares ain't enough. Remember when we used to think that we were tough? God forbid you call their bluff. First they make you out to be the only pirate on the sea. Then they say Danko would have sounded just like me. "Is that the man you want to be?" Can you hear that song? It sounds like gold. Maybe I could make it bigger overseas. Fifteen years ago we owned this road now it only gives us somewhere else to leave. Something else you can't believe. Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold. Maybe I can hear poor Richard from the grave singin' where to reap and when to sow when you've found another home you have to leave. Something else you can't believe. Jason Isbell © House Of Fame Music (BMI) Mellophones and Fender Rhodes - Jason Isbell __________________________________________________________________________________ BOYS FROM ALABAMA (chords submitted by William Montgomery) Intro – Em7 G Asus2 Cadd9 Em7 G Well, they caught you smoking grass and the judge threw the book Asus2 Cadd9 I can see a little opportunism in your look You can take it from me, boy You can take it from a crook I got friends on the inside and friends on the outside They'll sneak up beside you so keep on their good side Em7 G I can see you standing there, staring down at your shoes Asus2 Cadd9 Thinking about your Mom and Dad and wondering what to do Well you best look inside yourself, boy, we're all watching you We got friends in jail who will see you through Boy, don't forget, no matter what you do G Don't piss off the Boys from Alabama Asus2 Cadd9 You know they won't let it slide G They might find your body in the Tennessee River Asus2 Cadd9 or they might not find you at all G There'll be no place to run and hide Asus2 Cadd9 and your family ain't safe at all G Don't piss off the Boys from Alabama Asus2 Cadd9 We're keeping an eye on you Em7 G Asus2 Cadd9 Keeping an eye on you G Don't piss off the Boys from Alabama Asus2 Cadd9 Better take it like a man Ain't nobody gonna stick anything up your ass If you remember who your friends are We got good help down in Franklin County They'll hunt you like a dog You can take your fall or lose it all The choice is up to you (to outro) Em walk up to C (Em, F#, G, C) I wouldn't piss off the Boys from Alabama if I was you Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers © Soul Dump Music (BMI) Wurlitzer - Jason Isbell / B3 - David Barbe / Banjo - Mike Cooley / Auto Parts - The Line Chain Gang __________________________________________________________________________________ COTTONSEED (Thanks to Alec Riedl for sending this one). Tune down full step and drop E string to C Intro: Dm C Dm hammer the high e (actually d) string for accents throughout Dm F C I came to tell my story to all these young and eager minds C Dm To look in their unspoiled faces and their curious bright eyes Stories of corruption, crime and killing, yes it's true Greed and fixed elections, guns and drugs and whores and booze It's been a while since I put on a suit of my own clothes And even longer since I cast my shadow on a church house door They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all G I used to have a wad of hundred dollar bills in the back pocket of my suit C Dm I had a .45 underneath my coat and another one in my boot I drove a big ole Cadillac, bought a new one anytime I pleased And I put more lawmen in the ground than Alabama put cottonseed I spent a few years on vacation, sanctioned by the state I mentioned But a man like me don't do no time too hard to come back from The meanest of the mean, I see you lock away and toss the key But they're all just loud mouth punks to me, I've scraped meaner off my shoe Somewhere, I ain't saying, there's a hole that holds a judge The last one that I dug myself And I must admit I was sad to lay him in it, but I did the best I could Once his Honor grows a conscience, well folks, that there just ain't no good Dm F G There's a pretty girl out there said "Daddy, you stay cool tonight C B/C A Dm All I need from you is to come home and be here by my side Dm F G Say what you gotta say to shut their Bibles and their mouths C B/C A Dm If they was to tie a noose, they'd have to lay their Bibles down" I ain't here to save no souls and even if I could I could never save enough to put back half the ones I took So if they rest in torment you can't say it's cause of me They'd long been bought and paid for like that fool's in Tennessee Mike Cooley / Drive-By Truckers © Wayward Johnson's Music (BMI) __________________________________________________________________________________ THE BUFORD STICK (The Legend of Sheriff Buford Pusser) Play this 3x, then add C and G chords at the end. (C and G chords are repeated right before the verse). -----------0--| -----------0--| 22-2-4-2-0-2--| 22-2-4-2-0-2--| 00-0---0---2--| -----------0--| A Em Now Sheriff Buford Pusser's gotten too big for his britches A Em With his book reviews and movie deals A Em Down at the car lot making public appearances C G For breaking up our homes and stills A Em I know he likes to brag how he wrestled a bear A Em But I knew him from the funeral home A Em Ask him for a warrant, he'll say "I keep it in my shoe" C G That son of a bitch has got to go C G That son of a bitch has got to go Now they lined up around the block to see that movie And crying for his ambushed wife Marveling about about shot eight times and stabbed seven Some folks can't take a hint They say he didn't take no crap from the State Line Gang What the hell they talking bout? I'm just a hard workingman with a family to feed And he made my daughter cry Said he made my daughter cry C D G "Watch out for Buford!" is what they keep on telling me C D G But to me he's just another crooked lawman up in Tennessee C D He gets a new hot car to keep us on our toes Em7 C And that ridiculous stick where the press corp. goes D G And some big time Hollywood actors playing him on the big screen "Watch out for Buford! He's shutting down our stills and whores" But it ain't like he's all that different from what was there before It wouldn't take my man long to do the job Just a partially sawed through steering rod And I wouldn't have to worry about the good Sheriff anymore Now the funeral's got'em lined up for twenty blocks No one liked that SOB when he's alive But the ruckus he began keeps a spreadin' like a wildfire Not sure if I'm gonna survive Hit an embankment doing 120 on a straight-away The Lord works in mysterious ways They'll probably make another movie, glorifying what he done But I'll never have to hear them say I'll never have to hear them say Watch out for Buford Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers © Soul Dump Music (BMI) __________________________________________________________________________________ DADDY'S CUP Mike Cooley / Drive-By Truckers (chords submitted by jstirk@tampabay.rr.com) E o221oo G 32oo33 A xo22oo These variations of the chords, D xxo23o seem to sound the best ... have FUN! B x244xx E A G E E G Well before I could walk, I had a wrench in my hand A I was my Mama's little angel and my Daddy's second chance G He went end over end the first year he went pro E A E And he lost part of his eyesight and he couldn't race no more E G But he never lost his touch when he got under a hood A He knew how to make them run and he knew one day he would G See his name in victory lane and engraved on that cup E A E Just like all them other crazy fools with racing in their blood D He would put me on his lap when he'd drive and I'd take the wheel A A G E He'd say "What do you think about that son? How does she feel? E G You just wait till them little legs get long enough to reach the gas A A G E A G E Once you put her on the floor one time there ain't no turning back" E G Every Saturday, he'd take me out to the garage A He'd take an empty bucket and fill it full of engine parts G He's sit me down and pour em out in front of me on the floor E A E I'd have to tell him what each one was and what each one was for E G We'd jump in his old car and go down to the race that night A He'd tell me what each driver was doing wrong and what each one did right G He could always pick the winner before they ever took a curve E A G E #3 might have the car but 43 has got the nerve D But before I turned 18 Daddy said "Now pretty soon A A G E You'll be old enough to race but I'm gonna leave it up to you E G I taught you all about it, taught you everything I know A A G E A G E You gotta have a car to do it and you gotta work and buy your own" A A G E A B G E A G E (walk down) E G The first one I bought was a Mustang #2 A Nobody kept'em any longer than they kept a pair of shoes G They started showing up at every used car lot in town E A G E A V-8 on a go-cart, easy terms, no money down E G Me and Daddy and my uncle took her home and we tore her down A Checked her out real good, cleaned her up and bored her out G Took out all the seats, pulled the carpet off the floor E A G E Knocked out all the glass and welded up the doors D Well the first time that I raced my qualifying was a shame A A G E I started out way in the back and came back about the same E G I pulled her in the pit, couldn't look my Daddy in the eye A A G E He said "If you quit now son, it's gonna haunt you all your life" E G See it ain't about the money or even being #1 A You gotta know when it's all over you did the best you could've done G And knowing that it's in you and you never let it out E A E Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have E G Since then I've wrecked a bunch of cars and I've broke a bunch of bones A It's anybody's race out there and I've learned to run my own G I'd shove em in the wall and I'd hit em from behind E G E I'd let them know that I was there, I'd let them know that track was mine D It's been several years now since my Daddy passed away A A G E But his picture's on my dash every time I go to race E G I lost more than I won but I ain't gonna give up A A G E Till they put me in the ground or Daddy's name's on that cup A A G E A B G E A G E (walk down) ___________________________________________________________ NEVER GONNA CHANGE Em7, D, Cadd9 Em7 D Cadd9 Asus2 Cadd9 Let this be a lesson to you girl: Don't come around where you know you don't belong. Em7 D Cadd9 Em7 Asus2 Cadd9 They're riding on the avenue and probably coming after you and they all look mean and strong. Em7 D Cadd9 Mean and strong like liquor. Em7 Asus2 Cadd9 Mean and strong like fear. Em7 D Cadd9 Em7 Asus2 Cadd9 Strong like the people from South Alabama and mean like the people from here. Cadd9 D Asus2 Em7 Take it from me… We ain't never gonna change. Daddy used to empty out his shotgun shells and fill 'em full of black-eyed peas. He'd aim real low and tear out your ankles or rip right through your knees. There ain't much traffic on the highway. There ain't much traffic on the lake. The ATF and the ABI got everything they could take. Take it from me… They didn't take it from me. Em7 D Asus2 We ain't never gonna change. We ain't doin' nothin' wrong. We ain't never gonna change so shut your mouth and play along. I thought about going in the army. I thought about going overseas. I wouldn't have trouble with a piss test; only problem is my bad left knee. My brother got picked up at Parker's, got him a ride in a new Crown Vic. They said that he was movin' on a federal level but they couldn't really make it stick. Take it from me… We ain't never gonna change. We ain't doin' nothin' wrong. We ain't never gonna change so shut your mouth and play along. You can throw me in the Colbert County jailhouse. You can throw me off the Wilson Dam but there ain't much difference in the man I wanna be and the man I really am. We ain't never gonna change. Jason Isbell © House of Fame Music (BMI) __________________________________________________________________________________ LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN This is a general idea of the main riff and stuff during the verses. Play it with some feeling... ---------------------------| ---------------------------| ---------------------------| ---------------------------| 3-2---2---2-2---2-2---2----| ----3-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-3-0----| If I throw myself off Lookout Mountain No more for my soul to keep I wonder who will drive my car I wonder if my Mom will weep If I throw myself off Lookout Mountain No more pain my soul to bare No more worries about paying taxes What to eat, what to wear Who will end up with my records? Who will end up with my tapes? Who will pay my credit card bills? Who's gonna pay for my mistakes? Main riff repeats [ the other chords in the instrumental break are F and G] If I throw myself off Lookout Mountain who will ever hear my songs? Who's gonna mow the cemetery when all of my family's gone? Who will Mom and Daddy find to continue the family name? Who will stand there taking credit, who will lay there passing blame? Who will lay there passing blame? Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers © Soul Dump Music (BMI) Originally written for Adam's Cat - Summer 1990. Backing Vocals - David Barbe and Jason Isbell __________________________________________________________________________________ GODDAMN LONELY LOVE **** This one is in standard tuning**** Am C G (repeat for each line) I got green and I got blues Every day there’s a little less difference between the two So I belly up and disappear Well I ain’t really drowning cause I see the beach from here D I could take greyhound home Am when I got there it’d be gone C Cm G along with everything that home is made up of Am C So I’ll take two of what your having G D I’ll take all of what you got Am to kill this goddamn lonely C G goddamn lonely love Am C G Sister listen to what your daddy says Don’t be ashamed of things that hide behind your breast Belly up and arch your back Well I ain’t really fallin asleep I’m fadin to black D You can come to me by plane Am but it wouldn’t be the same C Cm G as that old motel room in Texarkana was Am C So I’ll take two of what your having G D I’ll take all of what you got Am to kill this goddamn lonely C G goddamn lonely love Em C G(walk up) Stop me if you heard this one before, Em A man walks into a bar C G(walk down) And leaves before his ashes hit the floor Em C G (walk up) Stop me if I ever get that far Em the suns a desperate star C Cm (hold) that burns like every single one before D I could find another dream Am one that keeps me warm and clean C Cm G but I aint dreamin any more girl I’m waking up Am C So I’ll take two of what your having G D I’ll take everything shes got Am to kill this goddamn lonely C G goddamn lonely love All I’ve got is this goddamn lonely goddamn lonely love All I’ve got is this goddamn lonely goddamn lonely love Cm All I’ve got is this goddamn lonely goddamn lonely love