Always Keep An Edge On Your Knife INTRO:E VERSE 1: E A Don't never put your hat on the bed, son E A Never put your hat on the bed D Cuz if your hat's on the bed A You might wake up dead B7 E So don't you never put your hat on the bed A But if you do be sure it's upside down, son E A If you do be sure it's upside down D Cuz if there's any doubt A It keeps the luck from running out B7 E So if you do be sure it's upside down A Never throw a match when it's dry, son E A Never throw a match when it's dry D Don't you never throw a match A Cuz the grass might catch B7 E And burn three counties when it's dry CHORUS: Always keep an edge on your knife, son Always keep an edge on your knife Cuz a good sharp edge Is a man's best hedge Against the vague uncertainies of life Yes a good sharp edge Is a man's best hedge Against the uncertain vagaries of life A D But I never could sharpen no knife E A Like the one give the advice B7 A E Yodel-aye, yodel-aye, yodel-ooh VERSE: Well never sell the old .22, son Never sell the old .22 Cuz the old .22 Shot a gofer or two So don'tcha never sell the old .22 But aim to the left, a little low, son Aim to the left a little low Cuz the old iron sight Fires high and to the right So aim it to the left, a little low And always tip the glass when you pour, son Always tip the glass when you pour Cuz if you don't tip the glass Then the foam, it comes fast And runs down the table to the floor CHORUS: VERSE: Well be sure to put your horse away dry, son Be sure to put your horse away dry Cuz a hot, wet horse Ain't healthy of course So be sure put your horse away dry And be sure to thaw the bit when it's cold, son Be sure to thaw the bit when it's cold Cuz if you don't thaw the bit Then you pony's tongue sticks To the frozen, metal bridle when it's cold And never judge a man by his clothes, son Never judge a man by his clothes You gotta look through the dirt And, Lord, judge him by his work So don'tcha never judge a man by his clothes CHORUS: OUTRO: A D And I never could sharpen no blade E A Quite the way that he sayed B7 A E Yodel-aye, yodel-aye, yodel-ooh ----------------------------------------------------------- Buckin' Horse Rider Intro D D G D He's been hung up and stepped on and out-drawed and reduced to tears D A He's done his best thinkin' with his hand in the riggin' for years G A He's got an old trophy saddle he won back in '75 A (G) D He's gettin' too old to travel, he's lucky he's even alive Riff 1 D G D Well he's a buckin' horse rider and he likes 'em a little wilder than most D (G) A And you can tell just by lookin' though he'd be the last one to boast G A Unless he's been drinkin' but hell he's been dry now for months A G D He's a buckin' horse rider, he won down in Pendleton once He's rode Moonshine and Three Bars and Hatrack and Kesler's whole string There ain't a sound he likes better than hearin' them silver spurs ring The squeak of the resin and leather and the thump of the hooves He's a buckin' horse rider and today he's got nothing to lose Well, he's a buckin' horse rider and he likes 'em a little wilder than most And you can tell just by lookin' though he'd be the last one to boast Unless he's been drinkin' but hell he's been dry now for months He's a buckin' horse rider, he won up to Calgary once A D Yeah, he's a buckin' horse rider, he even won old Cheyenne once A D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Five Dollar Bill Capo 2 Chorus: G I wrote my new song on a five dollar bill D But I won't be able to sing it until D I get hot on the trail for to pick up the track G Of the dirty little thief and get my five bucks back G I first got the five dollars from a Montana man D When he come across the line with a pistol in his hand D He said gimme all your money but I got to his first G And I took his Colts too and the whole first verse G B7 You see you couldn't buy liquor in the States back then C A So we saddled up the ponies and we loaded up the gin D Rode underneath the shadow of the grande Old Chief D G To git some northern Rocky Mountain kinda tax relief G B7 You couldn't count on the cattle when the market got down C A And the veterinary bills to the doctor in town D Both kids needed shoes and they had to get fed D G And a big old bank lien was over my head Chorus They wouldn't stop talking about Canadian rye Bouquet and the palate and it's crisp and it's dry In a Seagrams bottle, tasted mighty top shelf I said "well, thank you very much, sir, I cooked it myself" Of course, that didn't wash with the boys down south Judging by the stream of color coming out of their mouth Though I can't figure why, cuz from where I stood It got 'em just as damn drunk as any store bought would Chorus Acoustic solo Well, he come stormin' cross the border with six or eight guys Some damn fool saw fit to deputize But there weren't no sheriff nor a marshall in sight I guess the lawman was up drinkin' whiskey all night He said gimme all your money but I got to his first And I took his Colts too and the whole third verse But he picked my back pocket, worked the five bucks loose I had tucked in behind a can a Copenhagen snoose Chorus ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good Copenhagen Intro: E E well I partied with some crazy Calgary cowgirls we ripped and snorted, kicked our heels and then A two told me they got olde tyme religion E one says she'll never barrel race again B A good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine I spent some time with Texas Dave McDaniel dippin snuff at nine and drinkin beer by noon he'd tell me about the bulls he'd rode in Waco by nitefall he'd be howlin at the moon howlin good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine A Look out for them wranglers out in Longview E with the holes worn in the pockets of their jeans A they can get you high up in the Rockies A so you ain’t never comin’ down again B A good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine I knowed about an old Alberta oilman chewed a tin a day till he was ninety two he passed away a true western original near the end he liked it sprinkled on his food he knew that good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine ----------------------------------------------------------------- Guitar From The Wall Capo on 2 – only the bottom 5 strings though. Leave the low E open and that will give you that drop D tuning and still play all the chords the normal shapes. Intro: D C G D D Cadd9 G D Pull down that old guitar from the wall and come and sing G D A You can help me with the verses and the half forgotten things D C G D My mind ain't what she used to be now, a lot of it is gone G D A But I still know the good parts, at least enough to sing along Chorus: D Cadd9 G D So pull down that old guitar from the wall and come and sing G D A Gently stroke her body as you deftly tune her strings D Cadd9 G D There ain't much to do for me now that you've up and gone G D A D So pull down that old guitar from the wall and get it done D C G D Pull down that old guitar from the wall and come and sing Time, she gets the best of us, the jokers and the kings There ain't much that I can play now that my hands have turned to stone Besides, you know how I always hated to have to sing alone ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hard On Equipment / Tool For The Job E He's been roundin' off bolts since the age of fourteen Bm E Was that a five eighths or a nine sixteenths? E He's got a metric socket that don't quite fit Bm E Well it'll wiggle just a little but it ain't quite stripped A The safety guard's gone from his grinding machine E He got a stiff paint brush he only kinda got clean A He's the hired man, my neighbor and a cousin in law E B7 E He's a jerry riggin' fool, he got the tool for the job A Well it's vise grips for pliers, and pliers for a wrench E A wrench for a hammer, hammers everything else A It just don't seem to make much difference E B7 E I sure do like him but he's hard on equipment E B7 E I sure like you son, but you're hard on equipment His corners ain't square and his floor ain't level And he's always had trouble with the old tape measure His doors don't close ‘cause the jamb ain't plumb And he's a Goddamn menace with an air nail gun They love to see him comin' at the lumberyard store Fixed the leak in his roof with a two by four Drilled holes in his boards with the wrong kinda bit And when they don't line up he blames the government He got the whole front yard full of fix ‘em up cars Three don't run and the rest won't start Everything's fine with his rebuilt motor Except of course for the couple spare parts left over Baler wire tie downs goin' down the road On two bald tires and an oversize load He ain't never read a manual ‘cause that's like cheatin' He don't mind a little grease on his hands while he's eatin' He's got busted up knuckles, his thumb got bruised Jesus Christ was a carpenter, too ---------------------------------------------------------------- Heavy And Leaving The verse is one strum per chord (C) (G) The days are piling up and I don't know that I can take it (Bb) (F) And freedom by design is so far gone I'll never make (C) (G) And everything's so heavy that I think I want to leave it (Bb) (F) And it's weight that I don't need I think it's time that I relieved it (between the verse there is a little instrumental its a quick strum of an F chord then release and hit all open strings, then go to an A its very quick) CHORUS: (Am) (E) (Am) (E) Heavy and I'm leavin', heavy and I'm gone (Am) (Em) (Am) It's heavy and I'm leavin' here, so long (these 2 lines are muted somewhat) (Am) (E) (Am) (E) Heavy and I'm leavin', heavy and I'm gone (Am) (E) (Am) (E) It's heavy and I'm leavin' here, so long (Verse 2 same as Verse 1) Well outside ain't so good today it's windy and it's raining And it's been so bad so long that I can't say I see it changing The talk that I've been subject to seems mostly unrelated And these blues have been allowed to run/continue unabated CHORUS (There is a walk up to a D before the bridge, I'm not 100% on how he does it I just move up the notes on the A string to the D on the 5th fret then play the bridge with power chords, I think it sounds good) (Dm) (C5) Dm Discouraged fingers with no follow through Dm C Dm No courage lingers like you want it to Dm C Dm Discouraged fingers with no follow through Dm C Dm Discouraged fingers with no love for you Dm C Dm Well these hands have always been too slow in the past Dm C Dm Reluctance greeted nearly every task Dm C Dm Now my old heart tells me he wants it done fast Dm C Dm Discouraged fingers they resist to the last CHORUS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! Em Am Em I'm a hussar, I'm a Hun, I'm a wretched Englishman Em B7 Routing Bonaparte at Waterloo Em Am Em B7 I'm a dragoon on a dun, I'm a Cossack on the run Em Bm Em I'm a horse soldier, timeless, through and through Em Am Em I's with Custer and the 7th in ‘76 or ‘77 Em B7 Scalped at Little Big Horn by the Sioux Em Am Em B7 And the pain and desperation of a once proud warrior nation Em Bm Em This I know ‘cause I was riding with them too I drank mare's blood on the run when I rode with the Great Khan On the frozen Mongol steppe when at his height I's a White Guard, I's a White Guard, I's the Tsar's own palace horse guard When Nicholas was martyred in the night I knew Salah al-Din and rode his swift Arabians Harassing doomed crusaders on their heavy drafts And yet I rode the Percheron against the circling Musselman And once again against myself was cast Chorus Well I've worn the Mounties crimson, if you're silent and you listen You'll know that it was with them that I stood When Mayerthorpe, she cried, as her four horsemen died Gunned down in scarlet, coldest blood I's the firstest with the mostest when I fought for Bedford Forrest Suffered General Wilson's Union raid Mine was not to reason why, mine was but to do and die At Crimea with the charging light brigade On hire from Swiss or Sweden, be me Christian, be me heathen The devil to the sabre I shall put With a crack flanking maneuver, I'm an uhlan alles uber Striking terror into regiment of foot Chorus I knew my days were numbered when o'er the trenches lumbered More modern machinations de la guerre No match for rapid fire or the steel birds of the sky With a final rear guard action I retreat No match for tangled wire or the armoured engines whine Reluctant I retire and take my leave Today I ride with special forces on those wily Afghan horses Dostum's Northern Alliance give their thanks No matter defeat or victory, in battle it occurs to me That we may see a swelling in our ranks Chorus (+ "I'm a horse soldier eternal through and Through") I's with the Aussies at Beersheba took the wells so badly needed And with the Polish lancers charging German tanks Saw Ross' mount shot down at Washingtown the night we burned the White House down And cursed the sack of York and sons of Yanks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I Wanna Be In The Calvary G C I wanna be in the cavalry if they send me off to war G D I wanna good steed under me like my forefathers before G C I wanna good mount when the bugle sounds and I hear the cannons' roar G D G I wanna be in the cavalry if they send me off to war G C I wanna horse in the volunteer force that's riding forth at dawn G D Please save for me some gallantry that will echo when I'm gone G C I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn G D G Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long G C I'd not a good foot soldier make, I'd be sour and slow at march G D And I'd be sick on a navy ship, and the sea would leave me parched G C But I'll be first in line if they'll let me ride, by god, you'll see my starch G D G Lope back o'er the heath with the laurel wreath underneath that victry arch Let me earn my spurs in the battle's blur where the day is lost or won I'll wield my lance as the ponies dance and the blackguards fire their guns A sabre keen, and a saddle carbine and an army Remington Where the hot lead screams with the cold, cold steel let me be a cavlryman Let 'em play their flutes and stirrup my boots and place them back to front For I wont be back on the rider-less black (jack) and I'm finished in my hunt I wanna be in the cavalry if I must go off to war I wanna be in the cavalry, but I won't ride home no more ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Little Foothills Heaven Capo 2 D G It's my little foothills heaven on that northern rocky range A D A My favorite place to be, and mister that ain't gonna change D F# Bm And I pray to old chief mountain I'll be back again someday E7 A Just in time for you to hear me say D G It's my little foothills heaven on that northern rocky range A D And I hope that I'll get back again someday D G I can see down to Montana on a clear and sunny day A D A And I may just ride down there with my honey for the day D F# Bm If there's trouble at the border I'll say 'hey well that's ok' E7 A Cause I'd just as soon be back home anyway D G To my little foothills heaven on that northern rocky range A D And I hope that I'll get back again someday yodel-ay There's a bar-x on the rib of every critter you can see And their coats are slick and shiny in the sun, just like you please As they graze up toward Valhalla you can almost hear them now Sayin 'it don't get much better for a cow' Than a little foothills heaven on that northern rocky range And i hope that i'll be back again someday My momma's daddy's daddy picked the spot and picked it well And when i'm tired of all this rockin rollin beatin me to hell Well out on the back quarter there's a cabin waitin there where my little gal and i can keep the world out of our hair At my little foothills heaven on that northern rocky range And i hope that i'll be back again someday ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Used To Ride 'em E The wind still blows the dust across the exhibition grounds A The chute still creaks and moans and echoes saddle broncin' sounds The horses all wound up the same as the ones that came before B7 E But we don't ride 'em anymore E There was a tear in his eye the day that I remember very well A He said his luck was gone and his draw was bad and his ridin' had gone all to hell He said Skoal and Dodge and Belvedere had found new men to adore B7 E But we don't ride 'em anymore CHORUS: A E Hey, and we don't ride 'em like we used ride 'em to a standstill A E Wear the silver buckle high point award A E Hey, and we don't ride 'em like we used ride 'em all the time B7 And now we don't ride 'em anymore Listen close to the bull riders ropes as they resin up for war And pay some close attention to the muses at your door Listen close and listen well and absorb it to your core Cuz one day you won't hear those sounds no more CHORUS The wind still blows the dust across the exhibition grounds The chute still creaks and moans and echoes saddle broncin' sounds The horses all wound up the same as the ones that came before But we don't ride 'em anymore