Greer County Bachelor chords by Burl Ives

Chords with lyrics

Tuning: Standard (E MajorE A augmentedA D MajorD G+G BB E MajorE)

Verse 1:
E MajorE
My name is Tom Hight, an old bachelor I am,
    B7B7
You’ll find me out West in the county of fame,
    E MajorE
You’ll find me out West on an elegant plain
B7B7           E MajorE
Starving to death on my government claim.


Verse 2:
E MajorE
Hurrah for Greer County! The land of the free,
  B7B7
The land of the bedbug, grasshopper, and flea;
   E MajorE
I’ll sing of its praises, I’ll tell of its fame
     B7B7           E MajorE
While I’m starving to death on my government claim.

Verse 3:
E MajorE
How happy am I when I crawl into bed!
 B7B7
A augmentedA rattlesnake hisses a tune at my head,
 E MajorE
A augmentedA gay little centipede, all without fear
    B7B7         E MajorE
Crawls over my pillow and into my ear.


Verse 4:
E MajorE
My clothes is all ragged, my language is rough;
  B7B7
My bread is corndodgers, both solid and tough;
  E MajorE
And yet I am happy and live at my ease,
  B7B7           E MajorE
On sorghum, molasses, and bacon and cheese.
 
Verse 5:
E MajorE
Good-bye to Greer County, where blizzards arise
     B7B7
Where the sun never sinks, and a flea never dies
    E MajorE
And the wind never ceases but always remains
    B7B7             E MajorE
Till it starves us to death on our government claim.


Verse 6:
E MajorE
Farewell to Greer County, farewell to the West,
   B7B7
I’ll travel back East to the girl I love best,
   E MajorE
I’ll travel back Texas and marry me a wife,
     B7B7             E MajorE         B7B7 B7 C7C7 B7B7 E MajorE
And quit eatin’ corndodgers for the rest of my life.