Greer County Bachelor chords by Burl Ives

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Verse 1:
E
My name is Tom Hight, an old bachelor I am,
       B7
You’ll find me out West in the county of fame,
       E
You’ll find me out West on an elegant plain
B7                      E
Starving to death on my government claim.


Verse 2:
E
Hurrah for Greer County! The land of the free,
    B7
The land of the bedbug, grasshopper, and flea;
     E
I’ll sing of its praises, I’ll tell of its fame
          B7                      E
While I’m starving to death on my government claim.

Verse 3:
E
How happy am I when I crawl into bed!
  B7
A rattlesnake hisses a tune at my head,
  E
A gay little centipede, all without fear
       B7                 E
Crawls over my pillow and into my ear.


Verse 4:
E
My clothes is all ragged, my language is rough;
   B7
My bread is corndodgers, both solid and tough;
    E
And yet I am happy and live at my ease,
   B7                     E
On sorghum, molasses, and bacon and cheese.
 
Verse 5:
E
Good-bye to Greer County, where blizzards arise
          B7
Where the sun never sinks, and a flea never dies
        E
And the wind never ceases but always remains
        B7                         E
Till it starves us to death on our government claim.


Verse 6:
E
Farewell to Greer County, farewell to the West,
     B7
I’ll travel back East to the girl I love best,
     E
I’ll travel back Texas and marry me a wife,
         B7                         E                 B7 B7 C7 B7 E
And quit eatin’ corndodgers for the rest of my life.