The Hills Of Roane County chords by Townes Van Zandt

Chords with lyrics

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

Chorus:

C majorC        E minorEm  FF   G+G       C majorC
In the beautiful hills in the midst of Roane Country
                    G+G  G7G7
It's there that I labored my whole life away
          C majorC     G+G      FF
It’s there that my heart is a-turnin' most ever
        C majorC       G+G      C majorC  FF  C majorC
It's there the first steps of misfortune I made


Verse 1:

C majorC        E minorEm   FF   G+G      C majorC
I’s about thirty years when I courted and married
                  G+G  G7G7
Miss Armanda Gilbert to be my fair wife
         C majorC   G+G        C majorC
For some unknown reason, her brother Tom stabbed me
          C majorC    G+G        C majorC  FF  C majorC
And not two months later, I'd taken Tom's life

Verse 2:

C majorC         E minorEm  FF  G+G     C majorC
I's captured and tried in a village of Kingsport
                    G+G  G7G7
Not a soul in that village could say a kind word
         C majorC G+G  FF         C majorC
When a jury come in with the verdict next mornin'
        C majorC        G+G      C majorC  FF  C majorC
"A lifetime in prison," are the words that I heard


[Verse 3}

C majorC         E minorEm  FF G+G       C majorC
Well my mama come down to see me at the station
                     G+G  G7G7
My sweet sister Donna stood there by her side
          C majorC G+G             FF
They turned for to go, but I was chained to the platform
            C majorC       G+G     C majorC   FF C majorC
They said, "Willie, God bless you, God bless you, goodbye"


Verse 4:

C majorC          E minorEm  FF         C majorC
In the scorching hot sands of a foundry, I'm toiling
                     G+G G7G7
Just a-toilin' and sweatin' my poor life away
         C majorC FF          C majorC
When I die, bury me on the banks of old Cumberland
            C majorC    G+G   C majorC   FF  C majorC
In the beautiful green hills of east Tennessee


Verse 5:

         E minorEm  FF   G+G       C majorC
In the beautiful hills in the midst of Roane Country
           C majorC          G+G  G7G7
It’s there that I’ve labored my whole life away
          C majorC   G+G         FF
It's there that my heart is a-turnin’ most ever
           C majorC    G+G      C majorC  FF  C majorC
It's there the first steps of misfortune I made