The Lawson Murder chords by Doc Watson

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Intro:
G7  C

Verse 1:
    C                G
Was on one Christmas evening
    G               C      C7
The snow lay on the ground
         F                 C
Near his home in North Carolina
        G7            C
In this murder he was found

Verse 2:
    C                G
His name was Charlie Lawson
    G               C      C7
And he had a loving wife
          F               C
So, we'll never know what caused him
   G7                C
To take his family's life

Verse 3:
     C                 G
They say he killed his wife at first
        G               C      C7
And the little ones did cry
         F               C
"Please, Papa, won't you spare our lives?
       G7            C
For it is so hard to die!"

Verse 4:
         C                G
But, the raging man could not be stopped
   G                    C      C7
He would not heed their call
     F              C
Just kept on firing fatal shots
  G7                 C
Until he killed them all


Instrumental:
C    G
G    C  C7
F     C
G7   C

Verse 5:
    C                  G
And when this sad, sad news was heard
   G               C      C7
It was an awful surprise
       F                   C
He had killed six children and his wife
    G7                   C
And then he closed their eyes

Verse 6:
    C                   G
And now, farewell, kind friends and home
     G              C       C7
I'll see you all no more
  F                 C
Into my breast I'll fire one shot
            G7               C
And then my troubles will be o'er

Verse 7:
     C             G
They did not carry him to jail
   G              C      C7
No lawyers did he pay
            F                   C
But they'll have his trial in a-nother world
        G7             C
On the final Judgement Day