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Ballad Of A Retired Man by Ian Noe
Ballad Of A Retired Man
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:no capo
[Intro]
Eb
Bb Ab
Bb Ab
Bb Ab
[Verse 1]
Bb Ab
He retired on a Wednesday
Bb Ab
when the call came through.
Bb Ab
Said so long to the highway
Bb Ab
and that old blacktop crew.
[Verse 2]
Bb Ab
Made his way to the mountains
Bb Ab
where she was waiting up,
Bb Ab
been 50 years and counting
Bb Ab
banking more than luck.
[Verse 3]
Bb Ab
They spent the night on the front porch
Bb Ab
weighing every chance
Bb Ab
He said that old clock's ticking,
Bb Ab
better learn to dance.
[Verse 4]
Bb Ab
They drove him out to the desert,
Bb Ab
seeking nothing new.
Bb Ab
He tried the cures in the valley
Bb Ab
and religion, too.
{Verse 5]
Bb Ab
He cursed the cold and the wood stoves
Bb Ab
'Neath the church house vents.
Bb Ab
He fought the heat and the horseflies
Bb Ab
in revival tents.
[Verse 6]
Bb Ab
And later on that winter
Bb Ab
when it took its hold,
Bb Ab
He saw the man in the mirror
Bb Ab
beaten up and old.
[Verse 7]
Bb Ab
And the kids came often,
Bb Ab
and the grandkids, too.
Bb Ab
Bringing all those groceries
Bb Ab
crying "I love you."
[Verse 8]
Bb Ab
They wiped the tears from their faces,
Bb Ab
said "Tell me, what is wrong?"
Bb Ab
I'm still the same old baby
Bb Ab
stuck in Vietnam.
[Verse 9]
Bb Ab
And gave way to the silence
Bb Ab
and the chilly night.
Bb Ab
That little house on Primrose
Bb Ab
had never been so quiet.
[Verse 10]
Bb Ab
They gathered 'round the bedside
Bb Ab
speaking holy words.
Bb Ab
They say the soul it lingers.
Bb Ab
That's what I've always heard.
[Verse 11]
Bb Ab
And he stared up through the ceiling
Bb Ab
at the universe,
Bb Ab
speeding past old memories
Bb Ab
in a spirit hearse.
[Verse 12]
Bb Ab
He rode the waves and the static
Bb Ab
of their first T.V.
Bb Ab
He saw the sounds of Fireline
Bb Ab
and the great Ali.
[Verse 13]
Bb Ab
And said, "I can feel it coming.
Bb Ab
I'm a nervous wreck.
Bb Ab
I wonder where I'm going?
Bb Ab
I wonder what comes next?"
[Outro]
Bb Ab
Bb Ab
Bb Ab
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