Merle Haggard, Mama Tried (1968)
Key: :[D] (w: Merle Haggard) (BPM: 196)
INTRO:
VERSE 1:
The first thing
[D] I remember
[G] knowing was a
[D] lonesome whistle
[G] blowin'
And a
[D] young un's dream of growin' up to
[A7] ride
On a
[D] freight train leavin'
[G] town, not
[D] knowin' where I'm
[G] bound
And no
[D] one could change my
[A7] mind, but Mama
[D] tried
VERSE 2:
One and
[D] only rebel
[G] child, from a
[D] family meek and
[G] mild
My
[D] Mama seemed to know what lay in
[A7] store
'Spite of
[D] all my Sunday
[G] learnin', toward the
[D] bad I kept on
[G] turnin'
'Til
[D] Mama couldn't
[A7] hold me any
[D] more
CHORUS:
And I turned
[D] twenty-one in prison doin'
[G] life without pa
[D] role
No
[Bm] one could steer me right, but Mama
[A7] tried, Mama tried
Mama
[D] tried to raise me better, but her
[G] pleading I de
[D] nied,
that leaves only me to
[A7] blame, 'cause Mama
[D] tried
BREAK: [D] [G] [D] [A7] [D]
VERSE 3:
Dear old
[D] Daddy, rest his
[G] soul, he left my
[D] mom a heavy
[G] load
She
[D] tried so very hard to fill his
[A7] shoes
Workin'
[D] hours without
[G] rest, wanted
[D] me to have the
[G] best
She
[D] tried to raise me
[A7] right, but I re-
[D]-fused
REPEAT CHORUS:
OUTRO:
ADDITIONAL INFO:
INTRO & OUTRO
D
e|-----------------------------------|--pb12
(13)-----------------------|
B|-----10-----10-----8-----7-----7---|-----------13--pb5
(6)---/3--/3---|
G|---7------7------7-----7-----7---7-|---------------------5--/2--/2---|
D|-0------0------0-----0-----0-------|-------------------------0---0---|
A|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
**************************
| pb Pre-bend
| r Release
| / Slide up
**************************
[Guitar Solo]
D G
e|--pb12
(13)----------------------------|
B|-----------13--pb5
(6)-------3---3-5-3-|
G|---------------------5--2/4---4-------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
D A7 D
e|---------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------pb5
(6)r---|
G|-------------------------------------------5-|
D|---0-0-3-0-0-5-0-0-6-5-3-0-3-5---0-----------|
A|-4-------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------|
NOTE: The "ADDITIONAL INFO" section shows information based on the original song key only, and may not be modified when transposing.
