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
[A#7] ride
On a
[D#] freight train leavin'
[G#] town, not
[D#] knowin' where I'm
[G#] bound
And no
[D#] one could change my
[A#7] 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
[A#7] store
'Spite of
[D#] all my Sunday
[G#] learnin', toward the
[D#] bad I kept on
[G#] turnin'
'Til
[D#] Mama couldn't
[A#7] hold me any
[D#] more
CHORUS:
And I turned
[D#] twenty-one in prison doin'
[G#] life without pa
[D#] role
No
[Cm] one could steer me right, but Mama
[A#7] tried, Mama tried
Mama
[D#] tried to raise me better, but her
[G#] pleading I de
[D#] nied,
that leaves only me to
[A#7] blame, 'cause Mama
[D#] tried
BREAK: [D#] [G#] [D#] [A#7] [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
[A#7] shoes
Workin'
[D#] hours without
[G#] rest, wanted
[D#] me to have the
[G#] best
She
[D#] tried to raise me
[A#7] 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
**************************
[G#uitar 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.
