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Marc's

Boomers Story (1972)

1.Boomer's Story
2.Cherry Ball Blues (Instrumental)
3.Crow Black Chicken
4.Ax Sweet Mama
5.Maria Elena (Instrumental)
6.Dark End of the Street (Instrumental)
7.Rally 'Round the Flag
8.Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer
9.President Kennedy
10.Good Morning Mr. Railroad Man

BOOMER'S STORY
(Traditional, adapted by Ry Cooder)
(G) - (C) - (D)

(G) Come and gather all around me
(C) Listen to my tale of (G) woe
Got some good advice to give you
Lots of things you oughta know
(G) Take a tip from one who's travelled
(C) And never stopped a-ramblin' (G) 'round
'Cause (C) once you get the roamin' fever
You (G) never want to settle down, boy
You (C) never want to settle (G) down

I met a little gal in Frisco
And I asked her to be my wife
Told her I was tired of roamin'
Goin' to settle down for life
Then I heard the whistle blowin'
And I knew it was the Red Ball Train
And I left that gal beside the railroad
And I never saw the gal again, boy
I never saw the gal again

(C) Saw the gal again
I (G) never saw the gal again
Left that gal beside the (D) railroad
(G) And I never saw the (C) gal (G) again

Travelled all over the country
I've travelled everywhere
I been on every Branch Line railroad
And I never paid a nickel fare
I been from Maine to Califor'ny
And from Canada to Mexico
I never tried to save no money
And now I got no place to bo, boy
Now I got no place to go

Listen to a Boomer's story
Pay attention to what I say
Well, I hear another train a-comin'
Guess I'll be on my way
If you wanna do me a favor
When I lay me down and die
Just dig my grave beside the railroad
So I can hear the trains go by, boys
So I can hear the trains go by

Hear the trains go
Hear the trains go by
Just dig my grave beside the railroad
So I can hear the trains go by

CHERRY BALL BLUES
(Instrumental)

CROW BLACK CHICKEN
(Laurence Wilson)
(E) - (A) - (B7)

(E) Well, I went (A) on the (E) mountain (A)
And I gave my (A) horn a (E) blow (A)
Thought I heard some (A) pretty gal (E) say
"Yonder (A) come my (B7) beau"

(E) Crow black (A) chicken (E) and crow for a (A) day
(E) Crow black (A) chicken (E) and fly (B7) away
(E) Crow black (A) chicken (E) and-a ... (A)
(B7) I like chicken (E) pie

Well, the hardest work that ever I done
Is plowin' a field of rye
The easiest work that ever I done
Was eatin' chicken pie

Chicken crow for midnight
And chicken crow for a day
Along come an owl, Lord, have mercy
And stole my chicken away

AX SWEET MAMA
(Sleepy John Estes)
(C) - (F) - (G)

(C) Well, I ax sweet mama, let me be her kid
She said "I might but I'd like to keep it hid"
Well, she (F) looked at me, she began to smile
She says (C) "I thought I might use you for my man a while
But (F) just don't let my husband catch you (C) there
I say, (G) just don't let my (F) husband catch you (C) there"

Well, I went upstairs to pack my leavin' trunk
I never saw no whiskey
The blues made me sloppy drunk
I ain't never saw no whiskey
The blues made me sloppy drunk
Well, I ain't saw no whiskey
The blues made me sloppy drunk

(C) Well, some said it was beans, some said it was greens
But it's slow consumption killin' you by degrees
It's slow (F) consumption killin' you by (C) degrees
It's (C) slow consumption (G) killin' you by (F) degrees

MARIA ELENA

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DARK END OF THE STREET
(Instrumental)
(C) - (F) - (G)

(C) (G) (C)
(G) (C)
(F) (C)
(F) (G) (C)
(F) (C) (F) (G) (C)
(F) (C) (F) (G) (C)

RALLY 'ROUND THE FLAG
(Traditional, arranged by Ry Cooder)
(G) - (C) - (D)

(G) Yes, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys
(C) Rally once again
(G) Shouting the battle cry of (D) freedom
(G) Rally from the hillsides
(C) Gather from the plain
(G) Shouting the battle cry of (D) free (G) dom

(G) The Union forever
Hurrah, boys, hurrah
Down with the traitor
And (D) up with the star
As we (G) rally 'round the flag, boys
(C) Rally once again
(G) Shouting the battle cry of (D) free (G) dom

Mine eyes have seen the beauty
Of the land that's bright and fair
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And my soul looked back and wondered
How we made the journey there
Shouting the battle cry of freedom

We will welcome to our numbers
The loyal, true and brave
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And although we may be poor
Not a man shall be a slave
Shouting the battle cry of freedom

The gospel train has brought us
Through the dark and stormy night
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We can lay our burdens down at last
And walk into the light
Shouting the battle cry of freedom

COMIN' IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER
(Harold Adamson & Jimmie McHugh)
(C) - (F) - (G)

(C) Comin' in on a (G) wing and a (C) prayer
Comin' in on a (F) wing and a (G) prayer
Though there's (C) one motor gone
We can (F) still carry on
Comin' (C) in on a (G) wing and a (C) prayer

(C) What a show, what a (G) fight, (C) boys
We really hit our (F) target for to(G)night
How we (C) sing as we (F) limp through (C) the air
Look below, there's our (F) field over (G) there
With our (C) one motor gone
We can (F) still carry on
Comin' (C) in on a (G) wing and a (C) prayer

PRESIDENT KENNEDY
(Sleepy John Estes)
(C) - (C7) - (F) - (G)

(C) Late one Friday evening every(C7)body was sad
We lost the (C) best president we ever had
But he's (G) gone home, gone (C) back home
He's staying (G) away too (C) long

Rode from town to town holdin' up for our rights
Some low down rascal took the President's life
But he's gone home, gone back home
He's staying away too long

Mrs. Kennedy got a mansion on the Island, stayed 9 months, all she'd be
She have another mansion, soon as she reach Washington, D.C.
But he's gone home, gone back home
He's staying away too long

Everybody votes, they don't know what's goin' on
If Goldwater get it, we won't have no home
But he's gone home, gone back home
He's staying away too long

While horses and cars all in a row
I think Mr. Kennedy have a right to this long white robe
But he's gone home, gone back home
He's staying away too long

GOOD MORNING MR. RAILROAD MAN
(Traditional)
Capo on second fret: (C) (G) (F) (Am) (D7) (A7) (G7)
Ry: (D) (A) (G) (Bm) (E7) (B7) (A7)

Good (C) morning, (G) Mr. (C) Railroad Man
What (F) time do your trains roll (C) by ?
"At (F) 9:16 and (C) 2:44(Am) and (D7) 25 minutes 'to (G7) 5"
"At (C) 9:16 (G) and (C) 2:44 and (F) 25 minutes 'to (C) 5"
(F) Thank you, Mr. (C) Railroad (A7) Man
I want to (A7) watch your (G7) trains go (C) by

Standing on a platform, smoking a cheap cigar
And waiting for an old freight train that carries an empty car
Well, I pulled my hat down over my eyes
And I walked across the tracks
And I caught me the end of an old freight train
And I never did come back

Well, I sat down in a gamblin' game
But I could not play my hand
I was thinkin' about the woman I loved
Run away with another man, poor boy
Run away with another man
I was thinking about the woman that I loved
Run away with another man