Kenny Rogers Chords and Lyrics
- Coward Of The County
- Coward Of The County 2
- Daytime Friends
- Evening Star
- The Gambler
- The Gambler 2
- Islands In The Stream
- Lucille
- Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town
- Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp
- The Vows Go Unbroken
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Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
Capo 3rd Fret
A D A
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.
E
He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
A D A
His mama named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow,
E A
but something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
A D A
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison.
E
I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's son.
A D A
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy:
E A
"Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun.
A E A
Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
D A E
Walk away from trouble if you can.
A D A
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
D E
I hope you're old enough to understand:
E7 A
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
[Slide capo to 4th fret]
A D A
There's someone for ev'ryone and Tommy's love was Becky.
E
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man.
A D A
One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'.
E [Spoken] A
They took turns at Becky.... There was three of them!
A D A
Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin'.
E
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.
A D A
He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture.
E A
As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again:
A E A
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
D A E
Walk away from trouble if you can.
A D A
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
D E
I hope you're old enough to understand:
E7 A
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
[Slide capo to 5th fret]
A D A
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.
E
One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor.
A D A
When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! ol' yellow's leavin'."
[Whole line spoken] E A
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door.
A D A
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him.
E
He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all.
A D A
When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin'.
E A
He said, "This one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall.
[Spoken]
And I heard him say,
A D A
"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you done.
E
I walk away from trouble when I can.
A D A
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
D E
and Papa, I sure hope you understand:
E7 A
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."
A D [No chords] A
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.
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Coward Of The County - kenny Rogers
|C | |F |C |
Ev'ry one con-sidered him the coward of the county
| | | |G |
He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong
|C | |F |C |
His momma named him Tommy the folks just called him yellow
| | | G7 |C |
Something always told me they were readin' Tommy wrong
| | |F |C |
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison
| | | |G |
I looked after Tommy 'cos he was my brothers son
|C | |F |C |
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
| | | G7 |C |
Son my life is over but yours has just beg-un
|C | G7 C |F |C |
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
|F |C |G |
walk away from trouble if you can
|C | G7 C |F |C
Now it won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
|F |G
I hope your old enough to under-stand
|Dm7 |G7 |C |
you don't have to fight to be a man
|D | |G |D
There's someone for every one and Tommys love was Becky
| | | |A |
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man
|D | |G |D |
One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'
| | | |A7 |D
They took turns at Becky There was three of them
| | |G |D |
Tommy open up the door and saw his Becky cryin'
| | | |A |
The torn dress the shattered look was more than he could stand
|D | |G |D |
He reached above the fire place and took down his daddys picture
| | | A |D
as the tears fell on his Daddys face he heard these words a-gain
| | A D |G |
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
| |D |
walk away from trouble if you can
| | A D |G |
Now it don't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
|D |G |A |
I hope your old en-ough to understand
| | A7 |D
Son you don't have to fight to be a man
|D | |C |D
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room
| | | | |
one of them got up and met him half way 'cross the floor
|D | |G |D |
when Tommy turned around they said Hey look ol' Yellows leaving
| A7
But you could-a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the
door
|D | |G |D |
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up in-side him
| | | |A |
he wasn't holdin' nothin' back he let 'em have it all
|D | |G |D |
when Tommy left the Bar room not a Gatlin boy was standin'
| |A7
He said this one's for Becky as he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say.
|D | A7 D |G |D
I promised you Dad not to do the things you done
|G |D |A7
I walk away from trouble when I can
|D | A7 D |G |D |
now please don't think I'm weak I did-n't turn the other cheek
| |G |A |A7 |
and Popa I sure hope you understand some-times you've gotta fight
|D |
when your a man
| | |G |D
Every one considered him the coward of the county
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Daytime Friends - Kenny Rodgers
lick
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Intro chords G C G C add lick to the following chords G C G C
C G C G C
And he'll tell her he's working late again
G C G C
But she knows too well there's something goin' on
G C G C
She's been neglected and she needs a friend
G C G C G C G C
So a tremblin finger dials the telephone Lord it hurts her doing this again
G C G C G C
He's the best friend that her husband ever knew When she's lonely
G C G C G C
He's more then just a friend He's the one she longs to give her body to
chorus:
G Em C Em C G
Daytime friends and night time lovers hoping no one else discovers where they go
Em Am D D7
what they do in their secret hide away
G Em C Em C
Daytime friends and night time lovers they don't want to hurt the others
G Em D D7 G
So they love in the night time and shake hands in the light of day (LICK 2)
G C G C
When it's over there's no peace of mind
G C G C
Just a longing for the way things should have been
G C G C
And she's wondering why some men never find
G C G C
That a woman needs a lover and a friend
go to chorus
go to chorus to fade
lICK 2
--15--12--10--7------
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Evening Star - Kenny Rogers
G
If you never rode West of
D
The Arizona border
G
You can turn the other way,boy
C/G
But you never get far
G
You be living a lie
C/G
If you wanna see the wonders of the age
G
You must follow
D G
The evening star
Chorus:
G
Evening star
C/G
Shine a little Heaven on a stranger with no dream
D
Where you are
You can see the loneliness i mean
G D
And if i gotta fight,i can never play
G C/G G
Somebody else's game
D G
I can follow the evening star
D G C/G G
Starlight,you never need somebody else's name
D G
If you follow the evening star
G
Have you ever known a sunset
D
When the sky's on fire
G
How you end another day,boy
C/G
You be searching too far
G
Like the desert i rode on
C/G
Any memory is lost in the restless wind
G
I just lie beneath
D G
The evening star
Chorus.
A
Have you ever held a woman
E
In the California moonlight
A
Put your money on a good night
D
If you never been there
A
It's a sight for sore eyes
D
If you wanna see the wonders of the age
A
Making love beneath
E A
The evening star
A
Evening star
D
Shine a little Heaven on a stranger with no dream
E
Where you are
You can see the loneliness i mean
A E
And if i gotta fight,i will never play
A D A
Somebody else's game
E A
I can follow the evening star
E A D A
Starlight,you never need somebody else's name
E A
If you follow the evening star ...
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The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
(in G, use your imagination to transpose)
(use a lazy 2/4 count)jeffrey@cygnus.com
G G C G
On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere
G G G D
I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to speak
G G C D?G
So we took turns a-starin' out the window at the darkness
C G D G
'Til boredom overtook us and he began to speak.
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
Knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes,
And if you don't mind me sayin', I can see you're out of aces,
And for a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow;
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light,
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression,
' said "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
Ch:
G G
You got to know when to hold 'em,
C G
Know when to fold 'em,
C G
Know when to walk away
G D
And know when to run.
G D* G
You never count your money
C G
When you're sittin' at the table;
G C* G
There'll be time enough for countin'
D G
When the dealin's done.
(up a full step)
A A D A
Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
A A A E
Is knownin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep
A E* A D A
'Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
D A E A
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
And when he finished speakin', he turned back toward the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep,
And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even,
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away
And know when to run.
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table;
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done.
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The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
Capo 1st Fret
(In a moderate country half-time)
D G/D D
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
A
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
D G/D D
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
G/D D A D
'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
D G/D D
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
A
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
D G/D D
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
G/D D A D
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
D G D
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
A
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
D G D
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
G D A D
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D Em/A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Slide capo to 2nd fret]
D G D
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
A
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
D G D
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
G D A D
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
D G D
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
A
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
D G D
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
G D A D
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D Em/A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Repeat chorus once and end]
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Islands In The Stream - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
C
Baby when I met you there was peace unknown
C7
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb.
F C
I was soft inside there was something goin on
C
You do something to me that I can't explain
C7 F
Hold me closer and I feel no pain ev'ry beat of my heart
C F C
We got something goin on
Fmaj7
Tender love is blind It requires a dedication
Fm
All this love we feel needs no conversation
CHORUS:
C
We ride it together uh huh
makin' love with each other un huh
G7 C F
Islands in the stream that is what we are
Dm7
No one in be-tween How can we be wrong
C F
Sail away with me to another world
C
And we re-ly on each other uh huh
Dm7 C
>From one lover to another uh huh
C
I can't live without you if the love was gone
C7
Ev'rything is nothing if you got no one
F
And you did walk in the night
C F C
Slowly losin sight of the real thing But
That won't happen to us and we got no doubt
C7
Too deep in love and we got no way out
F
And the message is clear this could be the year
C F C
For the real thing
Fmaj7
No more will you cry Baby I will hurt you never
Fm
We start and end as one in love for ever we can
GO TO CHORUS
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Lucille - Kenny Rogers
|A | | |
In a bar in To-ledo ac-ross from the depot on a
| | |E7 |
bar stool she took off her ring
|Bm | |E7
I thought i'd get closer so I walked on over I
|Bm |E7 |A |
sat down and asked her name
| | | |
When the drinks finally hit her she said I'm no
| | |A7 |D |
quitter but I finally quit livin on dreams
|E7 | | |
I'm hungry for laughter and here ever after I'm
| | | |A
after what-ever the other life brings
|A | | | |
In the mirror I saw him and I closely watched him I
| | |E7 |
thought how he looked out of place
| |Bm | |E7 |
He came to the woman who sat there be-side me he
|Bm |E7 |A |
had a strange look on his face
| | |
The big hands were calloused he looked like a
| | |A7 |D |
mountain for a minute I thought I was dead
|E7 | |
But he started shaking his big heart was
| | | |A
breaking he turned to the woman and said
|A | | |D
You picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille
| | | |A |
with four hungry children and a crop in the field
|D | | |
I've had some bad times lived through some sad times but
| | |A
this time your hurting won't heal
| |E7 | |A |
you picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille.
|A | | | |
After he left us I ordered more whisky I thought how she'd
| |E7 |
made him look small
| |Bm | |E7 |
From the lights of the bar room to a rented ho-tel room we
|Bm |E7 |A |
walked without talking at all
| | | |
She was a beauty but when she came to me she
| |A7 |D |
must have thought I'd lost my mind
|E7 | | |
I could'nt hold her 'cos the words that told her kept
| | |A
coming back time after time
|A | | |D
You picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille
| | | |A |
with four hungry children and a crop in the field
|D | | |
I've had some bad times lived through some sad times but
| | |A
this time your hurting won't heal
| |E7 | |A |
you picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille.
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Ruby - Kenny Rogers
[N.C.]You've painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted [A7]hair. [Em]
[D]Ruby, are you contemplating [G]going out some[A7]where?
The [Em]shadow on the wall tells me, the [A7]sun is going down. [Em]
Oh, Ru[D]by, [G] [Em7] don't take your love to town. [D]
It [Em]wasn't me who started that old [D]crazy Asian war,
but [Em]I was proud to go and do my [G]patriotic [A7]choir.
And [Em]yes, it's true that I am not the [A7]man I used to be. [Em]
Oh, Ru[D]by, [G] [Em7] I just need some company. [D]
It's hard to love a man whose legs are bent and paralyzed.
And the wants and the needs of a woman your age, Ruby, I realize.
But it won't be long, I've heard them say, until I'm not around.
Oh, Ruby, don't take your love to town.
[N.C.]She's leaving now, 'cause I just heard the slamming of the door;
the way I know I've heard it slam a hundred times before.
If I could walk, I'd get my gun and put her in the ground.
Oh, Ruby, for Gods sake, turn around.
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Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp - Kenny Rogers
The corn was dry, the weeds were high when Daddy took to drinkin'
Then him and Lucy Walker, they took up and run away
Mama cried a tear and then she promised fourteen children
"I swear you'll never see a hungry day."
Oh, the path was deep and wide, from footsteps leading to our cabin
Above the door there burned a scarlet lamp
And late at night, a hand would knock and there would stand a stranger
I'm the son of Hick'ry Holler's tramp.
Mama sacrificed her pride, and neighbors started talkin'
But I was much too young to understand the things they said
The things that mattered most of all was Mama's chicken dumplin's
And a goodnight kiss before we went to bed.
When daddy left, and destitution came upon our fam'ly
Not one neighbor volunteered to give a helpin' hand
So let 'em gossip all they want; she loved us and she raised us.
The proof is standing here, a full grown man.
The things that mattered most of all was
Mama's chicken dumplin's
And a goodnight kiss before we went to bed.
When daddy left, and destitution came upon our fam'ly
Not one neighbor volunteered to give a helpin' hand
So let 'em gossip all they want; she loved us and she raised us.
The proof is standing here, a full grown man.
Last summer Mama passed away and left the ones who loved her
Each and ev'ry one is more than grateful for his birth
Each Sunday she receives a fresh bouquet of fourteen roses
And a card that says, "The greatest Mom on earth."
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The Vows Go Unbroken - Kenny Rogers & Holly Dunn
b7 E7 A D G e G A
D G D G A D
1. From the mo- ment I met you you made my life com-plete
2. And to-night when we kissed, you still took my breath away
3. Though I have been tempted oh I've never strayed
b G D G A
1. This wave of pure e-motion has swept me off my feet
2. It goes without saying but I'll say it any- way
3. I'd die before I I'd damage this union we have made
D A G D G A D
The vows go un-broken and you still know I do.
G A D G D e D
Love, keep, and honor, always true to you.
Bridge:
b7 E7 A D
I knew from the first, for better or worse
b7 E G A
I'd stand by you all my life.
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