Broke Down
View chords used in this chart
Recorded by Slaid Cleaves on the album of the same
name on Philo, Catalogue 1225.
Written by Slaid Cleaves and Rod Picott.
A wonderful album, everyone should buy a copy.
This is my first tab for 'Cowpie', and this is the key
I use, others may want to use their capo on a
different fret.
C
Sherry had a pawn shop band of gold,
A sink full of dishes and a love grown cold,
F G
Along came a boy, pretty as the devil,
C Em Am
She took his hand, the whole thing unravelled,
F G
There's no turnin' round,
C
It's broke down.
Billy took the ring, jammed it in his pocket,
Drove down town and tried to hock it,
Down at the bottom of Lake Ponchartrain,
There's a love not carved inside a wedding ring.
F G
Broke down, cracked and shattered,
C Em Am
Left in pieces like it never even mattered,
F G
Broke down, torn and frayed,
C Em Am
Ain't nothin' left you could give away,
F G
There's no turnin' round,
C
It's broke down.
F G
Ain't no tellin where love goes,
C Em Am
Maybe down where the black river flows,
F G
Won't be comin' back round,
C
It's broke down.
Baby in the back seat, and another on the way,
Sherry thinks of Billy at the end of every day,
Spends her nights waiting for real life to start,
Listening to the sound of her double crossed heart.
Broke down, cracked and shattered,
Left in pieces like it never even mattered,
There's no turnin' round,
It's broke down.
On the other side of town, two lovers lie still,
Cigarette smokin' on a window sill,
There's a picture locked up in an old suitcase,
Billy closes his eyes but he still sees her face.
Broke down, cracked and shattered,
Left in pieces like it never even mattered,
Broke down, torn and frayed,
Ain't nothin' left you could give away,
There's no turnin' round,
It's broke down.
Broke down.
How to play Broke Down
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is A. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.