In Search Of A Song
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Afinação: E A D G B ECapotraste: Sem capotraste
"In Search of a Song" - Tom T. Hall
Released 1971
[!] Link to playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nB8FP4HmGsnpQByZG7EqSKV81w6xzLhko [!]
# Title
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1.) The Year That Clayton Delaney Died *
2.) Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs
3.) Trip to Hyden
4.) Tulsa Telephone Book **
5.) It Sure Can Get Cold in Des Moines
6.) The Little Lady Preacher
7.) L.A. Blues *
8.) Kentucky, February 27, 1971
9.) A Million Miles to the City *
10.) Second Handed Flowers *
11.) Ramona's Revenge
* = capo on 1st fret
** = capo on 2nd fret
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1.) "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcSUIkglCQw [!]
[!] Capo on 1st fret [!]
[Intro]
C G7 C G7
[Verse 1]
C G7 C C7
I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
F C C7
They said for the last two weeks that he suffered and cried
F C
It made a big impression on me, although I was a barefoot kid
G7 C
They said he got religion at the end and I'm glad that he did
[Verse 2]
C G7 C C7
Clayton was the best guitar picker in our town
F C
I thought he was a hero and I used to follow Clayton around
F C
I often wondered why Clayton, who seemed so good to me
G7 C
Never took his guitar and made it down in Tenn-o-see
[Verse 3]
C G7 C C7
Well, Daddy said he drank a lot, but I could never understand
F C C7
I knew he used to pick up in Ohio with a five-piece band
F C
Clayton used to tell me, "Son, you better put that old guitar away
G7 C
There ain't no money in it. It'll lead you to an early grave"
[Verse 4]
C G7 C C7
I guess if I'd admit it, Clayton taught me how to drink booze
F C C7
I can see him half-stoned, a-pickin' out the lovesick blues
F C
When Clayton died, I made him a promise, I was gonna carry on somehow
G7 C
I'd give a hundred dollars if he could only see me now
[Verse 5]
C G7 C C7
I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
F C C7
Nobody ever knew it, but I went out in the woods and I cried
F C
Well, I know there's a lot of big preachers that know a lot more than I do
G7 C
But it could be that the good Lord likes a little picking too
[Outro]
C G7 C
Yeah, I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
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2.) "Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDJfd9ufE84 [!]
[Intro]
C G D7
[Verse 1]
G C D7 G
I met him in a hospital about a year ago
C G D7
And why I still remember him, I guess I'll never know
G C D7 G
He'd lie there and cry out in a medicated fog
C D7 G
"Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
[Chorus]
C G D7 G
"Four hundred hogs, they're just standing out there
C G D7
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
G C D7 G
They can't get out and roam around like my old hunting dogs
C D7 G
Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
[Verse 2]
C D7 G
His face was lean and his hands were rough
C G D7
His way was hogs and his nature was tough
G C D7 G
His doctors tried to tell him that he may not live at all
C D7 G
But all he ever talked about was, "Who's gonna feed them hogs?"
[Chorus]
C G D7 G
"Four hundred hogs, they're just standing out there
C G D7
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
G C D7 G
They can't get out and roam around like my old hunting dogs
C D7 G
Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
[Interlude]
C G E7
[Chorus 2]
A D E7 A
Four hundred hogs comes to eight hundred hams
D A E7
And that's a lot of money for a hog-raising man
A D E7 A
Four hundred hogs comes to sixteen hundred feet
D E7 A
The market's up and there are people a-waiting on that meat
[Verse 3]
D E7 A
Well, the doctors say they do not know what saved the man from death
D A E7
But in a few days, he put on his overalls and he left
A D E7 A
That's all there is to this small song, but waitress, 'fore you leave
N.C. A D E7 A
Would you bring me some coffee and a hot ham sandwich, please?
[Chorus]
D A E7 A
Four hundred hogs, they're just standing out there
D A E7
His wife couldn't feed 'em and his neighbors didn't care
A D E7 A
They couldn't get out and roam around like his old hunting dogs
D E7 A
There he was in that dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?
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3.) "Trip to Hyden"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhyfNUH8SYc [!]
[Intro]
C G7 C
[Verse 1]
C G7 C
Tossed and turned the night before in some old motel
G7 C C7
Subconsciously recalling some old sinful thing I'd done
F C
My buddy drove the car and those big coal trucks shook us up
G7 C
As we drove on into Hyden in the early morning sun
[Verse 2]
C G7 C
Past the hound dogs and some dominique-er chickens
G7 C C7
Temporary-looking houses with their lean and bashful kids
F C
Every hundred yards, a sign proclaimed that Christ was coming soon
G7 C
And I thought, "Well, man, He'd sure be disappointed if He did."
[Verse 3]
C G7 C
On the way, we talked about the 40 miners
G7 C C7
Of the 39 who died and one who lived to tell the tale
F C
We stopped for beans and cornbread at the Ed & Lois Café
G7 C
Then went to see the sheriff at the Leslie County Jail
[Verse 4]
C G7 C
They took us to the scene of that disaster
G7 C C7
I was so surprised to not find any sign of death at all
F C
Just another country hillside with some mudholes and some junk
G7 C
The mines were deadly silent like a rathole in the wall
[Verse 5]
C G7 C
"It was just like being right inside of a shotgun."
G7 C C7
The old man coughed and lit a cigarette that he had rolled
F C
Back in town, I bought a heavy jacket from a store
G7 C
It was sunny down in Hyden but somehow, the town was cold
[Verse 6]
C G7 C
The old man introduced the undertaker
G7 C C7
Who seemed refreshed despite the kind of work I knew he did
F C
We talked about the pretty lady from the Grand Ole Opry
G7 C
And we talked about the money she was raising for the kids
[Verse 7]
C G7 C
Well, I guess the old man thought we were reporters
G7 C C7
He kept reminding me of how his simple name was spelled
F C
Some lady said, "They worth more money now than when they's a-living."
G7 C
And I'll leave it there 'cause I suppose she told it pretty well
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4.) "Tulsa Telephone Book"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h1VNHeg_Mg [!]
[!] Capo on 2nd fret [!]
[Intro]
E B7 E B7
[Verse 1]
E A
Have you read any good telephone books lately?
E B7
If you ain't, then let me recommend one
E A Am
I've already read that Tulsa telephone book through thirteen times
E B7 E
If you don't know any last names, it ain't much fun
[Chorus]
B7 A E
Reading that Tulsa telephone book can drive a guy insane
B7 A E B7
Especially if that girl you're looking for has no last name
E A Am
I gotta find her and tell her I don't want our love to end
E B7 E B7
So I'm reading that Tulsa telephone book again
[Verse 2]
E A
Well, I was in Tulsa and didn't have anything going
E B7
She lived in Tulsa and didn't have anything on
E A Am
She said, "My name is Shirley," and I said, "My name is T."
E B7 E
I woke up the next morning and she was gone
[Verse 3]
E A
All of the Tulsa operators know my voice now
E B7
And they gotta know how long I've been alone
E A Am
If you meet a girl named Shirley with some ribbons in her hair
E B7 E
Would you tell her that she's wanted on the phone?
[Chorus]
B7 A E
Reading that Tulsa telephone book can drive a guy insane
B7 A E B7
Especially if that girl you're looking for has no last name
E A Am
I gotta find her and tell her I don't want our love to end
E B7 E B7
So I'm reading that Tulsa telephone book again
E B7 E
I'm reading that Tulsa telephone book again
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5.) "It Sure Can Get Cold in Des Moines"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQHLD5Vvpzo [!]
[Intro]
D
[Verse 1]
D A7 D
The Iowa weather was thirteen below
G D
I had come to Des Moines for a radio show
G D Bm
I awoke in the evening from a traveler's sleep
D A7 D
With notions of something to eat
G D
The old elevator slipped down past the floors
G D A7
My head and my eyes said, "You should have slept more"
G D Bm
The man at the desk said the restaurant was closed
D A7 D
Outside, it was fourteen below
[Verse 2]
D A7 D
The lounge was still open and so I walked in
G D
In place of my food, I had two double gins
G D Bm
I looked 'round the room, as a tourist would do
D A7 D
That's when I saw the girl in the booth
G D
She sat there and cried in the smoky half-dark
G D A7
The silent-type crying that tears out your heart
G D Bm
Her clothes were not cut in the new modern way
D A7 D
And her suitcase had seen better days
[Verse 3]
D A7 D
Nobody asked her what caused her such pain
G D
Nobody spoke up, yet no one complained
G D Bm
Without even asking, I knew why she cried
D A7 D
Life is just like that sometimes
G D
The man at the desk said, "It's fifteen below"
G D A7
The bellhop said, "Yeah, man. That's cold. That's cold."
G D Bm
I went back to my room and I wrote down this song
D A7 D
Oh, it sure can get cold in Des Moines
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6.) "The Little Lady Preacher"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9813XGBcMQ [!]
[Intro]
D A7
D G D
[Verse 1]
D G D
Oh, the little lady preacher from the limestone church
A7
I'll never forget her, I guess
D G D
She preached each Sunday morning on the local radio
A7 D
With a big black Bible and a snow-white dress
G D
She was nineteen years of age and was developed to a fault
A7
But I will admit, she knew the Bible well
G D
A little white lace hankie marked the text that she would use
A7 D
She'd breathe into that microphone and send us all to hell
[Verse 2]
D G D
She had a guitar picker by the name of Luther Short
A7
A hairy-legged soul lost out in sin
D G D
She would turn and smile at Luther when the program would commence
A7 D
With a voice as sweet as angels', she would break out in a hymn
G D
I was a-picking for her too with what we called the doghouse bass
A7
I clung to every word that passed her lips
G D
She was down on booze and cigarettes and high on days to come
A7 D Bb7
And she'd punctuate the prophecy with movements of her hips
[Bridge]
Eb Bb7
Eb Ab Eb
[Verse 3]
Eb Ab Eb
The Lord knows how I loved her, He was there each time she preached
Bb7
But old Luther took her home each Sunday morn
Eb Ab Eb
Looking back, I still recall the way it hurt my tender pride
Bb7 Eb
I longed to be a hero but they're made, not born
Ab Eb
Sometimes, old Luther showed up at the studio half tight
Bb7
And smoking was a thing he liked to do
Ab Eb
She never said a word to him but said a prayer for me
Bb7 Eb
I told her, in a way, that I've been praying for her too
[Verse 4]
Eb Ab Eb
One Sunday, her old man showed up and said that she was gone
Bb7
Said she and brother Luther had a call
Eb Ab Eb
I can see me standing in that studio that day
Bb7 Eb
I had to face the heartbreak, unemployment and all
Ab Eb
I don't know where they are 'cause I ain't seen them people since
Bb7
Lord, if I judge 'em, let me give 'em lots of room
Ab Eb
I know Luther Short and he's a hard old boy to change
N.C. Eb Bb7 Ab Eb Bb7 Eb
And I've often sat and wondered who it was converted whom
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7.) "L.A. Blues"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Ik9UonFH8 [!]
[!] Capo on 1st fret [!]
[Intro]
E F#7 A B7
E
[Verse 1]
E F#7 A B7 E
I got off the airplane 'long about 7:30 in L.A.
F#7 A B7 E
What a drag to realize that everything's so different and so same
A B7 E C#m
All my California friends are searching for their minds
A B7 E
And it's been right there in their heads all the time
[Chorus]
A E C#m
L.A. blues, L.A. blues
C#m
You want me to be like you
E F#7 A B7
Ha ha, there ain't no way
[Verse 2]
E F#7 A B7 E
California Charlie met me at my room when I got in
F#7 A B7 E
We toasted country picking and the help of all our good and mutual friends
A B7 E C#m
Before the morning came, we put a handle on the world
A B7 E
And decided that we'd give it to the squirrels
[Chorus]
A E C#m
L.A. blues, L.A. blues
C#m
You want me to be like you
E F#7 A B7 C7
Ha ha, there ain't no way
F G7 A# C7
F
[Verse 3]
F G7 A# C7 F
Soaking up that sunshine and eating eggs and bacon over light
G7 A# C7 F
Sleeping through the daytime and contemplating sin throughout the night
A# C7 F Dm
Please hand me my hat and darling, give me back my things
A# C7 F
Ol' T.'s got a bunch of songs to sing
[Chorus]
A# F Dm
L.A. blues, L.A. blues
Dm
You want me to be like you
F G7 A# C7
Ha ha, there ain't no way
[Verse 4]
F G7 A# C7 F
I like California and I wouldn't want to put it down, no way
G7 A# C7 F
But I heard what you're thinking and it ain't exactly what I want to say
A# C7 F Dm
Someday, California, I'll come roaring back to you
A# C7 F
If you don't fall in the ocean before I do
[Chorus]
A# F Dm
L.A. blues, L.A. blues
Dm
You want me to be like you
F G7 A# C7
Ha ha, there ain't no way
F G7 A# C7
F G7 A# C7
F G7 A# C7
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8.) "Kentucky, February 27, 1971"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfYkxSZY1ME [!]
[Intro]
D C D
[Verse 1]
D G D
There were signs beside the road like "Jesus Saves"
A7
And "Relieve yourself the fast and gentle way"
G D
I was looking for an old man who lived way back in these hills
C D
Who just might have a story I could tell
[Verse 2]
D G D
Pretty soon, the blacktop disappeared
A7
I felt the car change to a lower gear
G D
I took a drink of liquor just to chase away the chill
C D
I was 27 miles from Olive Hill
[Verse 3]
D G D
Ahead, I saw the bridge where I turned right
A7
A dirt road led straight up a mountainside
G D
I pulled up to a farmhouse I thought I had seen before
C D
An old man and his dog were at the door
[Verse 4]
D G D
They told me this old-timer knew this land
A7
I told him, "Sir, I just don't understand
G D
Why the kids in this state just grow up and move away
C D
And leave the land where they were born and raised."
[Verse 5]
D G D
He said, "Son, you can't make it on this land
A7
Unless you're happy workin' with your hands
G D
There ain't no kids today that wanna stay and work it out
C D
They wanna see the things they hear about."
[Verse 6]
D G D
He said, "I cleared this whole farm off myself
A7
And I'd work it now but time has got my health."
G D
Then, staring out the window, resting in his easy chair
C D
He told me what I'd really come to hear
[Verse 7]
D G D
"You know, son, people used to tell their kids
A7
'Now, I don't want you to have to work the way I did.'
G D
They don't and some will tell you that it's a shame
C D
But you have to think before you place the blame."
[Verse 8]
D G D
I guess we must have talked for half a day
A7
'til I told him that I'd best be on my way
G D
He shook my hand and said, "I'm glad I met you, Mr. Hall
C D
But I guess there ain't no song here after all."
[Outro]
D G D
A7
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9.) "A Million Miles to the City"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoDVuv9JwYk [!]
[!] Capo on 1st fret [!]
[Intro]
F C G7 C
[Verse 1]
C F
Yeah, I remember it now, we were kids back then
C
Living down on the farm
G7
We were told that the city
F C
Could only bring us harm
F
"How far is the city?" somebody said
C
And "Oh, that's a great big town"
G7
Barbara said, "Why, it's a million miles"
F C
And the story got around
[Chorus]
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
From the hills and valleys we know
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
And someday we all wanna go
[Verse 2]
C F
There was a town nearby, but a town is a town
C
And a city... well, that's something else
G7
Our daddy had been to a city
F C
But he never was much help
F
"Why the buildings are taller than oak trees"
C
Ah, but we knew better than that
G7
Ain't nobody could climb that high
F C
The cities were wide and flat
[Chorus]
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
From the hills and valleys we know
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
And someday we all wanna go
[Verse 3]
C F
Well now, time has passed and we have grown
C
And travelled far and wide
G7
The cities have changed the kids we were
F C
We see it in each other's eyes
F
But I'd love to go back to those hills again
C
To the boy I used to be
G7
Where the leaves and the wind and the whippoorwills
F C
Were part of the land like me
[Chorus]
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
From the hills and valleys we know
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
And someday we all wanna go
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
From the hills and valleys we know
F C
It's a million miles to the city
G7 C
And someday we all wanna go
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10.) "Second Handed Flowers"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmZuco7epLg [!]
[!] Capo on 1st fret [!]
[Intro]
G D A7 D
[Verse 1]
D D7 G D
I was working in Miami for a day or two
G D A7
I decided I'd look up a girl that I once knew
D D7 G D
I bought some flowers and went to see the girl I used to know
G D A7 D
The lady at her door said she had married long ago
[Verse 2]
D D7 G D
Times will change and towns will change and there I was alone
G D A7
And suddenly I wondered, "Would Suzy be at home?"
D D7 G D
So with the flowers in my hand, I walked toward her gate
G D A7 D
Someone touched me on the arm and said, "You'll have to wait"
[Verse 3]
D D7 G D
Then I noticed there were people standing in a line
G D A7
Some of them were holding pretty flowers just like mine
D D7 G D
They explained that Suzy had been in an awful crash
G D A7 D D7
Doctors said that she had just a little while to last
[Interlude]
G D A7 D
[Verse 4]
D D7 G D
When I walked into her room, I felt a sense of shame
G D A7
But I heard Suzy whisper, "I'm awfully glad you came"
D D7 G D
She had been the girl that I had always gone to see
G D A7 D
When someone that I cared for had been untrue to me
[Verse 5]
D D7 G D
I handed her the flowers and she gently kissed my hand
G D A7
She said, "Don't be embarrassed. You know I understand"
D D7 G D
I said goodbye and as I bent to kiss her fevered brow
G D A7 D
I heard her whisper, "Thank you for the second handed flowers"
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11.) "Ramona's Revenge"
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[!] Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9WsX4gXyDU [!]
[Intro]
E
[Verse 1]
E A E
Ramona lived just down the hill from us
B7
She kept the house, her mother drove the bus (an old yellow school bus)
A E
Ramona had a handicap the neighborhood knew well
B7 E
Ramona couldn't speak or couldn't spell
E
(Which put Ramona at a considerable disadvantage among the more fluent)
[Verse 2]
E A E
Although she couldn't write and couldn't talk
B7
Ramona really had a pretty walk (a four-letter figure)
A E
Because she couldn't write or speak, nobody asked her out
B7 E
But Bad Eye Thompson hung around the house
E
(He was what you might say a familiar figure in the neighborhood)
[Verse 3]
E A E
I guess their handicaps were common ground
B7
For Bad Eye Thompson always hung around
A E
He could squint that eye and spit tobacco thirty feet
B7 E
Ramona always grinned and stomped her feet
E
(Because Ramona considered that to be one of the better local acts)
[Verse 4]
E A E
One day, Ramona found herself a child
B7
She couldn't speak, her mom was going wild
A E
Confusion reigned for half a day, as one could understand
B7 E
The county judge came down to take a hand
E
(And I think it should be noted here, in the interest of justice
E
that the judge was acting in a strictly unofficial capacity)
[Verse 5]
E A E
The neighbors gathered 'round Ramona's porch
B7
The judge said, "Understand this is not a court".
A E
Ramona stood as all the breathless neighbors gathered 'round
N.C.
Then, she closed one eye and [*pbt*] spat upon the ground
E
(And it's a familiar old saying that "birds of a feather will flock together"
E
And justice will be done, that's right)
How to play In Search Of A Song
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 E. 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.