Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern — Todd Snider
Chords and lyrics for Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern by Todd Snider (key of C).
Verse 1
[C]Old Miss [C/B]Virgy [Am]tended bar at this [D]shack out [G]in the [C]hills
[C]It never [C/B]made her any [Am]money boys but [D7]paid of all her [G]bills
[C]Now she must have been [C7]80 years old but her [F]heart was warm
And her [D7]beer was cold
She [C]gave away [C/B]more than she [Am]ever sold
[D]Smiling [G]all the [C]time
I[C] used to [C/B]sing off in the [Am]corner [D]every [G]Friday [C]night
To[C] a loud [C/B]crowd of [Am]cowboys, [D7]bikers and bar room [G]fights
[C]They were drinking beer, [C7]carrying on,
not a [F]one of them listening to [D7]one of my songs
But [C]old Miss [C/B]Virgy was [Am]singing along
She said she [D]knew 'em [G]all by [C]heart
And [C]then one [C/B]night after [Am]closing she [D]poured me [G]another [C]beer
[C]She said "Come on [C/B]over and sit [Am]down you little shit
I [D7]got something you need to [G]hear"
[C]She said "Life ain't easy [C7]getting through
[F]everybody's gonna make things [D7]tough on you
But I can [C]tell you right [C/B]now if you [Am]dig what you do,
they will [D]never [G]get you [C]down"
She said [C]life's too [C/B]short to [Am]worry
[D]Life's too [G]long to [C]wait
[C]Too [C/B]short not to [Am]love everybody
[D7]Life's too long to [G]hate
I meet a [C]lot of men who haggle and [C7]finagle all the time
[F]Trying to save a nickel maybe [D7]make a dime
[C]Not [C/B]me boy [Am]no sireee, you know I[D] ain't [G]got the [C]time
[C]Now I ain't [C/B]seen Ol' [Am]Virgy I guess it's been [D]almost [G]eighteen [C]years.
[C]I've been bumming [C/B]around this [Am]country singing my [D7]songs for tips and [G]beers
Now the [C]nights are long
The [C7]travelin's tough
[F]Hotels stink, and the [D7]pay sucks
[C]But I can't [C/B]dig what I [Am]do enough, so it [D]never [G]gets me [C]down
I [C]say life's too [C/B]short to [Am]worry
[D]Life's too [G]long to [C]wait
[C]Too short [C/B]not to [Am]love everybody
[D7]Life's too long to[G] hate
I meet a [C]lot of men who haggle and [C7]finagle all the time
[F]Trying to save a nickel maybe [D7]make a dime
[C]Not [C/B]me, [A]no sireee, [D]I ain't [G]got the [C]time
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