Ian Noe : River Fools & Mountain Saints

A

E

x3

D

A

E

A

E

Stranded inside a madhouse, baby Down in old Pine Grove Been up for days in a drunkard's haze

D

A

E

Just lit up by this stove

A

E

We got the band in the basement, mama Fire on that mountain steel Don't need your plow or that old milk cow

D

A

E

We're working on this hill

D

A

E

Hang up the wagon wheel

A

E

x2

Here comes Lorraine, she's a stumbling terror High on her bathtub gin Shows me her kids, tells me how she is And how she was back when Said, back when I worked for the county clerk When I wore those finer clothes Now them days are gone and we ain't got long But I'm still a mountain rose Heart like a young Pete Rose

A

E

Ain't coming down, it's a-roaring now High on your river town Dance on your porch 'round that old cane torch

D

A

E

And let your mountain sound Too late to lay it down

Instrumental verse

Well, out on the ridge where they're rolling, mama Stray dogs and sirens fight Barred all the doors, nailing 2-by-4's Brushed off the coal oil light And if I slip, don't you catch me, baby I'll find that back road bend I'll turn around like an old blood hound Cut out my trail again Back to my trailer den Ain't coming down, it's a-roaring now High on your river town Dance on your porch 'round that old cane torch And let your mountain sound Too late to lay it down

Instrumental verses to end

Capo:

I

|

C

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G

|

C

|

C

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C

F

C

Well, down in old Southfork, Kentucky, there lives a man everybody knows

F

C

G

Spends his days in a muddy haze, tangled in the cat-tail poles

C

F

Am

Workin' on an ancient bottle, in the shade of a yellow pine

C

G

C

Just a river fool on good old mountain wine Takes a 4-10 out for huntin', sometimes, if he paddles far Might even bring his old six string, hammer that CCR And if it don't feel right for pickin' he might dance in the kudzu vine Just a river fool on good old mountain wine

F

C

Just a river fool on good old mountain wine

F

C

G

Shootin' at the moon and squallin' like a mountain lion

C

And you can hear him all the way in Jackson

F

Am

Past the Wolf Creek line

C

G

C

Just a river fool on good old mountain wine

Instrumental verse

Now, he lays down every evenin', kicked back on the gravel bar 'Bout as free as a man can be, countin' those Kentucky stars Dreamin' all by his lonesome, content with his place in time Just a river fool on good old mountain wine Just a river fool on good old mountain wine Shootin' at the moon and squallin' like a mountain lion And you can hear him all the way in Jackson Past the Wolf Creek line Just a river fool on good old mountain wine

C

G

F

G

C

He's just a river fool on good old mountain wine

Capo:

III

C

G

F

C

I came home to an empty house after two years tried and true

C

G

F

C

Made up a rhyme about love and time but had no one to tell it to

C

G

F

C

I lit a smoke and I threw my coat in the chair where she used to sit

Am

G

C

Ain't that at about as lonesome as it gets She used to stand by the kitchen door while the sun was coming up She always tell me if it looked like rain or if the cat crawled on my truck Now every morning is a quiet mess for these things I can't forget Ain't that at about as lonesome as it gets

F

C

And no more fire to raise the crane

G

C

No more track to hold the train

F

C

G

Everything that I thought was love is looking like regret I used to have some sense of self but I don't know where it went Feel like a clown 'neath a paper crown juggling in an empty tent I wore my feet up a many street and still ain't found it yet Ain't that about as lonesome as it gets |

C

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G

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F

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C

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Am

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G

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C

| And no more fire to raise the crane No more track to hold the train I been stranded in the rain so long I don't know what's wet And I got drunk on Christmas night and had an epiphany Let's end the day in a holy way and set fire to the Christmas tree While the bulbs were burning down the angel was taking fits Ain't that about as lonesome as it gets Ain't that about as lonesome as it gets

|

D

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G

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D

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D

|

D

Well, he's coming off the mountain

G

D

Twenty ton in tow

D

Rides his break 'til the windows shake

A

And every man hears it high and low

G

A

Let it slide down the ditch and cried

D

G

"This old hill's about to roll

D

A

You'll come away with more than a scratch or two

G

Bm

These strip job blues, strip job blues

D

A

They say what you gain don't compare to what you lose

G

A

Blasted seams and muddy streams

D

G

Put the critters on the move

D

A

D

Running from these strip job blues Now, he started out a green-horn When he was 25 Cut his teeth on that South fork lease Setting shot 'til he learned to drive Running loads down those winding roads He'd bring them hills alive And say, "Gotta be a mad man if you choose" These strip job blues, strip job blues They say, "What you gain don't compare to what you lose" And keep it low when the mountain goes Don't be staring at your shoes Walking round these strip job blues

Insrumental verse

Now, he's loading up the 'dozer Chaining down the tracks Making room for the reclaim crew On their way to tryin' bring it back In a little time there'll be brush and pine Where those deer can rub their racks Sit up high and hear 'em come crashing through These strip job blues, strip job blues They say, "What you gain don't compare to what you lose" Working down in those mining towns You know there's many more than few Living out those strip job blues

G

D

A

D

Yeah, you know they're living out those strip job blues

Capo:

V

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C

. .

G

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F

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Am

. .

G

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F

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x2

C

G

F

He was waiting for a better time

C

G

F

To tell her he'd be gone

Am

G

F

It was blowing up a storm that night

Am

G

F

And something about it just seemed wrong So, he waited 'til the morning came With lightning all around And it broke his soul, but he let her go And split that tore-up town

C

(

G

)

F

And all these roads

Am

(

G

)

F

Coulda swore that they closed

C

(

G

)

F

And all these towns

Am

(

G

)

F

Coulda swore they fell down Tom Barrett was a killing man From the 21st platoon Started out in a heavy tank Tearing down the pounding dunes And the pilot guards would laugh and say We see you're back again Said I tell ya if they had their way They'd send me just to fight the wind And all these roads Coulda swore that they closed And all these towns Coulda swore they fell down

Am

G

F

And this life is getting old

Am

G

F

I never see no peace

C

G

F

On the day I turned 41

Am

G

F

I was crawling up a ditch in Greece 'Bout to end a man When they stopped me at his heels Never knew how they handled him And don't guess I ever will |

C

. .

G

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F

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Am

. .

G

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F

|

x2

He sits alone with a local guy Amongst the plow machines Pushing piles for miles and miles Rubble like you've never seen He said, I'd tell 'em that I've had enough But no matter where I went They'd have me caught before the sun came up Tamed and ready to repent And all these roads Coulda swore that they closed And all these towns Coulda swore they fell down |

C

. .

G

|

F

|

Am

. .

G

|

F

|

x2

Capo:

VIII

G

C

D

x3

C

D

He retired on a Wednesday When the call came through Said so long to the highway And that old blacktop crew Made his way to the mountains Where she was waiting up Been 50 years and counting Banking more than luck They spent the night on the front porch Weighing every chance He said that old clock's ticking Better learn to dance They drove him out to the desert Seeking nothing new He tried the cures in the valley And religion, too He cursed the cold and the wood stoves 'Neath the church house vents He fought the heat and the horseflies In revival tents And later on that winter When it took its hold He saw the man in the mirror Beaten up and old And the kids came often And the grand-kids, too Bringing all those groceries Crying "I love you" They wiped the tears from their faces Said "Tell me, what is wrong?" I'm still the same old baby Stuck in Vietnam And gave way to the silence And the chilly night That little house on Primrose Had never been so quiet They gathered 'round the bedside Speaking holy words They say the soul it lingers That's what I've always heard And he stared up through the ceiling At the universe Speeding past old memories In a spirit hearse He rode the waves and the static Of their first TV He saw the sounds of Fireline And the great Ali And said, "I can feel it coming I'm a nervous wreck I wonder where I'm going? I wonder what comes next?"

C

D

x3

|

Am

|

F

|

x4

Am

F

She lays her head in the Blue Ridge mountains

Am

F

Covered up in the tall old pines

Am

F

Running trails where there ain't no traveling

Am

F

Up to the brush creek line 20 miles down a dead-end holler To meet a man for the whole year's haul Through the mud and that sulfur water Down where the panthers bawl

G

F

He weighs it out on that backhoe trailer

G

F

And pays with no complaint

Am

F

Hard as hell, like a coffin nail

G

Am

That little mountain saint And had every job in that old coal county The dairy bars and the dollar stores Workin' hard tryin' to raise that family She never could afford Just a girl from the mouth of hazard Bet it all on a river fool Used to sit cleaning junk he gathered When every flood come through They pulled him out of that muddy water She didn't cry or faint Went on her own where the cold wind moans That little mountain saint

G

F

Am

G

And always swears if you live right, you won't be seen

Dm

F

Am

G

Ain't no crown for this country hustling queen She ends her day with her favorite bourbon Warming up while it's turning cold Bets the last of the white oak burning See what the winter holds Covers up in that blacked-out cabin Dreams of gold and paints She's riding high 'neath the southern sky That little mountain saint

F

G

Am

Em

F

C

Em

F

C

Em

F

There were no people left

Am

F

when the ship rolled in

G

Am

F

No one around to explain

G

F

All the years they had traveled

Am

F

in search of kin

G

Am

F

now seemed a journey in vain

C

G

F

"One more night coming down," they cry

Am

G

F

"One more night through this hometown blur

C

G

F

One more night 'neath this ancient sky

Dm

Am

F

Take the time to recall who we were

G

Am

F

G

F

Well, they headed over Vermont

Am

F

like spaced-out tramps

G

Am

F

Years of destruction, they saw

G

Am

F

With their eyes growing heavy they set up camp

G

Am

F

outside an old Florida mall

C

G

F

"One more night coming down," they cry

Am

G

F

"One more night through this hometown blur

C

G

F

One more night 'neath this ancient sky

Dm

Am

F

Take the time to recall who we were

Dm

Am

F

Take the time to recall who we were

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)

Intro of verse chords

D

G

/f

(

D

) They bring our food in the morning They throw it at our feet You know it's foul and it's foreign

A

D

But a man's gotta eat They take the time out to tease us Around and 'round, they crow I keep pleading to Jesus When will they let us go?

Instrumental verse

Well, I remember the sunshine The way it hit my face And I've been longin' for sunshine Since I've been in this place Why it's as dark as a dungeon The rats have claimed the floor They keep me up with their scurryin' I can't take it no more

G

A

D

So, I close my eyes to roam

G

Just strolling over memories

A

D

Tryin' to catch a glimpse of home

Instrumental verse

So take me back to the country Down where the river bends I don't care how I get there Just let this nightmare end Throw me out in the ocean On unforgiving waves I'll take my chances a-floatin' Over rottin' in this cage And I close my eyes to roam Just strolling over memories Tryin' to catch a glimpse of home Just strolling over memories Tryin' to catch a glimpse of home

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)

Capo:

I

Dm

Burnin' down the prairie

C

/g

Dm

Got a handful of river cane

Dm

Burnin' down the prairie

C

/g

Dm

Got a handful of river cane

Dm

I'm just sitting up on this hillside

A7

G

Dm

Prayin' to God it doesn't rain We've been healin' from a winter That brought us more than sleet and snow We've been healin' from a winter That brought us more than sleet and snow Someone out there somewhere's Been cutting down the buffalo Well, we followed bloody footprints For many miles along the creek Yeah, we followed bloody footprints For many miles along the creek Someone out there somewhere's Been walkin' with two wicked feet And daddy's on a rampage Late at night I hear him cryin' And daddy's on a rampage Every night I hear him cryin' He said someone out there somewhere's Been stalkin' like a mountain lion And I can see 'em comin' now Covered up in bone and hide Yeah, I can see 'em comin' now And they're covered up in bone and hide Burnin' down the prairie Ravin' mad and wild-eyed

|

Am

|

C

|

Em

|

D

|

x2

Am

C

Em

D

Morning's gone and the TV's on, been rainin' for a week

Am

C

Em

D

There's coffee cans and an old box fan floating in the creek

Am

C

Em

D

No better time to ride the line, ain't seen the law in days

Am

C

Em

D

It's your own town when the mountain sounds this Appalachia haze Well, Bobby dreams on the back porch swing, we keep an eye on him He's counting all the basketballs brushing past the limbs And remembers when he was only ten, they left the homestead crazed In that busted Ford just a-flying towards this Appalachia haze And Sarah goes when the whiskey flows, says she goes too hard There's plastic pets and a blue swing set rusted in the yard Said, "Oh, that child she was always wild, set in her own ways" Sleeps downtown with her arms around that Appalachia haze And here comes John with his buttons on, he's optimistic still They stand in the rain for a good campaign, they tell him how he feels They said, "You see, they're just like me, we're in for the glory days" The saviors come to lead us from this Appalachia haze Now they're cutting pines and power lines, I watch the gutter drain Down every ridge there's a washed out bridge covered up in cane But I've got a friend just around the bend, you oughta hear her play I pick along while she hammers on this Appalachia haze

G7

C/g

This road may flood tonight

Em

If I heard the weatherman right

F

I ain't seen a cloud in sight

G

The whole damn day There ain't a soul in this old coal town It's quiet on the courthouse grounds Just empty cars with windows down I guess it's on its way May have to get myself a boat A couple paddles and a good raincoat Dig myself out the deepest moat Keep it all at bay And last time it rained, I didn't sleep for weeks Worrying on those rising creeks Gravel bars and busted beach And mountains made of slate Guess you could say it's been a haunted life I use to have a Christian wife And I lost her like a pocket knife Sliding down the bank But you know, this road's been a pretty good friend I've drove it every night since then I run her 'round every bend Never sure if I'm awake And it's a heartache Nothing but a heartache Hits you when it's too late Hits you when you're down And it's a fool's game Nothing but a fool's game Standing in this cold rain Dancing like a clown

Ian Noe : River Fools & Mountain Saints
2022

Pine Grove (Madhouse)

River Fool

Lonesome As It Gets

Strip Job Blues 1984

Tom Barrett

Ballad Of A Retired Man

Mountain Saint

One More Night

POW Blues

Burning Down The Prairie

Appalachia Haze

Road May Flood / It's A Heartache

Ian Noe : River Fools & Mountain Saints 2022

Pine Grove (Madhouse)

River Fool

Lonesome As It Gets

Strip Job Blues 1984

Tom Barrett

Ballad Of A Retired Man

Mountain Saint

One More Night

POW Blues

Burning Down The Prairie

Appalachia Haze

Road May Flood / It's A Heartache

Ian Noe : River Fools & Mountain Saints
2022