Billy the Bum

Billy the Bum easy guitar chords by John Prine

N/A
Guitar
Tuning

E A D G B E

Capo

Fret 3

Capo

Transpose

0

Capo
  • D

  • Em

  • A

  • G

  • E

  • D

  • Em

  • A

  • G

  • E

  • Intro 1

    Verse 1

    Billy, 

    the bum 
    lived 
    by 
    the thumb 

    And 
    sang 
    of 
    the 
    hobo's 
    delight 

    He'd 
    prove 
    he 
    could 
    run 

    Twice 
    as 
    fast 
    as 
    the 
    sun 

    By 
    losing 
    his 
    shadow 
    at night 

    Now 
    he 
    loved 
    every 
    girl 

    In this 
    curly 
    headed 
    world 

    But 
    no 
    one 
    will 
    know 
    it 
    seem

    For 
    two 
    twisted 
    legs 
    and 

    childhood 
    disease 

    Left 
    Billy 
    just 
    bum 
    in 
    his 
    dreams 

    Verse 2
    And 
    he 
    was 
    just 
    gentle 
    boy 

    real 
    fluorescent 
    light 

    Cried 
    pennies 
    on 
    Sunday 
    morn
    ing 

    Laughs 
    nickels 
    on 
    Saturday 
    night 

    And 
    your 
    bullets, 
    they 
    can't 
    harm 
    him 

    Nor 
    your 
    knives 
    tear 
    him 
    apart 

    Humi
    liation 
    killed 
    him 

    God 
    bless 
    his 
    little 
    heart 

    Interlude 1


    Now 
    he 
    Verse 3
    lived 
    all 
    alone 
    in a 
    run 
    down 
    home 

    Near 
    the side 
    of 
    the 
    old 
    railroad 
    track 

    Where 
    the 
    trains 
    used 
    to run 

    Carryin' 
    freight 
    by 
    the ton 

    Blow 
    the 
    whistle 
    as 
    Billy'd wave 
    back

    But 
    the children 
    around 

    Billy's 
    home 
    town 

    Seemed 
    to 
    have 
    nothin' 
    better 
    to 
    do 

    Then 
    run 
    around 
    his 
    house 

    With 
    their 
    tongues 
    from 
    their mouth 

    Make 
    fun 
    of 
    that 
    crippled 
    old 
    fool 

    Verse 4

    And 
    he 
    was 
    just 
    gentle 
    boy 

    real 
    fluorescent 
    light 

    Cried 
    pennies 
    on 
    Sunday 
    morn
    ing 

    Laughs 
    nickels 
    on 
    Saturday 
    night 

    And 
    your bul
    lets, 
    they 
    can't 
    harm 
    him 

    Nor 
    your 
    knives 
    tear 
    him 
    apart 

    Humiliation 
    killed 
    him 

    God 
    bless 
    his 
    little 
    heart 

    Interlude 2


    Verse 5
    Now 
    some 
    folks 
    they wait 

    and some 
    folks 
    they pray 

    For 
    Jesus 
    to 
    rise 
    up 
    again 

    But 
    none 
    of these 
    folks 
    in 
    their 
    holy 
    cloaks 

    Ever 
    took 
    Billy 
    on 
    as 
    friend 

    For 
    pity's 
    crime 

    And it 
    ain't 
    worth 
    dime 

    To 
    a person 
    who's 
    really 
    in 
    need 

    Just 
    treat 
    'em 
    the same 

    As 
    you 
    would 
    your 
    own 
    name 

    Next 
    time 
    that 
    your 
    heart 
    starts 
    to 
    bleed 

    Verse 6

    And 
    he 
    was 
    just 
    gentle 
    boy 

    real 
    fluorescent 
    light 

    Cried 
    pennies 
    on 
    Sunday 
    morning 

    Laughs 
    nickels 
    on 
    Saturday 
    night 

    And 
    your 
    bullets, 
    they 
    can't 
    harm 
    him 

    Nor 
    your 
    knives 
    tear 
    him 
    apart 

    Humiliation 
    killed 
    him 

    God 
    bless 
    his 
    little 
    heart 


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