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The Way I Am chords by Merle Haggard (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

F#
B6
C#
E
B
C#7

Intro 1

F#

B6

F#

B6

C#

Verse 1

F#

E

B

Wish I was down on some blue bayou

F#

C#7

With a bamboo cane stuck in the sand

F#

E

B

But the road I'm on, don't seem to go there

F#

C#7

F#

So I just dream, keep on being the way I am

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Verse 2

F#

E

B

Wish I enjoyed what makes my living

F#

C#7

Did what I do with a willin' hand

F#

E

B

Some would run, but that ain't like me

F#

So I just dream

C#7

F#

and keep on bein' the way I am

Chorus 1
B 
F# 
The way I am, don't fit my shackles
C#7 
F# 
The way I am,   reality
E 
B 
I can almost see that bobber dancin'
F# 
C#7 
F# 
So I just dream, keep on being the way I am
B6 
F# 
C#7 
F# 

Chorus 2
B 
F# 
The way I am, don't fit my shackles
C#7 
F# 
The way I am,   reality
E 
B 
I can almost see that bobber dancin'
F# 
C#7 
F# 
But I just dream, keep on being the way I am
C#7 
I just dream, keep on bein' the way

Outro 1

F#

B6

F#

B6

(I am)

[Repeat and fade]

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GuitarPianoUkulele

0

F#
B6
C#
E
B
C#7

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: EasyKey: F# majorBPM: 67

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Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

F#: 2-4-4-3-2-2
B6: 7-x-6-8-7-x
C#: x-4-6-6-6-x
E: 0-2-2-1-0-0
B: x-2-4-4-4-x
C#7: x-4-6-4-6-x

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Barre chords ask a lot of the fretting hand. The barre course walks through hand position, pressure, and the cleanest way to land each shape. Practice barre chords

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Even perfectly fretted chords sound wrong on an out-of-tune guitar. Get in tune in seconds, right in your browser, with the free online guitar tuner

This is the definitive original version of The Way I Am by Merle Haggard, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of F# major. It suits players who want to learn The Way I Am the way Merle Haggard intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

The Way I Am

Merle Haggard

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