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

GuitarPianoUkulele

F#
B6
C#
E
B
C#7

Intro 1

Verse 1

Wish I was down on some blue bayou

With a bamboo cane stuck in the sand

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

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

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Verse 2

Wish I enjoyed what makes my living

Did what I do with a willin' hand

Some would run, but that ain't like me

So I just dream

and keep on bein' the way I am

Chorus 1
B 
F# 
The way I  (B major) am, don't fit my  (F sharp major) shackles
C#7 
F# 
The way I  (C sharp7) am,   reali (F sharp major) ty
E 
B 
I can almost see that bobber  (E major) danc (B major) in'
F# 
C#7 
F# 
So I just dream,  (F sharp major) keep on  (C sharp7) being the way I  (F sharp major) am
B6 
F# 
C#7 
F# 
 (B6)  (F sharp major)  (C sharp7)  (F sharp major) 

Chorus 2
B 
F# 
The way I  (B major) am, don't fit my  (F sharp major) shackles
C#7 
F# 
The way I  (C sharp7) am,   reali (F sharp major) ty
E 
B 
I can almost see that bobber  (E major) danc (B major) in'
F# 
C#7 
F# 
But I just dream,  (F sharp major) keep on  (C sharp7) being the way I  (F sharp major) am
C#7 
I just dream, keep on  (C sharp7) bein' the way

Outro 1

(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

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

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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