To Beat the Devil chords by Kris Kristofferson
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Verse 1
A couple of years (G major) back I come across a great and wasted friend of mine in the hallway of a recording studio. And while he was reciting some poetry to me that he had written, I saw that he was about a step away from dying,
and I couldn't help but wonder why. (D major) (G major) And the (D major) lines of this (G major) song occurred to me. I'm happy to say he's no longer wasted, and he's got him a good woman. And I'd like to dedicate this to John and June, who helped showed me how to beat the devil.
Verse 2
(G major)
It was wintertime (D major) in Nashville
(G major) Down on Music (D major) City Row (G major)
And I was looking for a place
And to get (D major) my self out of the cold
(C major) To warm the (D major) frozen feeling that was
(G major) eating (D major) at my soul (E minor) (C major)
Keep the chilly wind off my (D major) guitar
(G major) My thirsty wanted whiskey
(C major) But my hunger needed (G major) beans
But it had been a month of paydays
Since (D major) I'd heard that eagle scream
(C major) So with a stomach (D major) full of empty
(G major) And a pocket (E minor) full of dreams
(C major) I left my (D major) pride and stepped inside a (G major) bar
(E minor) Actually I'd guess you'd call
it a tavern (C major)
Cigarette smoke to the ceil (A minor) ing
And sawdust on the floor (D major)
Friendly shad (G major) ows
I saw that there was just one
old man (C major) sitting at the bar (G major)
And in the mirror I could see him
checking me and (D major) my guitar
And (C major) he turned and said,
(D major) Come up here,
boy, and (G major) show us what you are (E minor)
(C major) I said I'm dry, and he bought me (D major) a beer
(G major) He nodded at my guitar and said,
(C major) It's a tough life, ain't (G major) it?
I just looked at him
He said, you (D major) ain't making
any money, are you?
(C major) I said, you been reading (D major) my mail
(G major) He just smiled and said,
(E minor) let me see that guitar (C major)
(D major) I got something you ought to hear
And (G major) then he laid it on me
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Verse 3
If you waste your time a talking To the (C major)
people who don't listen
(G major) To the things that you are saying
Who do (D major) you thinks gonna hear?
And if (G major) you should die explaining how
The (C major) things that they complain about
Are (G major) things they could be changing
Who do (D major) you thinks gonna (G major) care?
There were (D major) other lonely singers
In a (C major) world turned deaf and (G major) blind
Who were (C major) crucified for (G major) what they
(D major) tried to show
And their (G major) voices have been scattered by the
(C major) swirling winds of (G major) time
‘Cause the truth remains that
(D major) no one wants to (G major) know
Verse 4
Well (G major) the old man was a stranger
But (C major) I'd heard his song before (G major)
Back when failure had me locked out
On the (D major) wrong side of the door
(C major) When no one (D major) stood behind me
But my (G major) shadow on the floor (E minor)
(C major) And lonesome was more than
a state of mind (D major)
(G major) You see, the devil haunts a hungry man (C major) (G major)
If you don't want to join him
You gotta (D major) beat him
(C major) I ain't saying I (D major) beat the devil (G major)
(E minor) But I drank his beer for nothing (C major)
(D major) Then I stole (G major) his song
Verse 5
And you still can hear me (G major) singing
To the (C major) people who don't listen
(G major) To the things that I am saying
(D major) Praying someone's gonna hear
And I (G major) guess I'll die explaining how
The (C major) things that they complain about
Are (G major) things they could be changing
Hoping (D major) someone's gonna care (G major)
I was (D major) born a lonely singer
And I'm (C major) bound to die the (G major) same
But I've (C major) gotta feed the hunger in my (D major) soul
And if I (G major) never have a nickel
(C major) I won't ever die (G major) ashamed
‘Cause I don't believe
that (D major) no one wants to (G major) know
To Beat the Devil
Kris Kristofferson
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