Uncle Lem chords by Merle Haggard

SimplifiedC · G · F

GuitarPianoUkulele

Verse 1
C 
 (C major) The ladies of the garden club say
G 
His home is just a disgrace to the town  (G major) 
If the Mayor wants re-elected
He'd He'd better pass some
C 
laws and tear it down  (C major) 

Verse 2
C 
They  (C major) wanna cover it with flowers
F 
Maybe even plant some dogwood  (F major) trees
G 
I  (G major) guess that they've forgotten
When we were kids
C 
what that place used to  (C major) be

New- Play with audio & scroll

Upgrade to play 20,000+ songs ads free, and enjoy playing with music.

Get now

Verse 3

I know it's just a shanty now

But Lord,

that place was built with human tears

For it's the home of Uncle Lem

Who was born and raised and lived

there ninety years

Verse 4

There's not a boy in this whole town

Hasn't stopped for water at his well

Or sat on his porch in the evenin'

And listened to the stories that he'd tell

Verse 5
G 
Oh, his hair  (G major) was the color
of a cotton field
F 
C 
And his  (F major) skin was old and  (C major) brown
F 
C 
And he  (F major) was born in that  (C major) rundown shack
G 
Before there was a town  (G major) 

Verse 6
F 
He bought  (F major) that shack and
a piece of earth
C 
For the  (C major) highest price to pay
His mom was bought and sold there
G 
C 
Uncle Lem  (G major) was born'd a slave  (C major) 

Verse 7
C 
 (C major) The mayor and some ladies
of the garden club
G 
Went out to tell Uncle  (G major) Lem that he'd have
to find a new place to live
C 
Well, they found him there in  (C major) that old
broken down rockin' chair
And on an old paper bag they
F 
found his will  (F major) 

Verse 8
G 
"Nor I wan (G major) na leave my old shotgun
to the fine mayor of this town
C 
For I remember  (C major) when he a little fella,
he used to follow me around
I wish I had more to give to my
F 
friends that I  (F major) love
G 
But all I've  (G major) got is this old
shack and a piece of earth
And I want it to go to the ladies
C 
of  (C major) the garden club"

Verse 9
G 
Oh, his  (G major) hair was the color
of a cotton field
F 
C 
And his  (F major) skin was old and  (C major) brown
F 
C 
And he  (F major) was born in that  (C major) rundown shack
G 
Before there was a town  (G major) 

Verse 10
F 
He  (F major) bought that shack and
a piece of earth
C 
For the  (C major) highest price to pay
His mom was bought and sold there
G 
C 
G 
C 
Uncle  (G major) Lem was born'd  (C major) a   (G major) slave  (C major) 