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when papa played the dobro chords by
Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas
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N/A•
Key: Bb major•
Verse 1
G
G

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Ride this train to any county

fair in this land.

Now here's a hard -working,

happy people.
Ab
Ab
4

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Miss Jones baked the finest pie

for the contest this year,
G
G

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and Mr. Brown's got the biggest,

fattest old sow you ever saw.
D
D

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And all the kids are eating popcorn
G
G

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and cotton candy.

This is Chester, South Carolina

and that year at the fair
F
F

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my papa brought us all down
G
G

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in a wagon

and on the way down

we picked up another family
D
D

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that lived up the creek.
G
G

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I was just a little boy

but I remember I kept asking Papa,
C
C

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how much father is it?
F
F

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How much father is it?
G
G

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We had a young heifer tied

to the wagon

that Papa just knew

was gonna take first prize.

I didn't have no doubt

about that heifer winning first prize
F
F

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but the main thing I was inter
G
G

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ested in

was something else

Papa had under his seat

at the front of the wagon.

And that was an old dobro

that I thought Papa played

like nobody else in the world.

I guess by real musical standards
C
C

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Papa didn't know too much about music,

G
G

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but I'll tell you, that night at the fair,

F
F

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when he played in the dance band,
Ab
Ab
4

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G
G

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I just had to stay awake and sit up

there and listen to
D
D

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G
G

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Papa play the dobro.

My papa was a hobo

when they delivered me
C
C

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We didn't have a doctor
G
G

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cause he couldn't pay the fee

But when the gore got too bad

to ease his misery
D
D

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Papa played the dobro this
G
G

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C
C

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way
G
G

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D
D

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G
G

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When company would come around,


he kept the dobro here
C
C

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He knew he couldn't play
G
G

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the way the other players did

Well, the guitar's resonator

was a gallon bucket lid
D
D

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G
G

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But Papa played the dobro this way,
C
C

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G
G

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D
D

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G
G

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and he'd go team, team, team


Well now that Papa's gone away,
Gm
Gm
3

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G
G

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it's hangin' by the flu
C
C

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The top of it's busted,
G
G

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and the strings are rusted too

It won't ever sound the way that

it did when it was new
D
D

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G
G

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When Papa played the dobro this way
Outro 1

And he'd go
C
C

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G
G

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D
D

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G
G

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner
Chords

  • G

  • Ab

    4

  • D

  • F

  • C

  • Gm

    3

Capo: 3

Transpose: 0

0

Autoscroll20%

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of when papa played the dobro by Jerry Douglas is Bb major.

The primary chords used in when papa played the dobro are Bb, Cb, F, Ab, Eb, Bbm.

To play in the original key, place your capo on the 3 fret.

Yes, this version uses open chords like Bb, Cb, F, Ab, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of when papa played the dobro is approximately 49 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of when papa played the dobro using our Transpose button located in the toolbar. This will automatically update all chord diagrams on the page to match your new key.

Yes! Click the Print icon to generate a clean, one-page version of the chords and lyrics for when papa played the dobro. This is perfect for practicing offline or adding to a physical songbook.

Yes, we have integrated a Mini-Tuner directly on this page. Use it to quickly check your string pitch (Standard Tuning: E A D G B E) before you start playing along with Jerry Douglas.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add when papa played the dobro to your account. You can access all your saved songs under My Library at any time.

You can view the full chord sheet and lyrics for when papa played the dobro by Jerry Douglas on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.