You Better Get It While You Can (The Ballad Of Carl Martin) chords by 
Steve Goodman 
N/A
Key: A major•
Verse 1
F#m
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I remember when I
met Carl Martin
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It must have been a dozen years ago
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This wise old gent was grey and bent
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E
But his eyes had a fiery glow
Day of 1906
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Near Big Stone Gap, VA
He could play a little fiddle
And some blues guitar that
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he'd picked up along the way
But, Jethro,
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He lit up just like a Christmas tree
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Armstrong
They were the best string
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A
band I ever did see
Verse 2
they played rent parties
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Road houses, concerts and festivals too
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Would play you every song they knew
with their shiny guitars
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Would follow right along at their heels
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But they never did learn how it feels
where he got the fire
And he said, 'Steve,
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you've got to understand
And you better get it while you can.'
Verse 3
said:
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You better get it while you can
You better get it while you can
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If you wait too long, it'll all be gone
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And you'll be sorry then
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rich or poor
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And it's the same for a woman or a man
So you better get it while
you can
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A
D
Verse 4
A
Carl always had a way to make the
good times roll
song to her
when the gig was done
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There was an all night blow- out jam
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Until the sun came up again
Dixieland, Swing,
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Some old time show tunes
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E
And some I haven't heard since then
two more songs
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Saints'
(With the mandolin behind his head)
of us who could still breathe
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Took off our hats to that man
And he said,
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'You better get it while you can'
Verse 5
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You better get it while you can
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You better get it while you can
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If you wait too long, it'll all be gone
Dm
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B
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And you'll be sorry then
you're rich or poor
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And it's the same for a woman or a man
So you better get it while
you can
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D
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Verse 6
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You know Carl and his buddies
never got too far
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When he died Martin didn't have a dime
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He was a little behind in his payments
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And a little bit ahead of his time
Last week some so- called
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musicians
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Stayed up real late and burned one down
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The li quor kept coming,
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so we kept strumming
and those who faded
- but I could swear
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one more song
Verse 7
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You better get it while you can
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E
And you'll be sorry then
rich or poor
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And it's the same for a woman or a man
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A
A
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