medley : pick a bale of cotton /
on top of old smokey / the midnight special ( abba )

time signature : cut common ( ie feels 2/4 but written 4/4 )
E ( whole song is E )
gonna jump down , spin around , pick a bale of cotton
gonna jump down , spin around , pick a bale a day
gonna jump down , spin around , pick a bale of cotton
gonna jump down , spin around , pick a bale a day
oh , lordy
pick a bale of cotton
oh , lordy
pick a bale a day
oh , lordy
pick a bale of cotton
oh , lordy
pick a bale a day

i said me and my buddy gonna pick a bale of cotton
now me and my buddy gonna pick a bale a day
i said me and my buddy gonna pick a bale of cotton
now me and my buddy gonna pick a bale a day
oh , lordy
pick a bale of cotton
oh , lordy
pick a bale a day
oh , lordy
pick a bale of cotton
oh , lordy
pick a bale a day

turnaround : 6 bars of E then
| E | D | A D | a n . C . |
time signature now 6/8

( A ) D
on top of old smokey
A
all covered with snow
A7 E
i lost my true lover
A A7
by courting so slow
D
for courting’s a pleasure
A
and parting is grief
E
and a false – hearted lover
A A7
is worse than a thief
D
on top of old smokey
A
all covered with snow
A7 E
i lost my true lover
A
by courting so slow

back to 4/4
turnaround : 4 bars n . C .
however you can play A G

verse 1 :
( G ) C
well , you wake up in the morning
G
hear the ding dong ring
D
you go marching to the table
G
see the same old thing
C
see the fork on the table
G
nothing in your pan
D
if you say a thing about it
G
you’re in trouble with the man

chorus :
G7 C
let the midnight special
G
shine a light on me
D
let the midnight special
G
shine its everlovin’ light on me

verse 2 :
G7 C
if you ever go to houston
G
well you’d better act right
D
and you’d better not gamble
G
and you’d better not fight
C
for the sheriff will arrest you
G
and he’ll take you down
D
and before you understand it
G
you are prison bound

chorus :
G7 C
let the midnight special
G
shine a light on me
D
let the midnight special
G
shine its everlovin’ light on me ( on me , on me )

[ play chorus two more times , then fade fourth time around . ]
[ live : can just end on the final G chord , or do a cadence ]

: charted by bustopher the busker – bustopher@bigpond . com