Chuck Ragan - Coal Tattoo

this is chuck ragan’s cover of coal tattoo’ originally done by billy ed wheeler
and covered by numerous artists through the years . this version however is mainly
based on hazel dicken’s version , a personal favourite of chuck’s . on capo 5 .
_______________________________________________________
intro ( x2 ) : Am , C , Am , C ,
Am C , G , Am

verse 1 :
Am C/G Am
travelin’ down that coal town road .
C G Am
listenin’ to my rubber tires whine .
Am F Am
goodbye to buckeye and white sycamore .
C G Am
i’m leavin’ you behind .
G C G C G C
i’ve been coal miner all of my life .
G C G C G C
layin’ down track in the hole .
F Am G
gotta back like an ironwood , bit by the wind .
Am C/G Am
blood veins blue as the coal .
F C/G Am
blood veins blue as the coal .

verse 2 :
Am C/G
somebody said ,
Am C G Am
“that’s a strange tattoo you have on the side of your head . ”
Am
i said ,
C Am
“that’s the blueprint left by the coal .
Am G C/G Am
a little more and i’d been dead .
Am G C G C
well , i love the rumble and i love the dark .
G C G C
i love the cool of the shade ,
C/G Am C/G
and it’s on down the new road , lookin’ for a job .
C G Am
this travelin’ nook in my head . ( sometimes x2 )

interlude : intro chords

verse 3 :
Am C/G Am
i stood for the union and walked in the line
C/G Am
and fought against the company .
Am C/G Am
i stood for the u . m . w . of A .
F C Am
now , who’s gonna stand by me?
C G C G
i’ve got no house and i got no job ,
G C/G G
just got a worried soul
F C/G Am
and a blue tattoo on the side of my head
F C/G Am
left by the number nine coal .
F C/G Am
left by the number nine coal .

verse 4 :
Am C/G Am
some day when i’m dead and gone
G C Am
to heaven , the land of my dreams .
Am C Am
i won’t have to worry on losin’ my job ,
C G Am
on bad times and big machines .
C G Am
i ain’t gonna pay my money away
G C G
on dues or hospital plans .
G Am C
i’m gonna cut coal where the blue heavens roll
F G Am
and sing with the angel band .
F G Am
and sing with the angel band .

outro :
F G Am
and sing with the angel band .
F G Am
and sing with the angel band .