Poor Man's House
Music and Lyrics by Patty Griffin
from the "Living With Ghosts" album
(with the help of my guitar instructor!!)
Tuning: "Dropped D" - This is easy - just tune the bass E string down one
whole step. (This way, when you play the D chord, you can strum all the
strings.)
DADGBE - Capo at first fret
(000232) * (000235 to 0000232) (002220) (X20033)
D* Explanation - start with (000235) then bring the pinkie down one fret
each time (000234, 000233) until you get to a regular D (000232). Make
sense? Listen to the album for more detail.
Intro [* *]
[D*] you know you've done enough when every bone is sore
[D*] you know you've prayed enough when you don't ask any more
[D*] you know you're coming to some kind of understanding
[D*] when every dream you've dreamed has passed and you're still standing
[G] mama says [A] god tends [Bm] to every little skinny sheep [A]
[G] so count your ribs [A] and say your [D] prayers and get to sleep
[G] nothing is [A] louder to god's [Bm] ears than a poor mans sorrow [A]
[G] daddy is poor today and [A] he will be poor tomorrow [G A]
[A] hey that's the [G] poor man's [D] house
[A] everybody get a [G] look at the poor mans [D] house
[A] everywhere they [G] went before must have [D] turned them out
[A] and now they're [G] living in a poor mans [D] house
[* *]
[D*] there's nothing like poverty to get you into heaven
[D*] they got a lot of wine and fish up there and the bread's unleavened
[D*] they got a lot of ears that heard a whip go crack
[D*] lots of missing toes and fingers and scars upon their backs
[G] daddy's been [A] working too much for [Bm] days and days he doesn't eat
[]
[G] he never [A] says much but i [D] think this time it's got him beat
[G] it isn't that [A] he isn't [Bm] strong or kind or clever [A]
[G] your daddy's poor today and he will be [A] poor forever [G A]
[A] hey that's the [G] poor man's [D] house
[A] those kids are [G] living in a poor mans [D] house
[A]they walk to [G] school with the soles of their [D] shoes worn out
[A] and come home in the [G] evening to the poor mans [D] house
[G] what are you chopping that wood for
[A] why are you growing that corn
[G] mama's sewing a brand new shirt and [A] you're wearing the one that's
torn
[G]i guess it's for some one elses kid [A] who wasn't born in a poor [D]
man's [G] house
a poor [D] man's [G] house
[A] hey take a [G] look at that [D] house
[A] everybody we're [G] living in a poor mans [D] house
[A] seems like every[G]where we go they [D] find us out
[A] find out that we've been [G] living in a poor mans [D] house
[D* twice and then bang on