The broken
down tramp
D G D
1. I'm a broken down tramp without money,
A
my
clothes are all tattered and torn,
D G
and I
am so sad and so lonely,
A A7 D
I wish I had never been born.
D G D
All through this wide world I
have wandered,
A
inquiring
for something to do,
D G
but
whenever I ask for a job of work,
A A7 D
they
say they have none for a tramp.
+ D - G -
A - D
D G D
2. Now drink was the cause of my downfall,
A
and
the money I had I've outrun,
D
G
and
the friends that were mine when I had it,
A A7 D
now
pass by and call me a bum.
D G D
Now don't be too hasty to
judge me
A
as I
drift along with the tide,
D G
my
clothes may be ragged and dirty,
A A7 D
but a
clean heart is beating inside. + D - G - A - D
D G D
3. One night on a dark lonely railroad
A
a
hobo all hungry and cold,
D G
saw
an empty boxcar on the siding
A A7 D
he
climbed in and closed up the door.
D G D
Six months he had rode on the
railway,
A
when
the brakeman came 'round with his light,
D
G
he
was shoved from the car and was killed by the train
A A7
D
because
he was only a tramp. + D - G - A - D
D G
D
4. Now, young men, let this be a warning,
A
for
all you who long for the road,
D G
better
stick to the straight life and don't be like me,
A A7 D
a
poor bum to die in the cold.
D G
D
Now, don't be too hasty to
judge me
A
as I
drift along with the tide,
D G
my
clothes may be ragged and dirty,
A A7
D
but a
clean heart is beating inside.
(The Carter Family)