A Country Boy Can Survive Tab

by Hank Williams Jr.
54,859 views, added to favorites 1,435 times
Difficulty: beginner
Tuning: D A D G B E
Capo: no capo
Author bengtaaron [a] 795. Last edit on May 12, 2021
We have an official A Country Boy Can Survive tab made by UG professional guitarists.
Check out the tab
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     A COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE - Hank Williams Jr.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Tabbed by: bengtaaron
 
Tuning: Drop D (DADGBe)
 
 
The other tabs for this song are either missing entire fills or are incomplete, which is
a damn shame because it's the fills that make this song. There are definitely two guitars,
but I've tried to combine them as much as possible for one.
 
Note: the G/B chord is (x20033).
 
 
 
(Intro Chords)
 
    D    Am7  Dm7  D
e|--2----0----5----10----------------------|
B|--3----1----6----10----------------------|
G|--2----0----5----11----------------------|
D|--0----2----0----0----3p2p0--------------|
A|--0----0--------------------3p2p0--------|
D|--0-------------------------------3h4-0--|
 
 
   D                         Am7
The preacher-man says its the end of time
         G/B                         D
And the Mississippi River she's a-goin' dry
 
 
e|--------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------|
D|----------0---------0-(0)(0)-------0--------------|
A|--3h5---------3h5--------------3h5---3p0----------|
D|------(0)---------0----------------------3p0-3p0--|
 
 
   D                      Am7
The interest is up and the stock market's down
         G/B                         D
And you only get mugged if you go downtown
 
 
e|-----------------------------------------------|  Note: Instead of the 3h5 on the A
B|---------3----------3-----------3--------------|        string, this pattern makes the
G|----------------------2-------2----------------|        fingering of two guitars much
D|-----0----------0-----------0------------------|        easier. But make sure not to let
A|---3----------3-----------3-------3p0----------|        the 3 on the A string ring, or
D|-------0----------0-------------------3p0-3p0--|        it will ruin the sound.
 
 
D                  Am7
I live back in the woods, you see
         G/B                         D
My woman and the kids and the dogs and me
 
 
e|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|--------0-(0)---4p0-(0)-0---------0--------------|
A|--3h5-----------------------3h5-----3p0----------|
D|------0-------------------------0-------3p0-3p0--|
 
 
        D                     Am7
I got a shotgun a rifle and a four-wheel drive
       G/B           Am7     D
And a country boy can survive
C              G/B       D
Country folks can survive
 
 
e|-----------------------------=--------------------------------|
B|------------3---------------=---------------------------------|
G|------------2-------------------------------------------------|
D|----------0------------0----------0---0----------0------------|
A|--0-2-3--------3h5----------3h5------------3h5-----3p0--------|
D|-------------------(0)----------0---0----------0-------3p0-0--|
 
 
D                  Am7
I can plow a field all day long
       G/B                         D
I can catch catfish from dusk til dawn
 
 
e|---------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------|
G|----------0----------------------|
D|--------0------4-(0)----(10b12)--|
A|--0h2h3------5-------------------|
D|------------------0--------------|
 
 
   D                            Am7
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
       G/B                         D
Ain't too many things these ole boys can't do
 
 
e|-----------------------------------------|
B|--5p3-------5p3--------------------------|
G|------4p2-------4p2----------------------|
D|--------------------3b4------------------|
A|------------------------5p3-5-5-3p0------|
D|------------------------------------3p0--|
 
 
        D                     Am7
We grow good ole tomatoes and homemade wine
       G/B           Am7     D
And a country boy can survive
 
 
e|---------|
B|--3p2h3--|
G|---------|
D|---------|
A|---------|
D|---------|
 
 
C             G/B     D
Country folks can survive
 
             G/B                          F
Because you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
      C                          G/B
Cause we them old boys raised on shotguns
G/B                 F
We say "grace" and we say "ma'am"
       C                  G/B
If you ain't into that we don't give a damn
 
 
e|---------------------|
B|---------------------|
G|---------------------|
D|--3p2p0--------------|
A|--------3p2p0--------|
D|--------------3h4-0--|
 
 
   D                     Am7
We came from the West Virginia coal mines
          G/B                         D
And the Rocky Mountains and the Western Skies
 
 
e|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|------2---2h4-2--------------------|
D|--2h4---4-------4p2-0-----0--------|
A|----------------------3h5---3p0----|
D|--------------------------------0--|
 
 
    D                         Am7
And we can skin a buck we can run a trot line
      G/B           Am7     D
And a country boy can survive
C             G/B      D
Country folks can survive
 
 
  D                    Am7
I had a good friend in New York City
   G/B                           D
He never called me by my name, just "Hillbilly"
 
                 (transcribed piano)
e|---------------------------------|
B|--(6br)--(6\3)-------------------|
G|---------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|
A|----------------3p0-3p0-3p0-3h5--|
D|---------------------------------|
 
 
   D                    Am7
My Grandpa taught me how to live off the land
         G/B                         D
And his taught him to be a business man
 
 
e|-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------|
G|--5p4--------------------------(7+)--|
D|------5p4-3b4---0--------------------|
A|------------------5p3-0--------------|
D|------------------------3p0-0--------|
 
 
           D                       Am7
He used to send me pictures of the Broadway Night
     G/B                   D
And I'd send him some homemade wine
 
 
e|-------------------|
B|--3p2h3-----3p2h3--|
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
 
 
           D                      Am7
But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
    G/B                       D
For forty three dollars my friend lost his life
 
 
e|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|
G|--(6br)-------------------|
D|--------------------------|
A|---------3p0-3p0-3p0-3h5--|
D|--------------------------|
 
 
    D                             Am7
I'd love to spit some beech nut in that dude's eyes
   G/B                    D
An shoot him with my old .45
        G/B          Am7     D
Cause a country boy can survive
C             G/B     D
Country folks can survive
 
            G/B                           F
Because you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
      C                         G/B
Cause we them old boys raised on a shotgun
G/B                F
We say "grace" and we say "ma'am"
       C                  G/B
If you ain't into that we don't give a damn
 
 
e|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|--3-2-0----------------------------|
D|----------3-2-0--------------------|
A|-------------------3-4-5--3-0------|
D|------------------------------3-0--|
 
 
          D                    Am7
Were from North California and South Alabam'
    G/B                  D
And little towns all around this land
 
 
e|--------------------------|
B|---(6\3)------------------|
G|--------------------------|
D|--------------------------|
A|---------3p0-3p0-3p0------|
D|---------------------3-0--|
 
 
    D                      Am7
And we can skin a buck and run a trot line
      G/B            Am7     D
And a country boy can survive
C             G/B     D
Country folks can survive
Am7         G/B     D
Country boy can survive
C             G/B     D    Am7  G/B  D
Country folks can survive
X
By helping UG you make the world better... and earn IQ
Create correction
Please rate this tab
 
×
A Country Boy Can Survive – Hank Williams Jr.
How to play
"A Country Boy Can Survive"
Font
4 comments
maplefins
Best tab for this song. Got the fills
+2
illinidan
This is great. But to simplify the notation, that Bm#5 chord is just a G major chord with the B note in the bass (first inversion), commonly written G/B. Notes are B D G D G, a G major chord.
+2
toondog
Thank you for the Bm#5 explanation, this is a great tab
0