Mama Tried Chords

by Merle Haggard
53,485 views, added to favorites 6,963 times
Difficulty: absolute beginner
Capo: no capo
Author KenMcrumJr [a] 103.
1 contributor total, last edit on Jan 2, 2020
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Chords

D
G
A

Strumming

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[Verse]
 
D                          G
The first thing I remember know-in'
      D                 G
was a lonesome whist-le blow-in,
      D                    G             A
And a young-on's  dream of grow-in up to ride,
     D                     G
On a freight train leav-in town,
    D                 G
not know-in where I'm bound,
       D                   A               D
And no one could change my mind, but Ma-ma tried.
 
D                    G
One and on-ly reb-el child,
       D                G
From a fam-ily meek and mild,
   D               G                A
My ma-ma seemed to know what lay in store,
       D             G
Spite all my Sun-day learn-in'
            D             G
towards the bad I kept on turn-in,
    D               A            D
Til Ma-ma could-n't hold me an-y-more.
 
 
[Chorus]
D                                        G
And I turned twenty-one in pris-on do-in life with-out
   D     G                  D               A
pa-role, No one could steer me right but Ma-ma tried,
                  D
Mama tried. Ma-ma tried to raise me bet-ter,  but her
G           D                               A
plead-ing I de-nied, That leaves only me to blame,
            D
cause Ma-ma tried.
 
 
[Verse]
 
D                         G
Dear ol' Dad-dy, rest his soul,
        D            G
left my mom a heav-y load,
    D             G                A
She tried so very hard to fill his shoes,
        D               G
Work-in hou-rs with-out rest,
        D              G
Want-ed me to have the best,
    D                 A              D
She tried to raise me right but I re-fused
 
 
[Chorus]
D                                       G
And I turned twenty-one in prison do-in life with-out
   D        G                  D               A
pa-role, No one could steer me right but Ma-ma tried,
                  D
Mama tried. Ma-ma tried to raise me bet-ter,  but her
G           D
plead-ing I de-nied,
                       A
That leaves only me to blame cause Ma-ma tried..
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Mama Tried – Merle Haggard
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"Mama Tried"
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5 comments
KenMcrumJr
I substitute the A7 chord using A instead. It sounds better for me.
+6
6zbarcowman
I substituted the second G in the chorus to a Bm. Sounded closer to me.
+6
hpsharpie
In chorus “No one could steer me right” needs a Bm then the A. Otherwise awesome. Thanks!
+3