Red Dirt Girl chords
by Emmylou HarrisOriginal Published Key: G Major
Time Signature: 2/2
Tempo: 80 bpm
Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e
Skill Level: Beginner π’
Guitar Chords: G, C, D, Em
Easy Guitar Song: Ideal for Beginners
Play-Along Video & Chord Charts
Red Dirt Girl
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key G
Intro: 2/2 β | % | | % β
G
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G
1. Me and my best friend Lil-li-an
And her blue tick hound dog Gid-e-on
C
Sit-tin' on the front porch' cool-in' in the shade
G
Sing-in' ev'-ry song that the ra-di-o played
D
Wait-in' for the Al-a-bam-a sun to go down
C
Two red dirt girls in a red dirt town
G
Me and Lil-li-an | % | % | % |
Em C D C
Just a-cross the line and a lit-tle south-east of Me-|ri-di-an | % |
G
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G
2. She loved her bro-ther I re-mem-ber back when
He was fix-in' up a '49 In-di-an
C
He told her "Lit-tle sis-ter, gon-na ride the wind
G
Up a-round the moon and back a-gain"
D
He ne-ver got far-ther than Vi-et-nam
C
I was stan-din' there with her when the tel-e-gram come
G
For Lil-li-an | % | % | % |
Em C D C
Now he's ly-in' some-where a-bout a mil-lion miles from Me-ri-di-an | % |
G
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D
Chorus: She said "There's not much hope for a red dirt girl
C
Some-where out there is a great big world,
G
That's where I'm bound | % | % |
D
And the stars might fall on Al-a-ba-ma,
C G
But one of these days I'm gon-na swing my ham-mer down
G D
A-way from this red dirt town | % | % |
D G
I'm gon-na make a joy-ful sound" | % |
G
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G
3. She grew up tall and she grew up thin
Bu-ried that old dog Gid-e-on
C
By a crepe myr-tle bush at the back of the yard
G
Her dad-dy turned mean and her ma-ma leaned hard
D
Got in trou-ble with a boy from town
C
Fig-ured that she might as well set-tle down
G
So she dug right in | % | % | % |
Em C D C
A-cross a red dirt line just a lit-tle south-east of Me-ri-di-an | % |
G
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D
Bridge: She tried hard to love him but it never did take
C
It was just another way for a heart to break
G
So she learned to bend | % | % | % |
D
But one thing they don't tell you 'bout the blues when you got 'em
C
You keep on fallin' 'cause there ain't no bottom
G
There ain't no end, | % | % |
G D
At least not for Lil-li-an | % | % | % |
G
4. No-bo-dy knows when she star-ted her skid
She was on-ly 27 and she had 5 kids
C
Coul-da' been the whis-key, coul-da been the pills
G
Coul-da been the dream she was try-in' to kill
D
But there won't be a men-tion in the news of the world
C G
A-bout the life and the death of a red dirt girl named Lil-li-an | % | % | % |
Em C D C
Who ne-ver got any far-ther a-cross the line than Me-ri-di-an | % |
G
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D
Outro: Now the stars still fall on Al-a-ba-ma
C G
The night she fin-al-ly laid that ham-mer down | % |
D
With-out a sound, | % | % | % |
G
In the red dirt ground | % |
G
β | % | % | % | % | % β % β
π
Arrangement Details:
- Key Signature: G Major - 1 sharp (DF#)
- Time Signature: 2/2 β Two half-note beats per measure
- Tempo: Moderately
- Metronome: h = 80 (h represents a half-note)
- Voice Range: F#3 - B4
Song Details:
- Songwriter: Emmylou Harris
- Lyrics Begin: Me and my best friend Lillian and her blue tick hound dog Gideon, sittin' on the front porch, coolin' in the shade, singin' ev'ry song the radio played.
- Genre: Country folk
- Featured Artist: Emmylou Harris
- Album: Red Dirt Girl
Recorded: MarchβApril 2000
Released: September 12, 2000
Emmylou Harris
Born: April 2, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Music Styles: Country, folk, Americana, country rock, country folk, bluegrass, rock, Outlaw, Country, alternative rock
Career: Singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments: Vocals, guitar
Active Years: 1969 - present
Associations: Nicolette Larson, Mark Knopfler, Rodney Crowell, Bob Dylan, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Don Williams, Neil Young, Mary Black, John Denver
Official Website: emmylouharris.com
