Red Dirt Girl chords

by Emmylou Harris
  • Red Dirt Girl was written by Emmylou Harris and released from the album of the same name.
  • Recorded: March–April 2000
  • Released: September 12, 2000
  • Chart Success: Peaked at No.3 on the Billboard Country Album Charts
  • Grammy Award - 2001: Best Contemporary Folk Album
  • Music G major in 2/2 time at ~ 80 bpm (𝅗𝅥)
  • Chords: G, C, D, Em
Chart Legend
Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords   O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings   R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open   X: Don't play string    B: Bass Note
G Major C Major D Major Em
G Major C Major D Major Em

Red Dirt Girl

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
                G
 Intro: 2/2  ‖     |  𝄎  |     |  𝄎  ‖

                G
             ‖     |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  ‖
               
   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
   |     |  𝄎  |

       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
   |     |  𝄎  |
 
                          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
        ‖     |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  ‖
 
       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
   |     |  𝄎  |
 
            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
   |     |  𝄎  |
                  
                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                                                
        ‖     |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  ‖  𝄎  ‖
                                                𝄑

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris
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

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