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Old King Coal

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Emajor

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"Old King Coal"
Sturgill Simpson
High Top Mountain (2013)
[Verse 1]
EMany a man down in these here hills
Made a living off that B7old black Egold
ENow there ain't nothing but welfare and pills
And the wind never B7felt so Ecold
[Verse 2]
I'll be Eone of the first in a long long line
Not to go down from that B7old black Elung
My Edeath will be slower than the rest of my kind
And my life will be sadder than the B7songs they all EsungE/F#  E/G#  
[Chorus]
AOld King Coal what are Ewe gonna do
When the mountains are gone and B7so are EyouE/F#  E/G#  
[Bridge]
They Acome from the city Eto lend a hand
Carrying signs saying, "Shut the mines B7down"
We ain't Alooking for pity and you Edon't E/F#un  -  E/G#der - Astand
So go Eback to your city now cause B7this ain't your Etown
[Instrumental]
A   E   E   B7  E
[Verse 3]
EMy Great Grandfather spent his days in a coal mine
And his nights on the B7porch in a Echair
ENow he's in heaven and down here in hell
The B7rivers run muddy and the Amoun - A/G#tains  A/F#are   EbareE/F#  E/G#  
[Chorus]
AOld King Coal what are Ewe gonna do
When the mountains are gone and B7so are EyouE/F#  E/G#  
AOld King Coal what are Ewe gonna do
When the mountains are gone and B7so are Eyou

All chords in this song (7)

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Old King Coal

by Sturgill Simpson

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

E/F#

E/G#

A/G#

A/F#

"Old King Coal"

Sturgill Simpson

High Top Mountain (2013)

[Verse 1]

Many a man down in these here hills

B7 E

Made a living off that old black gold

Now there ain't nothing but welfare and pills

B7 E

And the wind never felt so cold

[Verse 2]

I'll be one of the first in a long long line

B7 E

Not to go down from that old black lung

My death will be slower than the rest of my kind

B7 E E/F# E/G#

And my life will be sadder than the songs they all sung

[Chorus]

A E

Old King Coal what are we gonna do

B7 E E/F# E/G#

When the mountains are gone and so are you

[Bridge]

A E

They come from the city to lend a hand

Carrying signs saying, "Shut the mines down"

A E E/F# E/G# A

We ain't looking for pity and you don't un - der - stand

E B7 E

So go back to your city now cause this ain't your town

[Instrumental]

A E E B7 E

[Verse 3]

My Great Grandfather spent his days in a coal mine

B7 E

And his nights on the porch in a chair

Now he's in heaven and down here in hell

B7 A A/G# A/F# E E/F# E/G#

The rivers run muddy and the moun - tains are bare

[Chorus]

A E

Old King Coal what are we gonna do

B7 E E/F# E/G#

When the mountains are gone and so are you

A E

Old King Coal what are we gonna do

B7 E

When the mountains are gone and so are you

About Old King Coal Chords by Sturgill Simpson

Learn how to play Old King Coal by Sturgill Simpson with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Old King Coal chords”, “Old King Coal guitar chords”, or “Sturgill Simpson Old King Coal chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Old King Coal chords and for experienced players who want accurate Old King Coal lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include E, B7, E/F#, E/G#, A, A/G#.

FAQ — Old King Coal by Sturgill Simpson

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What key is "Old King Coal" in?

The chords for "Old King Coal" show the original chord names (including E, B7, E/F#, E/G#, A, A/G#). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.