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Traveling Man

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Cmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
F  Dm  C  A7  D7   G7  C
[Verse 1]
Now Cfolks let me tell you bout a C7travelin man his Fhome was down in TennesCsee
CHe made his livin stealin Amchickens and D7everything else he could G7see
COne day the sheriff got behC7ind that boy… Fmade him take to the E7road
Aint Fnever been a passenger Ctrain that run so A7fast that D7Joe couldn’t  G7get on Cboard
[Chorus]
CTravelin C7Man Oh Lawd he Fmusta been a Travelin CMan
CTravelin Amrambling Man he was the D7swiftest in the G7Land
CGambalin C7Rambalin Joe they Fknowed him in every E7town
He Fwouldn’t stay put no he Cwouldn’t give A7up and I D7guess he never G7settled Cdown
[Instrumental]
F  Dm  C  A7  D7   G7  C
[Verse 2]
They Csent that feller to the C7spring one day Ffer ta fetch a pail a Cwater
CThe distance from the Amspring to the house it was D716 miles and a G7quarter
CHe got the bucket of water alrC7ight but stumped his Ftoe as he fell E7down
He weFnt to the house and he Cgot another A7bucket caught the D7water fore it G7hit the Cground
[Chorus]
CTravelin C7Man Oh Lawd he Fmusta been a Travelin CMan
CTravelin Amrambling Man He was the D7swiftest in the G7Land
CGambalin C7Rambalin Joe They Fknowed him in every E7town
He Fwouldn’t stay put no he Cwouldn’t give A7up and I D7guess he never G7settled Cdown
[Verse 3]
He hCoboed the great TitC7anic thought he Ftravel the ocean Cblue
CAnd when he seen that ice berg a'Amcoming right D7offa that ole boat he G7flew
CThe rest of the passengers they C7hollered and Flaughed said lookey what a great big E7fool
But wFhile that boat was a Csinking JA7oe was D7shootin crap in G7LiverCpool
[Chorus]
CTravelin C7Man Oh Lawd he Fmusta been a travelin CMan
CTravelin Amrambling Man He was the D7swiftest in the G7Land
CGambalin C7Rambalin Joe and they Fknowed him in every E7town
He Fwouldn’t stay put no he Cwouldn’t give A7up and I D7guess he never G7settled Cdown

All chords in this song (9)

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Traveling Man

by Doc Watson

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

F Dm C A7 D7 G7 C

[Verse 1]

C C7 F C

Now folks let me tell you bout a travelin man his home was down in Tennessee

C Am D7 G7

He made his livin stealin chickens and everything else he could see

C C7 F E7

One day the sheriff got behind that boy… made him take to the road

F C A7 D7 G7 C

Aint never been a passenger train that run so fast that Joe couldn’t get on board

[Chorus]

C C7 F C

Travelin Man Oh Lawd he musta been a Travelin Man

C Am D7 G7

Travelin rambling Man he was the swiftest in the Land

C C7 F E7

Gambalin Rambalin Joe they knowed him in every town

F C A7 D7 G7 C

He wouldn’t stay put no he wouldn’t give up and I guess he never settled down

[Instrumental]

F Dm C A7 D7 G7 C

[Verse 2]

C C7 F C

They sent that feller to the spring one day fer ta fetch a pail a water

C Am D7 G7

The distance from the spring to the house it was 16 miles and a quarter

C C7 F E7

He got the bucket of water alright but stumped his toe as he fell down

F C A7 D7 G7 C

He went to the house and he got another bucket caught the water fore it hit the ground

[Chorus]

C C7 F C

Travelin Man Oh Lawd he musta been a Travelin Man

C Am D7 G7

Travelin rambling Man He was the swiftest in the Land

C C7 F E7

Gambalin Rambalin Joe They knowed him in every town

F C A7 D7 G7 C

He wouldn’t stay put no he wouldn’t give up and I guess he never settled down

[Verse 3]

C C7 F C

He hoboed the great Titanic thought he travel the ocean blue

C Am D7 G7

And when he seen that ice berg a'coming right offa that ole boat he flew

C C7 F E7

The rest of the passengers they hollered and laughed said lookey what a great big fool

F C A7 D7 G7 C

But while that boat was a sinking Joe was shootin crap in Liverpool

[Chorus]

C C7 F C

Travelin Man Oh Lawd he musta been a travelin Man

C Am D7 G7

Travelin rambling Man He was the swiftest in the Land

C C7 F E7

Gambalin Rambalin Joe and they knowed him in every town

F C A7 D7 G7 C

He wouldn’t stay put no he wouldn’t give up and I guess he never settled down

About Traveling Man Chords by Doc Watson

Learn how to play Traveling Man by Doc Watson with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Traveling Man chords”, “Traveling Man guitar chords”, or “Doc Watson Traveling Man 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 Traveling Man chords and for experienced players who want accurate Traveling Man lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include F, Dm, C, A7, D7, G7.

FAQ — Traveling Man by Doc Watson

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Is "Traveling Man" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Traveling Man" in?

The chords for "Traveling Man" show the original chord names (including F, Dm, C, A7, D7, G7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.