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My Fathers Son

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Capo 4
[Intro] (x4)
(G)  
[Verse]
My Ghistory is no secret, it's Cwritten in the Dstones
In the Ghill beside this river, rest my Cmother gentle Gbones
And Gdaddy there beside her home a- Cmong his next of Dkin
And their Glegacy passed Cdown to me, the sons of mountain Gmen
GRaised to be a miner by a Cminers callused Dhands
Passed my Gyouth between these mountains where I Cgrew to under- Gstand
That Gfamily was the word of God and Cfaith was its de- Dmand
And Glife and death, the same came from the Ccoal beneath this Gland
[Chorus]
Well, a Drich man writes the Gbook of laws a Dpoor man must de- Gfend
But the Chighest laws are Gwritten on the hearts of honest Emmen
GIf that cup is passed to me to Cdo what must be Ddone
When they Glay me down remind them I was Cjust my father's Gson
[Instrumental]
(G)  | (G)  | (C)  | (D)  | (G)  | (G)  | (C)  | (G)
[Verse]
I've Gwalked among these people, heard the Cstories that they Dtell
I've Gcrawled beside them in the mines and Ctouched the walls of Ghell
I've Gshared their sacred secrets, known their Ctriumph and their Dpain
And Gright or wrong I'll stand with them on the Cfinal judgment Gday
They Gsay God gives his comfort when the Ctime of trouble Dcomes
They Gsay we'll own no share of peace till Cwe lay down our Gguns
But Gwill my boy have the chance to do the Cthings I've never Ddone
Or will Ghe, like me, be told that he must Cbe his father's Gson?
[Chorus]
Well, a Drich man writes the Gbook of laws a Dpoor man must de- Gfend
But the Chighest laws are Gwritten on the hearts of honest Emmen
GWhen that cup is passed to me to Cdo what must be Ddone
On a Gchunk of coal just carve these words, ''I was just my father's son...''

All chords in this song (4)

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My Fathers Son

by Ricky Skaggs

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 4 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Capo 4

[Intro] (x4)

()

[Verse]

G C D

My history is no secret, it's written in the stones

G C G

In the hill beside this river, rest my mother gentle bones

G C D

And daddy there beside her home a- mong his next of kin

G C G

And their legacy passed down to me, the sons of mountain men

G C D

Raised to be a miner by a miners callused hands

G C G

Passed my youth between these mountains where I grew to under- stand

G C D

That family was the word of God and faith was its de- mand

G C G

And life and death, the same came from the coal beneath this land

[Chorus]

D G D G

Well, a rich man writes the book of laws a poor man must de- fend

C G Em

But the highest laws are written on the hearts of honest men

G C D

If that cup is passed to me to do what must be done

G C G

When they lay me down remind them I was just my father's son

[Instrumental]

G G C D G G C G

() | () | () | () | () | () | () | ()

[Verse]

G C D

I've walked among these people, heard the stories that they tell

G C G

I've crawled beside them in the mines and touched the walls of hell

G C D

I've shared their sacred secrets, known their triumph and their pain

G C G

And right or wrong I'll stand with them on the final judgment day

G C D

They say God gives his comfort when the time of trouble comes

G C G

They say we'll own no share of peace till we lay down our guns

G C D

But will my boy have the chance to do the things I've never done

G C G

Or will he, like me, be told that he must be his father's son?

[Chorus]

D G D G

Well, a rich man writes the book of laws a poor man must de- fend

C G Em

But the highest laws are written on the hearts of honest men

G C D

When that cup is passed to me to do what must be done

On a chunk of coal just carve these words, ''I was just my father's son...''

About My Fathers Son Chords by Ricky Skaggs

Learn how to play My Fathers Son by Ricky Skaggs with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “My Fathers Son chords”, “My Fathers Son guitar chords”, or “Ricky Skaggs My Fathers Son 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 My Fathers Son chords and for experienced players who want accurate My Fathers Son lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, C, D, Em.

FAQ — My Fathers Son by Ricky Skaggs

How do I play "My Fathers Son" by Ricky Skaggs on guitar?

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What key is "My Fathers Son" in?

The chords for "My Fathers Son" show the original chord names (including G, C, D, Em). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.