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The Old Man And His Horn

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[Verse]
CThe Old man G7told his Cstory
CAbout the G7years gone Cby
CHow he Fplayed his horn down in New Orleans
FIn some old dingy dive
C"I knew 'em all back then." he said
CAs he reached out fC7or his Fhorn
FHe closed his eyes  and Cwet his lips
G7Then the blues were Cborn.
[Verse]
CHe played G7with so much Cfeelin'
CTears came G7from his Ceyes
FHe stopped and reminisced a bit
FAnd then he gave a sigh!
CSaid, "You know, I almost made it
CBut that was C7before your Ftime
FDixieland, CPo' Folks Blues
G7Scatman Jack and Cwine. "
[Verse]
FSlapped his Cknee and Fgave a  Cgrin
CIt Fsure was good back Cthen
CReaching for his horn on the G7floor
FPlaced it Cin an Fold Ctowsack
CThat Fhung across his Cback
CHe Fsaid "Goodbye!"
FAnd Cshuffled G7out the Cdoor.
[Verse]
CEnthused G7by what he Ctold me
CI never G7got his Cname
CSo, I Fcalled the waitress over
FAnd started to explain
CA tired old man - his tarnished horn
CMem'ries of C7years gone Fby
FHow he played his horn and Creminisced
G7Smiled with tear-dimmed Ceyes.
[Verse]
CShe said G7you are Cmistaken
CThere's been G7no one but Cyou
CBut FI know who you're talkin' 'bout
FI used to know him, too
CYou'll find him down on Basin Street
CIn back of an C7old churchFyard
FA stone that reads, "CRest in Peace"
CI tG7ried but it sure was Chard. "
[Verse]
FSlapped his Cknee and Fgave a Cgrin
CIt Fsure was good back Cthen
CReaching for his horn on the G7floor
FPlaced it Cin an Fold Ctowsack
CThat Fhung across his Cback
CHe Fsaid "Goodbye!"
FAnd Cshuffled G7out the Cdoor

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The Old Man And His Horn

by Gene Watson

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Verse]

C G7 C

The Old man told his story

C G7 C

About the years gone by

C F

How he played his horn down in New Orleans

In some old dingy dive

"I knew 'em all back then." he said

C C7 F

As he reached out for his horn

F C

He closed his eyes and wet his lips

G7 C

Then the blues were born.

[Verse]

C G7 C

He played with so much feelin'

C G7 C

Tears came from his eyes

He stopped and reminisced a bit

And then he gave a sigh!

Said, "You know, I almost made it

C C7 F

But that was before your time

F C

Dixieland, Po' Folks Blues

G7 C

Scatman Jack and wine. "

[Verse]

F C F C

Slapped his knee and gave a grin

C F C

It sure was good back then

C G7

Reaching for his horn on the floor

F C F C

Placed it in an old towsack

C F C

That hung across his back

C F

He said "Goodbye!"

F C G7 C

And shuffled out the door.

[Verse]

C G7 C

Enthused by what he told me

C G7 C

I never got his name

C F

So, I called the waitress over

And started to explain

A tired old man - his tarnished horn

C C7 F

Mem'ries of years gone by

F C

How he played his horn and reminisced

G7 C

Smiled with tear-dimmed eyes.

[Verse]

C G7 C

She said you are mistaken

C G7 C

There's been no one but you

C F

But I know who you're talkin' 'bout

I used to know him, too

You'll find him down on Basin Street

C C7 F

In back of an old churchyard

F C

A stone that reads, "Rest in Peace"

C G7 C

I tried but it sure was hard. "

[Verse]

F C F C

Slapped his knee and gave a grin

C F C

It sure was good back then

C G7

Reaching for his horn on the floor

F C F C

Placed it in an old towsack

C F C

That hung across his back

C F

He said "Goodbye!"

F C G7 C

And shuffled out the door

About The Old Man And His Horn Chords by Gene Watson

Learn how to play The Old Man And His Horn by Gene Watson with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “The Old Man And His Horn chords”, “The Old Man And His Horn guitar chords”, or “Gene Watson The Old Man And His Horn 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 The Old Man And His Horn chords and for experienced players who want accurate The Old Man And His Horn lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, G7, F, C7, A.

FAQ — The Old Man And His Horn by Gene Watson

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What key is "The Old Man And His Horn" in?

The chords for "The Old Man And His Horn" show the original chord names (including C, G7, F, C7, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.