Bronco Bills Lament

  G      D/F#      Em         C      D       G 
I coulda been most anything I put my mind to be 
      A7                     C             G   D 
But a cowboy's life was the only life for me 
       G            B7                C               Am 
It's a strong man's occupation ridin' herd and livin' free 
    Em               A7 
But strong men often fail 
      Em             A7 
Where shrewd men can prevail 
       C        C/B        Am     Am7/G         D 
I'm an old man now with nothin' left to say 
    C  C/B Am  Am/G  D                 G 
But oh god how I     worked my youth away 


          G  D/F#    Em               C       D    G 
Well you may not recognize my face, I used to be a star 
  A7          C                   G    D 
A cowboy hero known both near and far 
  G              B7               C            Am 
I perched upon a silver mount and sang with my guitar 
        Em        A7                Em            A7 
But the studio of course, owned my saddle and my horse 
         C       C/B    Am   Am7/G       D 
But that six-gun on the wall belongs to me 
C  C/B Am  Am7/G  D           G 
Oh god I   can't  live a memory 


             G       D/F#       Em         C       D     G 
You know I'd like to put my finger on that trigger once again 
    A7                 C                G    D 
And point that gun at all the prideful men 
        G               B7              C               Am 
All the voyeurs and the lawyers who can pull a fountain pen 
    Em                 A7 
And put you where they choose 
         Em                 A7 
With the language that they use 
      C         G/B      Am   Am7/G         D 
And enslave you till you work your youth away 
C  C/B Am   Am7/G  Am7               D 
Oh god how  I      worked my youth away 


        G     Em         G     D 
Whoopee ty  yioh whoopee ty yi ay 
G         Em       A7            D 
One man's work is another man's play 
C  C/B Am  Am7/G  D                 G 
Oh god how I      worked my youth away 


          G       D/F#     Em          C      D        G 
You see I always liked the notion of a cowboy fighting crime 
     A7             C           G      D 
This photograph was taken in my prime 
         G               B7               C                 Am 
I could beat those desperados but there's no sense fightin' time 
        Em            A7 
But the singin' was a ball 
              Em         A7 
Cause I'm not musical at all 
   C       C/B     Am      Am7/G  D 
I moved my lips to someone else's voice 

( G  D/F#  Em  C  D ) 
( G  A7  C  G  D ) 


  G      D/F#      Em         C   D          G 
I coulda been most anything I put my mind to be 
      A7                     C             G   D 
But a cowboy's life was the only life for me 
       G            B7                C               Am 
It's a strong man's occupation ridin' herd and livin' free 
    Em               A7 
But strong men often fail 
      Em             A7 
Where shrewd men can prevail 
       C        C/B        Am     Am7/G         D 
I'm an old man now with nothin' left to say 
    C  C/B Am  Am/G  D                 G 
But oh god how I     worked my youth away