The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music


Worried Man Blues [core]

Chorus
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It 4 takes a worried man to sing a worried 1 song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm worried 5 now, but I won't be worried 1 long

I went across the river, and I laid down to sleep,... (×3)
When I woke up, had shackles on my feet

I asked that judge, what's gonna be my fine,... (×3)
Twenty one years, on the Rocky Mountain line

The train pulled in, sixteen coaches long,... (×3)
The girl I love, she's on that train and gone

I looked down that track as far as I could see,... (×3)
Little-bitty hand was waving back at me

Thirty-two links of chain wrapped around my leg,... (×3)
On each link, an initial of my name

Twenty one years to pay my awful crime...+2
Twenty one years, but I got ninety nine

If anyone should ask you who composed this song,... (×3)
Tell him 'twas I, and I sing it all day long

It’s on Strum Machine!

Play & sing along with Worried Man Blues (or any song you type in) in any key, at any speed, with real instrument recordings. You have to see it to believe it.

Play this song on Strum Machine

Available in these books:

Get Started Plus: Core Songs Edition
100 songs and our acclaimed play-by-ear learning method.
Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Family Tradition
The reference manual, with lyrics to 330 songs.
The first two books feature large-print lyrics (20-point type) and include chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

...and on these CDs:

Five CDs, 100 songs. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
Listen to sample tracks.

The MP3 collection has all 100 songs on one CD for a discount. See details.


A song from the The ToneWay Mountain Music Collection, which offers lyrics and free Song Clips (recordings for learning the song by ear) for nearly 400 traditional songs, many of which are often heard in bluegrass and old-time jam circles. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and a free online video series for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com