Tom Ames' Prayer

[G] time that  [D] he was  [G] ten.

 G One day his daddy took a 10-dollar bill
and he tucked it in his  D hand,
He said  Em I know you're headed for  C trouble son,
 your  [G] mama wouldn't  [D] under [G] stand.

 G So he took his dad's money and his brother's old bay
 and he left without a word of  D thanks,
Fell  Em in with this crowd in a  C border town
 and he  [G] took to  [D] robbin'  [G] banks.

(solo over)
[Em] [C]    [G]    [D]
[Em] [C]    [G]    [D]  [G]

 G Outside the law his luck a-run out fast,
 a few years came and  D went;
Til he was  Em trapped up in an alley in  C Abilene
 with  [G] all but  [D] four shells  [G] spent.

 G And he realized then that prayin' was the only thing
 he hadn't ever  D tried;
He  Em didn't know quite how to  C do it
but he  G looked up  D to the  G sky.

 G He said "You don't owe me nothin and as far as I know, Lord
I don't owe nothin' to  D you
 Em I ain't askin for a  C miracle Lord
[A]  [G] little bit of  [D] luck will  [G] do.

 G You know I ain't never prayed before
cause it always seemed to  D me
that  Em prayin was just like  C beggin'
and I  [G] don't take  [D] chari [G] ty.

[Em] [C] [G] [D]
[Em] [C] [G] [D] [G]

 G Lord, I've had some breaks in my life
as you already  D know
I've  Em had some help from the good lord and the  C devil himself's
been  [G] strictly  [D] touch and  [G] go.

 G Right here now with my back to the wall
I can't help but re D call
how they  Em nearly hung me for  C stealin' a horse
in  [G] Ft.  [D] Smith,  [G] Arkansas

 G Judge Parker said guilty and his gavel came down
just like a cannon  D shot
I  [Em] went away  [C] quietly
I beg [G] an to  [D] file and  [G] plot.

 G They sent that old preacher down to my cell
he said, "the lord is your only  D hope,
 Em he'll be the only friend you  C have, son
when you  G hit the  D end of Parker's  G rope."

 G Well, I guess he could've kept on preachin' til Christmas
but he turned his back on  D me
 Em I put a homemade blade to that  C golden throat
and asked the  G deputy  D for the  G key.

 G Ah, but who in the hell am I talkin to?
there ain't no one here but  D me
(single strum each chord)
 Em So he cocked both his pistols,  C spit in the dirt,
and  [G] walked in [D] to that  [G] street.

(break and end.)