Ramblin' Jack Elliot

Shade Of The Old Apple Tree

Ramblin' Jack Elliot


Tom: C

    C
It was only yesterday I thought I'd take a bath in some water
 C                  D                     G
For a bath I hadn't had in goodness knows when
  C
And for that bath I didn't want to pay a quarter
  F              G                    C
So I run down to the creek and jumped right in
F                          C
I hung my clothes upon an apple tree limb
C                  D            G
'Twas there I got into an awful fix
C
When an old maid come down and set right beside them
F                 G                    C
And there she sat from one o'clock to six

C                G            C
In the shade of the old apple tree
G                           C
I's in water right up to my knee
G                       C
I had to lay down while she was around
D                           G
'Til only my nose you could see
C
Mosquitoes was biting my nose
G                                C
And the crawdads was nibbling my toes
G                    C            F
I lay there all day 'til she went away
C                 G             C
From the shade of the old apple tree


Here comes the pitiful part, boys and girls

[Verse]
   C
It was only yesterday that Jane and I got hitched
 C                  D           G
You bet your life I was a happy groom
 C
There was only one thing that filled my heart with sadness
F                G                           C
Was parts of her were scattered all over the room
F                                        C
Her glass eye and false teeth was on the mantle
C                  D                G
And on the bed she hung her lock of hair
C
And there was only one thing that filled my heart with sadness
F                          G          C
Was she pitched her wooden leg upon a chair


C                G            C
It was a limb from that old apple tree
G                           C
I's in water right up to my knee
G                 C
I had to lay down while she was around
D                           G
'Til only my nose you could see
C
Mosquitoes was biting my nose
G                                C
And the crawdads was nibbling my toes
G                    C            F
I lay there all day 'til she went away
C                 G             C
From the shade of the old apple tree

G                              C           F
Yes, I carved out my name and there it was plain
G                             C
On her limb from the old apple tree