WHAT IS TRUTH? by Johnny Cash
Standard tuning EADGBE 4/4 
Transcribed by joetormala

INTRO    - Moderate tempo       /  / / - / / / / 

                   D7                           G                            C
e|--------------------------------/---------------------------------/-----------------------
B|--------------------------------/----0----------------------------/-----------------------
G|--------------0-----2-----------/-------------------0----------0--/-----------------------
D|-----4--------------------------/---------------0-----------0-----/---2----------2-----0--
A|--------------------------------/-----------2------------2--------/-----------3------2----
E|--------------------------------/---------------------------------/--------3------3-------
        A7      D7                    G
e|-----------------------------------/-------------------------------/-------------------------
B|-----------------------------------/-------------------------------/-------------------------
G|------2---2------------------------/------------------0----------0-/--------------0-------0--
D|--------------------4---0----------/--------------0-----------0----/------------0-------0----
A|------------------------------3--2-/--2-----2------------2---------/----2---2--------2-------
-------------------------------------/-------------------------------/---------------------------

SPOKEN 
VERSE 1
G           G7              C
The old man turns off the radio
C                  A7
Kids sure play funny music these days!
D7                G
New fangled songs! Ev-ry' thing seems so loud
G7                             C
And wild! It was so peaceful back when I was a child!
C                     A7
Well, man, could it be that the girls and the boys
D7              
Are trying to be heard above your noise!

SUNG
        G                C
And the lonely voice of youth cries
D7      G
What is truth?
        
e|---2----------------------------------/---3------------------------/------------------------
B|---1-----------3--------3-------------/----------------------------/------------------------
G|---2----------------------------------/----------------------------/--0-----------0------0--
D|--------------------------------------/------------0--2-----0---2--/------------0------0----
A|--------------------------------------/---------2--------2---------/---------2------2-------
E]--------------------------------------/----------------------------/--------------------------

SPOKEN
VERSE 2
G                G7                C
Says, Where did all the old songs go?
C                  A7
Kids sure play funny music these days!
D7              G
New fangled ways! Ev-ry' thing seems so loud and wild!
G7                  C
It was peaceful back when I was a child!
C               A7
Well, man, could it be that all the girls and boys
D7
Are trying to be heard above all your noise!
 
SUNG
        G                C
And the lonely voice of youth cries
D7             G
What is truth?
        
e|---2----------------------------------/---3------------------------/------------------------
B|---1-----------3--------3-------------/----------------------------/------------------------
G|---2----------------------------------/----------------------------/--0-----------0------0--
D|--------------------------------------/------------0--2-----0---2--/------------0------0----
A|--------------------------------------/---------2--------2---------/---------2------2-------
E|--------------------------------------/----------------------------/------------------------

SPOKEN
VERSE 3
   G               G7                 C
A little boy of three sittin' on the floor
    C                             A7
Looks up and says, "Daddy what is war?"
   D7                             G
"Son that's when people fight and die!"
  G7                                C
The little boy of three says, "Daddy why?"
   C                   A7
A young man seventeen in school,
D7
Being taught the golden rule,
G             G7                  C
By the time another year's gone around,
   C                              A7
He may have to lay his own life down.
 
SUNG
        G                   C
Can you blame the voice of youth for asking
D7         G
What is truth?

e|---2----------------------------------/---3---------------------------/--------------------------
B|---1-----------3--------3-------------/-------------------------------/--------------------------
G|---2----------------------------------/-------------------------------/--0-----------0------0--
D|--------------------------------------/------------0--2-----0---2-----/------------0------0-----
A|--------------------------------------/---------2--------2------------/---------2------2---------
E|--------------------------------------/-------------------------------/--------------------------

SPOKEN
VERSE 4
G               G7                 C
A young man sittin' on the witness stand,
C                          A7
The man with the book says, "Raise your hand!"
   D7                     G
Repeat after me,"I solemnly swear!"
G7                        C
The judge looks down at his long hair,
    C                          A7
And although the young man solemnly swore,
D7
Nobody wanted to hear any more.
G                      G7                     C
And it really didn't matter if the truth was there,
   C                              A7
It was the cut of his clothes and the length of his hair!

SUNG
         G               C
And the lonely voice of youth cries,
D7         G
What is truth?

OUTRO

e|-------------------------------------/---------------------------/--------
B|-------------------------------------/---------------------------/--------
G|----0-----------0--------------------/----0-----------0----------/--0-----
D|--------------0----------0----2------/------------0-------0---2--/--0-----
A|-----------2----------2--------------/---------2--------2--------/--2-----
E|-------------------------------------/---------------------------/--3----