Ballad of a Lonely Man Capo 1 This is an acoustic version that Ness often played often during radio station interviews during his "Cheating At Solitaire" tour. My recording is from 2000, and if anyone wants the mp3, just let me know. Capo the 1st fret, and this chord chart is 100% accurate. The trick to playing this song acoustically is to capture Mike's (very fast) version of Johnny Cash's "boom-chicka-chicka-boom-chicka-chicka" strum. I have an acoustic recording of Ness doing this solo, (from 1999), and if anyone wants the mp3, just let me know. lowell.hein@fpl.com ============================================================= VERSE 1 G (320003@1) C (x32010@1) GI'm (320003@1)young and I'm strong, D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GI've (320003@1)got this God forsaken world by the balls. D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GI've (320003@1)got a one-way ticket to freedom D (xx0232@1) GAin't (320003@1)no one now, gonna take it from me VERSE 2 G (320003@1) C (x32010@1) GI (320003@1)was a soldier, age twenty-one D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GIn (320003@1)a war not sure what I was fighting for D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GAnd (320003@1)yet I turned from a boy to a man there D (xx0232@1) GGoodbye (320003@1)to innocence, and a sweet sixteen NOTE: To get a smooth flow entering the chorus, walk down from G to Em: Strum the G chord, then Pick 6th String 3rd Fret, then 6th String 2nd Fret, then strum the Em chord.) CHORUS: Em (022000@1) C (x32010@1) G (320003@1) DMy (xx0232@1)whole life, I could not arrange Em (022000@1) C (x32010@1) G (320003@1) DMy (xx0232@1)wicked ways, I could never change Em (022000@1) C (x32010@1) D (xx0232@1) GDon't (320003@1)try, don't try now, to understand D (xx0232@1) GThis (320003@1)is the ballad, of a lonely man VERSE 3 G (320003@1) C (x32010@1) GClose (320003@1)to me, is a photograph D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GOf (320003@1)a family left far, far behind D (xx0232@1) C (x32010@1) GAh, (320003@1)once I had love, it slipped away from D (xx0232@1) GI (320003@1)searched a lifetime, but I could not find VERSE 4 GIn (320003@1)a hospital bed, I'm violently ill Just one more drink nurse I swear to God I've got my St. Anthony and my whiskey Yes I'm a veteran of three foreign wars. CHORUS Play the chorus once, then, after "Don't try, don't try now, to understand." repeat last line of chorus three more times: G (320003@1) D (xx0232@1) GThis (320003@1)is the ballad, of a lonely man, G (320003@1) D (xx0232@1) GThis (320003@1)is ballad, of a lonely man, G (320003@1) D (xx0232@1) GThis (320003@1)is the ballad, of a lone-ly man G-D-G Finish with a hard strum on D. As I said, if you want the mp3 of Ness playing this version, e-mail me. Enjoy. Lowell