Rich Man?s War
By Steve Earle
paulbrosseau@comcast.net
October 2004

E (022100@1)                                           B7 (x21202@1)               EJimmy (022100@1)joined the army ?cause he had no place to go
                                                                                         
         F#mThere (244222@1)ain?t nobody hirin? ?round here since all the jobs went down to Mexico
A (x02220@1)                                            F#m (244222@1)                   
B7Reckoned (x21202@1)that he?d learn himself a trade maybe see the world
A (x02220@1)                            F#m (244222@1)             B7Move (x21202@1)to the city some day and marry a black haired girl
A (x02220@1)                                     ESomebody (022100@1)somewhere had another plan
A (x02220@1)                        ENow (022100@1)he?s got a rifle in his hand
                                  B7 (x21202@1)                                C#mRollin? (x13321@4)into Bagdhad wonderin? how he got this far
E (022100@1)                           B7 (x21202@1)                           EJust (022100@1)another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war

E (022100@1) A (x02220@1) E (022100@1) B7 (x21202@1)E (022100@1)                                B7 (x21202@1)                      EBobby (022100@1)had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
                                                                          F#mRed (244222@1)white and blue to the bone the day he landed in Kandahar
A (x02220@1)                                 F#m (244222@1)              B7Left (x21202@1)behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A (x02220@1)                      F#m (244222@1)                    B7A (x21202@1)stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
A (x02220@1)                      EBeen (022100@1)a year no and he?s still there
A (x02220@1)                         EChasin? (022100@1)ghosts in the thin dry air
                                          B7 (x21202@1)                              C#mMeanwhile (x13321@4)back at home the finance company took his car
E (022100@1)                           B7 (x21202@1)                           EJust (022100@1)another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war

E (022100@1) A (x02220@1) E (022100@1) B7E   A (x02220@1) E (022100@1) B7 (x21202@1)C#m (x13321@4)           AWhen (x02220@1)will we ever learn
C#m (x13321@4)           B7When (x21202@1)will we ever see
C#m (x13321@4)         AStand (x02220@1)up and take our turn
C#m (x13321@4)      B7Tellin? (x21202@1)ourselves we?re free

E (022100@1)                       B7 (x21202@1)                EAli (022100@1)was the second son of a second son
                                                                  F#mGrew (244222@1)up in Gaza throwin? bottles and rock when the tanks would come
A (x02220@1)                             F#m (244222@1)                           B7Ain?t (x21202@1)nothin? else to do around here just a game children play
A (x02220@1)                       F#m (244222@1)                             B7Somethin? (x21202@1)about livin? in fear all your life makes you hard that way
A (x02220@1)                            EHe (022100@1)answered when he got the call
A (x02220@1)                              EWrapped (022100@1)himself in death and he praised Allah
                                  B7 (x21202@1)                 C#mA (x13321@4)fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
E (022100@1)                           B7 (x21202@1)                EJust (022100@1)another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war