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

E                                             B7                 E
Jimmy joined the army ?cause he had no place to go
                                                                                         
         F#m
There ain?t nobody hirin? ?round here since all the jobs went down to Mexico
A                                              F#m                     
B7
Reckoned that he?d learn himself a trade maybe see the world
A                              F#m               B7
Move to the city some day and marry a black haired girl
A                                       E
Somebody somewhere had another plan
A                          E
Now he?s got a rifle in his hand
                                  B7                                  C#m
Rollin? into Bagdhad wonderin? how he got this far
E                             B7                             E
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war

E   A   E   B7

E                                  B7                        E
Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
                                                                          F#m
Red white and blue to the bone the day he landed in Kandahar
A                                   F#m                B7
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A                        F#m                      B7
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
A                        E
Been a year no and he?s still there
A                           E
Chasin? ghosts in the thin dry air
                                          B7                                C#m
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
E                             B7                             E
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war

E   A   E   B7
E   A   E   B7

C#m             A
When will we ever learn
C#m             B7
When will we ever see
C#m           A
Stand up and take our turn
C#m        B7
Tellin? ourselves we?re free

E                         B7                  E
Ali was the second son of a second son
                                                                  F#m
Grew up in Gaza throwin? bottles and rock when the tanks would come
A                               F#m                             B7
Ain?t nothin? else to do around here just a game children play
A                         F#m                               B7
Somethin? about livin? in fear all your life makes you hard that way
A                              E
He answered when he got the call
A                                E
Wrapped himself in death and he praised Allah
                                  B7                   C#m
A fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
E                             B7                  E
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man?s war