Standard tuning
Capo on 2nd Fret


C5            G5  
Well God bless Texas
      C5          G5
And Deacon Shackleford
              C5         G5
He read the bible seven times
         C5            G5
And he believed every word
           C5             G5       C5             G5
That ol' beat up leather book had been through it all
       C5          G5               C5         G5
He sat on the back pew so he could chew him a chaw
Singin'
   C5     G5
"Amazing Grace
 C5            G5
How sweet the sound"
C5            D5         C5
That saved a wrech like me
            C5           G5          C5           G5
He carried candy for the kids in his Sunday dress coat
              C5            G5
He'd take me fishin' after church
               C5                 G5
And taught me things I needed to know
            C5             G5
No, Deacon didn't have a family
       C5               G5
Lord knows he wished he did
            C5        G5               D5          G5
He told the whole congregation that I was his grandkid

Chorus:
               A5             G5
And today he joined up with Jesus
          D5           G5
Wearing shiny pearl snaps
           A5          G5
We sang a few gospel hymns
                D5             D5
And then the soldier played taps
             A5          G5               D5                E5
I bet he's walkin' with Pete down the street paved with gold
         A5              G5          D5 (let ring out)
Showin' off his brand spanking new wings
                     G5
And his barbed wire halo

Continues with the same rhythm as the first verse.

He married sweet Emma Grace before the war was through
She held his right arm next to his anchor tatoo
He was on a ship off at sea when she died in child birth
He lost his whole world from the far side of the earth
He lost the will to love
He lost the will to live
Until he met a man who taught him to forgive
Yeah life took him to hell and back
To hell and back a time or two
But in the end he beat the devil until he was black and blue
Singin'
"I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind
But now I see"

(Chorus)
          C5                G5               C5       G5
Before he went he made me promise him that I wouldn't cry
              C5               G5                  C5              G5
And though I told him that I wouldn't you know I couldn't help but lie
                 A5             G5
Cause today he joined up with Jesus
          D5           G5
Wearing shiny pearl snaps
            A5         G5
We sang a few gospel hymns
                D5            D5 
And then the soldier played taps
              A5          G5              D5                E5
I bet he's walking with Pete down the street paved with gold
    A5          G5                      D5 
As sure as the old church bell still rings
            A5           G5            D5 
He always said he had country in his soul
              A5             G5            D5 (let ring out)
He's showing off his brand spanking new wings
                     G5
And his barbed wire halo
C5     G5 C5    G5              C5      D5
Sweet chariots coming forth to carry me home
C5    G5   C5       G5     C5             G5        D5     C5
Swing low sweet chariots coming forth to carry me home