C G C G C G

[Verse 1]
   C                         G
Stephen sprawled across the bed,
   C                      G
Raised the bottle to his mouth.
   C                        G
Pictures danced inside his head,
   C                      G
Gentle breezes from the south,
   C                               G
Cotton fields with voices ringin' low,
 C         G
Old Black Joe.

[Verse 2]
     C               G
And here's to one tender and fair
     C              G
Jeannie with the light brown hair
   C            G
Raised a banjo to her knee,
  C               G
Sang a lovely melody.
  C                                G
Weep no more, my lady; shed your care.
 C         G          C    G
I'll be there.
                   
[CHORUS]
           Am    Em   Am    Em          C
And the Swanee River runs outside the door,
           Am     Em      Am   Em      C
And the whiskey bottles gather on the floor,
         Am         Em    Am       Em       C
And the camp-town ladies stop and ring the bell
          G       C
Of the American Hotel.


[Verse 3]
     C                    G
He wrote a song for ev'ryone,
  C                  G
Lifted hearts throughout the land.
 C                     G
Now his world's an empty one,
    C                   G
A broken dream and a tremblin' hand,
 C                             G
Sad and weary ev'rywhere he'd roam,
  C       G
Kentucky home.

[CHORUS]
           Am    Em   Am    Em         C
And the Swanee River runs outside the door,
           Am     Em      Am   Em      C
And the whiskey bottles gather on the floor,
         Am         Em    Am       Em       C
And the camp-town ladies stop and ring the bell
          G       C
Of the American Hotel.


[CHORUS]
           Am    Em   Am    Em         C
And the Swanee River runs outside the door,
           Am     Em      Am   Em      C
And the whiskey bottles gather on the floor,
         Am         Em    Am       Em       C
And the camp-town ladies stop and ring the bell
          G       C
Of the American Hotel.