Jason Boland - Backslider Blues

      Capo 2

[Intro]
G  Em  D  C

[Verse]
G      
No doubt the prayers of my mother
      Em                      D
Have taken me aways down the line,
     C                        G
And I'd swear the life of my sister,
                                            D
Well she's brighter than the sun when she shines.
    G            
And I have been baptised in water,
Em                       D
I have been baptised in fire
          C                            G
And I've knelt with both hands on the altar
     D         C            G
And I've even sang in the choir.
               Em                     C            G
There've been forks in the road when I've had to choose...
   D                         C           D          G
I pray He'll forgive me for singin' the backslider blues.

[Chorus]
           C                       G
Yeah the backslider blues ain't a hard song to sing.
     Em               C              G          D
You know right from wrong, you just don't do a thing.
 C                            G        
Stand there alone, feelin' battered and bruised,
 Em           D         C
Singin' the backslider blues. -

[Instrumental]
G  Em  D  G

[Verse]
           G           
From the stained glass light of the chapel,
        Em              D
To the neon haze of the bar.
          C             G
From the wine of holy communion, 
                                  D
To the liqour that's left me the scars.
          G               
From the Bible that sets on my dresser, 
         Em                            D
To the clothes strung all 'cross the floor.
            C                                G
From the prayers from my friends when they need me,
         D              C           G
To the times that I've ran out the door.
      Em                        C          G
Been taken by surprise by some women and rouge,
       D                          C           D         G
And I pray He'll forgive me for singin' the backslider blues.

[Instrumental]
D   G   Em   C   G   D   C   G   Em   D   C

[Verse]
    G       
And I hope that we can all make it
        Em                        D
To the place where true freedom rings
       C                            G
And I pray that they have us some guitars
                                         D
So we can walk through the red buds and sing.
        G       
Never know when you're out on life's highway,
 Em                       D
Gabriel might pull up to you.
            C                         G
He'll say "Child, climb in and ride shotgun
           D             C          G
And we'll see what this big rig can do".
             Em                       C              G
There'll be nothin' more to say and nothin' left to lose.
 D                        C             D         G
He'll have forgotten when we sang the backslider blues.

[Chorus]
           C                       G
Yeah the backslider blues ain't a hard song to sing.
     Em               C              G          D
You know right from wrong, you just don't do a thing.
 C                            G        
Stand there alone, feelin' battered and bruised,
 Em           D         C                G            D        G
Singin' the backslider blues. I'm just singin' the backslider blues.

[Outro]
G  Em  D  G