G
Everyone in Nagadoches knew Tom Ames
                       D
would come to some bad end,
           Em                              C
Well, the sheriff had caught him stealing chickens and such by the
G         D      G
time that he was ten.

G
And one day his daddy took a 10 dollar bill
                        D
and he tucked it in his hand,
        Em                           C
He said I can tell you're headed for trouble son,
         G             D    G
and your mama wouldn't understand.

G
So he took that money and his brother's old bay
                            D
and left without a word of thanks,
     Em                      C
Fell in with a crowd in some border town
G       D       G
Took to robbin' banks.

[Solo]
Em C    G    D
Em C    G    D  G

[Verse]
G
Well, outside the law your luck'll run out fast,
                     D
a few years came and went;
          Em                      C
'til he's trapped in an alley in Abilene
     G       D           G
with all but four shells spent.

G
And he realized prayin' was the only thing
                    D
that he hadn't ever tried;
Em                       C
well, he wasn't sure he knew quite how
       G         D      G
but he looked up to the sky.

G
Said "You don't owe me nothin' and as far as I know, Lord
                       D
I don't owe nothin' to you
Em                   C
I ain't askin' for a miracle Lord
       G             D         G
just a little bit of luck will do.

G
And you know I ain't never prayed before
                        D
but it always seemed to me
     Em                   C
that prayin's the same as beggin' Lord
        G       D   G
I don't take no charity.

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

G
Yeah, but right now Lord with my back to the wall
                   D
I can't help but recall
         Em                 C
how they nearly hung me for stealin' a horse
   G   D      G
in Ft. Smith, Arkansas

G
Judge Parker said guilty and the gavel came down
                   D
just like a cannon shot.
      Em        C
And I went away quietly
     G     D        G
I began to file and plot.

G
Well, they sent the preacher down to my cell
                                D
he said, "the Lord is your only hope,
         Em                      C
he's the only friend that you're gonna have
         G       D               G
when you hit the end of Parker's rope."

G
Well, I guess he could've kept on preachin' 'til Christmas
                          D
but he turned his back on me.
Em                             C
I put a homemade blade to that golden throat
              G      D       G
and asked the deputy for the key.

G
Yeah, it ain't the first close call I ever had
                        D
as I'm sure you already know
           Em                         C
I had some help from you Lord and the Devil himself,
          G        D         G
it's been strictly touch and go.

G
Yeah, but who in the hell am I talkin to?
                            D
There ain't no one here but me
(single strum each chord)
            Em                              C
And then he cocked both his pistols, and he spit in the dirt,
       G          D      G
and he walked out in the street.