Ballad of a Lonely Man
Capo 1
This is an acoustic version that Ness often played often during radio station interviews
during his “Cheating At Solitaire” tour. My recording is from 2000, and if anyone wants
the mp3, just let me know. Capo the 1st fret, and this chord chart is 100% accurate.
The trick to playing this song acoustically is to capture Mike’s (very fast) version of
Johnny Cash’s “boom-chicka-chicka-boom-chicka-chicka” strum.
I have an acoustic recording of Ness doing this solo, (from 1999), and if anyone wants
the mp3, just let me know.
lowell.hein@fpl.com
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VERSE 1
G C G
I'm young and I'm strong,
D C G
I've got this God forsaken world by the balls.
D C G
I've got a one-way ticket to freedom
D G
Ain't no one now, gonna take it from me
VERSE 2
G C G
I was a soldier, age twenty-one
D C G
In a war not sure what I was fighting for
D C G
And yet I turned from a boy to a man there
D G
Goodbye to innocence, and a sweet sixteen
NOTE:
To get a smooth flow entering the chorus, walk down from G to Em:
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/m/mike_ness/ballad_of_a_lonely_man_crd_ver_2.html ]
Strum the G chord, then Pick 6th String 3rd Fret, then 6th String 2nd Fret, then strum
the Em chord.)
CHORUS:
Em C G D
My whole life, I could not arrange
Em C G D
My wicked ways, I could never change
Em C D G
Don't try, don't try now, to understand
D G
This is the ballad, of a lonely man
VERSE 3
G C G
Close to me, is a photograph
D C G
Of a family left far, far behind
D C G
Ah, once I had love, it slipped away from
D G
I searched a lifetime, but I could not find
VERSE 4
G
In a hospital bed, I'm violently ill
Just one more drink nurse I swear to God
I've got my St. Anthony and my whiskey
Yes I'm a veteran of three foreign wars.
CHORUS
Play the chorus once, then, after “Don’t try, don’t try now, to understand.”
repeat last line of chorus three more times:
G D G
This is the ballad, of a lonely man,
G D G
This is ballad, of a lonely man,
G D G
This is the ballad, of a lone-ly man
G-D-G Finish with a hard strum on D.
As I said, if you want the mp3 of Ness playing this version,
e-mail me. Enjoy.
Lowell
