The Last Gunfighter Ballad Chords by Johnny Cash

[Start]

[Verse]
F Dm                                   
■ The old gunfighter stood on the porch
C                      
And stared into the sun
Bb                          
And relived all the old days
             F                    
Back when he was livin' by the gun
Dm                                    
When deadly games of pride were played
C                               
And livin' was mistakes not made
        Bb                                            
And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
    Bb                          F                 
The thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
    Dm                                   
And it's always keep your back to the sun
        C                                     
And you can almost feel the weight of that gun
Bb                                           
It's faster than snakes or a blink of the eye
           F                           
And it's a time for all slow men to die
Dm                                             
His eyes get squinty and he's straight as a log
      C                               
As he empties his gun at the dirty dog
         Bb                                        
And he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Bb                      F                 
Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Dm                                     
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
         C                                  
And he's back in his chair in front of a bar
        Bb                                         
And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
    F                                     
The dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
D7           Dm                       
So buy him a drink and lend him an ear
     C                                       
He's nobody's fool and he's the only one here
Bb                                               
Who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Bb                         F                 
Remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Dm                                             
Said I stood in that street before it was paved
             C                                    
I learned to shoot or be shot before I could shave
      Bb                                   
And I did it all for the money and the fame
F                                     
Noble was nothing but feelin' no shame
Dm                                      
And nothing was sacred but stayin' alive
C                                                      
And all that I learned from a Colt zero point four five


[Chorus]
       Bb                                      
Was to cuss the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Bb                    F                 
Cuss the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Dm                                           
Now he's just an old man that nobody believes
            C                                
Says he's a gunfighter the last of this breed
    Bb                                          
And there's ghosts in the street seekin' revenge
F                                    
Callin' him out to the lunatic fringe
Dm                                          
He's out in the traffic now checking the sun
    C                                          
And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
   Bb                                          
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
   Bb                        F                 
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
        C                          F             
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke


[End]