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Rebel Son - The Ballad Of Buford Johnson (Chord)
Submitter: BuckBran (17) on 6/16/16
Month Views: 602 | Total Views: 3,889
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The Ballad of Buford Johnson-Rebel Son
Just saw a cover of this song on You-Tube and realized I needed to fix the chords.


This here's a song I wrote about my granddaddy and his life and how much he meant to me and there's a lot to tell, so it's pretty long

(G)*It was the sixth day of No(G)*vember in Wrightsville, Georgia nineteen (G)*hundred nineteen (C)*more
Naomi (D)*Ivy (G)*bore John (D)*Johnson's (C)*second (G)*son the (Em)*last (C)*child of (D)*four
little (C)*did they (Em)*know when he'd grow (G)*up what a (G)*great man he would (C)*be
they (D)*named their (G)*new born (D)*baby (C)*boy (G)*Buford and he would become the (C)* king of the (D)*world to (G)*me

his family moved to South Carolina during the Great Depression when he was (C)young
they (D)settled in the (G)valley (D)in Clear(C)water be(G)tween number (Em)1 and (C)42(D)1
(C)and thats (Em)where he'd grow (G)up and eventually meet his (C)wife
and thats (D)where he'd (G)begin to be(D)come the (C)man he (G)was and where he'd (C)spend the (D)rest of his (G)life

he'd ride his bike and he'd hitchhike for fun all through his early (C)teens
thats (D)when he (G)began to (D)pick the (C)guitar and (G)him and his (Em)buddies would (C)play and (D)sing
(C)then from (Em)Langley-Bath high(G)school in May nineteen and thirty(C)eight
(D)he'd (G)be the (D)first of his (C)fami(G)ly (C)ever to (D)gradu(G)ate

he met a beautiful girl who lived near him named Hazel Chris(C)tine
(D)he was (G)2(D)2 when they (C)married (G)she was just a (Em)week shy of (C)seven(D)teen
(C)she (Em)loved her handsome (G)Buford he loved his Hazel with all his (C)heart
and (D)hand in (G)hand (D)they would (C)stay to(G)gether until (C)death would (D)do them (G)part

They moved to Augusta then Langley and built their family in the next few years that (C)came
a (D)beautiful (G)baby (D)girl in (C)4(G)6 Judy (Em)Darlene (C)was her (D)name
(C)their first (Em)son in 4(G)9 they named him James (C)Ray
(D)then in (G)5(D)2 (C)they were (G)through the third and last a (C)son named (D)Darrell (G)Wayne

He'd work days at Dupont then nights and weekend with his (C)band
(D)He'd (G)sing and (D)pick his (C)guitar (G)with a (Em)few mu(C)sician (D)friends
live (C)shows on the (Em)radio, a (G)festival, a party, or a honky tonk (C)dance
(D)pro(G)fessionally(D) known (C)all around (G)home as a (C)group called (D)the Plow (G)Hands

but one day he put his guitar down and decided to set music a(C)side
(D)and de(G)vote (D)more (C)of his (G)time to his (Em)children (C)and his (D)wife
and then (C)later (Em)on they built a (G)brand new home down the road in Piney (C)Heights 
(D)they moved (G)in in (D)May of (C)6(G)5 and thats where (C)he'd live (D)out his (G)life

May 19 and 69 his first granddaughter Dana was (C)born
then (D)after (G)20 (D)years at (C)Dupont (G)he (Em)retired in (C)7(D)4
that (C)same No(Em)vember granddaughter (G)Jenny June 77 grandson (C)Lee
then in (D)March nine(G)teen and (D)80 his (C)grandson (G)Donald would com(C)plete his (D)family (G)tree

shortly there after I was a young boy ready for any and every(C)thing
(D)and (G)he was (D)my grand(C)daddy (G)and to (Em)me (C)he was a (D)king
(C)and I loved (Em)seeing my grand(G)parents so much every summer I'd go (C)stay
Grand(D)father (G)and grand(D)son (C)so much (G)fun a new ad(C)venture (D)every (G)day

he had an ol baby blue Mercury and we'd go cruise a(C)round
we'd (D)laugh and (G)talk and (D)sing in (C)summer (G)heat with (Em)all the (C)windows (D)down
and (C)then we'd (Em)take his metal de(G)tectors to the old school yard play(C)ground
(D)(G)bottle (D)caps, pull (C)tabs, and (G)coins I was proud of (C)every(D)thing we (G)found

we'd rummage through old junk cars at Murrell's garage looking for old license (C)plates 
(D)and then (G)we'd go (D)have a ham(C)burger for (G)lunch at (Em)L & (C)M Ca(D)fe
(C)and I'd (Em)get so excited every(G)time we'd pass the Old Gregg highway ball (C)fields
cause (D)we'd be (G)on our (D)way to (C)look at old (G)graves together (C)up on (D)cemetery (G)hill 

we'd walk and talk the rest of the day and read old tombstone epi(C)taphs 
he'd (D)tell me a(G)bout old (D)local (C)legends (G)and a(Em)bout old (C)times long (D)past
it (C)inter(Em)ested me so (G)much I'd never want the day to (C)end
(D)so the next (G)morning we'd (D)pack us a (C)picnic (G)lunch and ride back up to (C)ol grave(D)yard a(G)gain

and I remember once when one of his old friends came by the house to say hell(C)o
I sat in the (D)den and (G)listened to (D)them (C)talk a(G)bout playing (Em)music (C)long a(D)go
(C)he said (Em)Buford you were good have (G)you ever thought about giving it another (C)chance
he smiled (D)at grand(G)mama and (D)said not for a (C)million (G)dollars would I (C)play an(D)other (G)dance

and as i approached my teenage years his health really began to (C)fail
he'd sur(D)vived a (G)heart(D)attack in (C)7(G)8 (Em)and he sur(C)prised him(D)self 
(C)and then a (Em)heart bypass (G)in 87 once again he'd (C)win
(D)but by (G)then his (D)spirit had be(C)gun to (G)weaken  and his age was (C)catching (D)up with (G)him 

especially then we'd just sit up and talk most times all night (C)long 
he'd (D)tell me (G)lessons (D)from his (C)life (G)learned first (Em)hand and (C)right from (D)wrong 
(C)every (Em)smile and every (G)story every day and every (C)night 
(D)I'd (G)treasure (D)all our (C)time to(G)gether more than (C)anything (D)in my (G)life

It was Friday night the 18th of June nineteen and ninety (C)three
(D)I'd (G)just come (D)home from a (C)picture (G)show just be(Em)fore I (C)turned six(D)teen 
(C)I was (Em)standing in my (G)mamas kitchen when the telephone (C)rang
(D)I (G)picked it (D)up and (C)said he(G)llo and (C)it was my (D)Uncle (G)Wayne

not sounding like himself he said y'all need to come on (C)home
(D)and (G)without (D)thinking (C)I re(G)plied (Em)why (C)whats going (D)on
(C)he (Em)thought I was my (G)father he did not real(C)ize
(D)and in a (G)tone of (D)voice I'd (C)never (G)heard he said(C) cause (D)daddy just (G)died

that night he'd gotten dizzy walking toward the back of the (C)house 
(D)he (G)hollered (D)out and grand(C)mama rushed (G)to him (Em)to help (C)him sit (D)down
(C)but the (Em)angels beat her (G)to him to bring him away from pain and (C)harm
(D)and his (G)heart of (D)gold gave (C)out on (G)him and he (C)died in grand(D)mamas (G)arms

we buried him on fathers day up on cemetery (C)hill 
(D)I (G)loved him (D)more than (C)any(G)thing (Em)and I (C)always (D)will
I (C)thought grand(Em)daddy would live that (G)forever nothing could ever hurt him at (C)all
(D)but a (G)boy be(D)came a (C)man that (G)day as he (C)*watched his (D)*hero (G)*fall

to (G)*me no other man will ever (G)*stand quite so (C)*tall
(D)*(G)*he had (D)*seen (C)*every(G)*thing and (Em)*he had (C)*done it (D)*all
and I can (C)*only hope (Em)*years from now a grand(G)*son of mine might see me the same (C)*way
because he'll (D)*always be my he(G)*ro and I hope I'm (C)*just like (D)*him some (G)*day



*strum once 
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