verse 1 

A                Bm 
Virgil Lee was a mighty man 
        D           A 
He could outrun the L&N 
A                     Bm 
Caught a wild cat and made him his friend 
        D             A 
He was a flat woods boy 
A                          Bm 
Caught his learnin' from a runnin' brook 
           D                    A 
Taught him go with the flow and don't get hooked 
A                     Bm 
But Virgil Lee kindly mistook 
    D                      A 
The devil for a dear friend 


Pre-Chorus 
Bm 
You can fool all the jokers with diamonds 
        C#m 
You can playboy ramblin' roots 
        D 
You can lie like a penny on the CNO line 
        E 
But the good Lord knows the truth 


[Refrão]
 
           A    Bm 
Just like a old hickory 
D                                             A 
Shadin' the porch of a house that's been torn down 
A                                       Bm 
There ain't nothin' that's left but the memory 
D                                              A 
And that long, tall, scraggily, bitter nut old hickory 


verse 2 
A                       Bm 
It was Gainsboro at the Glow Worm Bar 
        D                A 
We were passin' around a jug and a guitar 
A                        Bm 
Virgil picked it like an Opry star 
           D              A 
I mean the boy was on fire 
A                                    Bm 
I said, "Hey Virgil Lee, where'd you get that stuff?" 
         D                             A 
He said, "I don't know, I guess I made it up?" 
A                 Bm 
Well sometimes an empty cup 
     D        A 
Just overflows 


Pre-Chorus 
Bm                                     C#m 
And all that summer was fire and rain 
                                      D 
Virgil Lee started nursin' the pain 

'Til every one of them songs he would play 
    E 
Was twisted, falling down 


[Refrão]

       A     Bm 
Like a old hickory 
D                                             A 
Shadin' the porch of a house that's been torn down 
A                                       Bm 
There ain't nothin' that's left but the memory 
         D                                     A 
And that long, tall, scraggily, bitter nut old hickory 


verse 3 
A                   Bm 
Laid him out in his overalls 
                D                    A 
'Cause when you get too big for your breeches well that's all 
A                       Bm 
Hung his fiddle and his flat top guitar 
D                     A 
Up in the high school gym 
A      Bm 
Nobody remembers his name 
    D              A 
And I can't say anyone's to blame 
A                            Bm 
One of these times you gotta hear him play 
           D                    A 
He was the greatest that's ever been 


Pre-Chorus 
Bm 
You can fool all the jokers with diamonds 
        C#m 
You can playboy ramblin' roots 
        D 
You can lie like a penny on the CNO line 
        E 
But the good Lord knows the truth 


[Refrão]
 
            A   Bm 
Just like a old hickory 
D                                             A 
Shadin' the porch of a house that's been torn down 
A                                       Bm 
There ain't nothin' that's left but the memory 
         D 
And that long, tall, scraggily, bitter nut 
A   Bm 
Old hickory 
D                                             A 
Shadin' the porch of a house that's been torn down 
A                                       Bm 
There ain't nothin' that's left but the memory 
         D                                     A 
And that long, tall, scraggily, bitter nut old hickory 
D                                                 A 
Oh and that long, tall, scraggily, bitter nut old hickory