The Ballad Of Weaverville

INTRO: G  ~  Em  C  G  ~  Em  C  G  D  C  G  C ~ Em   C D Em

           G                                           ~       Em
Well, I'll tell you 'bout a gambler, folks, Jim Weaver was his name
      C                   G                       ~       Em
And I don't know where he came from, but gambling was his trade
     C               G                              D
Ride in here close beside me, I'll tell you about a game
    C                 G              C    D       Em      C D7 Em
The damnedest game in all my years I ever did see played


     G                                            ~       Em
Some said they'd seen him play before down on the Barbary Coast
   C                  G                                ~    Em
He said that might be true enough, 'cause he'd gambled all around
       C                   G                                  D
And he lost his stake to a jack high straight out at Sutter's Fort
         C                   G            C               D    Dsus2 Dsus4 D
But he'd saved a little poke in case of a game within our town


CHORUS:
      Em                            G      ~       Em
And a lady loves a gambler, running loose, running free
  C              G                          ~        Em
I felt a tremble deep inside when I turned around to see
       C       D       Em    C D7 Em   C D7 Em
He was looking hard at me


        G                                       ~        Em
Now the game was set in daddy's tent, an honest man, you know
    C               G                         ~        Em
And all the boys in town were set to take Jim Weaver's gold
       C               G                            D
'Cause digging gold is hard work and panning is too slow
      C              G          C           D       Em      C D7 Em
And I saw Jim Weaver smiling at some little private joke


         G                                             ~        Em
Well, by midnight he had all the gold that the boys in town had saved
     C                G                                 ~       Em
They never caught him cheating, though they watched him all the while
       C            G                          D
And he never lost a single hand at any game he played
   C            G                    C                D    Dsus2 Dsus4 D
He never lost a dollar, boys, and he never lost his smile


CHORUS:
      Em                            G     ~       Em
And a lady loves a gambler, smiling free, smiling wide
  C               G                       ~      Em
I knew I wouldn't rest 'til I was smiling by his side
C       D       Em    C D7 Em   C D7 Em
Smiling as we'd ride


     G                                              ~        Em
Soon all the boys were busted flat, but they wanted still to play
        C                G                       ~      Em
So they asked Jim Weaver what was left to gamble in the game
   C                  G                                  D
He said he'd cut high cards one time and if he lost he'd pay
    C              G               C        D        Em    C D7 Em
But if he won they had to swear to give the town his name


       G                                      ~      Em
And he told my daddy he would bet ten dollars on the side
    C             G                         ~   Em
And I could be my daddy's stake, if I would so agree
       C          G                               D
And I rode out of Weaverville next morning as his bride
      C                  G                              C       D   Dsus2 Dsus4 D
And I left the town that bears the name of the gambling man and me


CHORUS:
      Em                         G      ~       Em
And a lady loves a gambler if he cheats all the same
    C             G                        ~       D
And no one saw me slip to him the ace that won the game
    C        D        Em    C D7 Em
And gave the town our name