Merle Haggard – Kern River (Guitar)

     D                      A
I'll never swim Kern River again.

A
It was there that I met her.

A                                E      E7
It was there that I lost my best friend.

          D
And now I live in the mountains.

  C#m                      D
I drifted up here with the wind.

          A
And I may drown in still water,

         E                      A
But I'll never swim Kern River again.

       A
I grew up in an oil town,

       D                 A
But my gusher never came in.

           A
And the river was a boundary

A                               E    (E7) E9
Where my  darlin' and I used to swim.

A
One night in the moonlight

D                              A
The swiftness swept here life away.

A
And now I live on Lake Shasta and

A    E                      A
Lake Shasta is where I will stay.

     D                      A
I'll never swim Kern River again.

A
It was there that I met her.

A                                E      E7
It was there that I lost my best friend.

          D
And now I live in the mountains.

  C#m                      D
I drifted up here with the wind.

          A
And I may drown in still water,

         E                      A
But I'll never swim Kern River again.

A
There's the South San Joaquin,

          D                          A
Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found.

A
And there's a place called Mount Whitney

A                                      E   (E7) E9
From where the mighty Kern River comes down.

           A
Well, it's not  deep nor wide,

A          D                      A
But it's a mean piece of water my friend.

A
And I may cross on the highway,

         E                     A
But I'll never swim Kern River again

     D                      A
I'll never swim Kern River again.

A
It was there that I met her.

A                                E      E7
It was there that I lost my best friend.

          D
And now I live in the mountains.

  C#m                      D
I drifted up here with the wind.

          A
And I may drown in still water,

         E                      A
But I'll never swim Kern River again.