Gavin M Lynch - Stagger Lee Chords

3/4 Time
(Blank notes X 8)

C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C 

C  C  E  E  F  F  F   F

          C                        E
The first time that I saw him was late at night

       F                  C
He was tall and dark and lean

   C                    E
A silhouette wearing a Stetson hat

             F               C
He said his name is Stagger Lee

    C                          E
He spent his day working the shipping yard

        F                  C
And his night outside the bar

        C               E
With an open hat and an empty flask,

          F                C
He would sing and play guitar

C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C 

C  C  E  E  F  F  F   F

    C                      E
And I had been working the docks at night 

         F                 C
With the likes of Billy Lyons

       C                        E
For a cut of my take, he would keep me safe

     F                 C
And keep the Johns in line

      C                           E
They came and they went, but the single constant

     F               C
Was Stag's distant song

           C                       E
So when I gave up on Billy and I needed rent,

    F            C
He let me sing along

C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C 

C  C  E  E  F  F  C  D7

4/4 Time

G   F#  E            C            G
And my friends they say that you better stay away

      E            C   G
That Stag's got a reputation

         E               C              G
But he's always done me right and he'd never start a fight

      Am                    Bm       C       D
With someone who didn't deserve it

Am           
And on that fateful night

Am  Bm  C
In the Bucket of Blood

                          C6  
With the likes of Billy Lyons

C5  B5      Am
We weren't looking for trouble,

Am  Bm   c
We were drinking and dancing
                                    D        C 
In came Billy pointing fingers and questions

 Am                                         Am Bm C
Things got heavy, Billy pulled out a knife


And it glimmered in the dim bar light

     F
But Stag kept me safe, so he carried a pistol

     Am
And Billy came at him, he was only defensive 

F
Billy got shot and stag got busted

      A5                                         C      F
They took him to the gallows and they called it justice


Switch back to 3/4 time
A  C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C
 
C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C

         C                    E
With his empty flask and his Stetson hat,

       F              C
He is six feet underground

            C                  E
But in the quiet times at the dock at night

       F              C
I can still hear his sound

C  C  E  E  F  F  C  C
 
C  C  E  E  F  F  F   F  C