Stripes On My Back Chords

KeyD CapoNone TuningStandard Difficulty Plays522

Stripes On My Back by Bleu Edmondson is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of D. It uses the chords D, A and G. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
D
Text
16
Speed
  			D  A  D 
D  A  D 
 
          D 
Well them 4 walls of Raiford are closing in on me 
     A                             D 
Doin 3-5 hard labor for armed robbery 
       D 
I have 2 years behind me, I could not wait the time 
      A                                               D 
Every time I thought about it well I died some more inside 
          D 
And I had stripes on my back and memories that hurt 
    A                                           D 
The only time I seen sunshine is when I went to work 
        D  
Diggin' ditches for the chain gang, sleepin' the hole 
   A                                                 D 
Oh Lord please forgive me for I could not wait for parole 

              G                    D 
And I'm comin home to see Jesus, I feel so close this time 
            A                                           D 
Please take mercy on a soldier from the Florida/Georgia line 
          G                               D  
When they find me they must kill me, Lord Jesus, save my soul 
        A                                             D 
I can't go back down to Raiford, I can't take that anymore 
 
 
Well these last few years behind me, Oh Lord have been so sad 
I fought proudly for my country when the times were bad 
But now they say I'm guilty and when they find me I must die 
Only me and Jesus know I never stole a dime 
Well when Vietnam was over there was no work here for me 
I had a pretty wife a-waitin' and 2 kids I had to feed 
Well I'm one of America's heroes and when they shoot me down 
Won't you fly Old Glory proudly, put my medals in the ground 
 
Chorus 
    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante