/ Bb    / Eb    / Bb    / Eb    /

[Verse 1]
Bb
I asked Mama many times
Cm7
What kept Papa so far behind
Eb                    Eb/F             Bb
What in the world was holding my Daddy down?
     Bb
Papa always dropped his head
         Cm7
Lord, he seemed so afraid
            Eb               Eb/F           Bb
Like he was carryin' a heavy burden all the time

[Verse 2]
            Bb
There was a man up in the big house
    Cm7
But Papa was afraid to speak out
    Eb                  Eb/F              Bb
The man kept my Daddy's nose right on the ground
           Bb
Girl, your Papa he was mighty good
       Cm7
He was doin' the best he could
Eb              Eb/F           Bb
All his life he lived just for you

[Chorus]
           Bb
But twelve kids, he had a heavy load
Eb
He couldn't walk the front road
Cm7             F             Bb
On his face he always wore a frown
           Bb
It was for you and the others too
       Eb
He was tryin' to make it through
Cm7                 F              Bb
He had to take the back road into town

[Verse 3]
Bb
Every year your Papa would say
Cm7
"Next year, we gonna move away
Eb              Eb/F               Bb
I wanna take my children away from here"

              Bb
He said "I've almost lost my fear
          Cm7
I think I see my way clear
Eb               Eb/F           Bb
I'm gonna take a stand and be a man"
             Bb
But then the man would come from the big house
Cm7
Daddy would always back out
    Eb           Eb/F             Bb
And end right up again behind the plow

[Chorus]
           Bb
But twelve kids, he had a heavy load
Eb
He couldn't walk the front road
Cm7             F             Bb
On his face he always wore a frown
           Bb
It was for you and the others too
       Eb
He was tryin' to make it through
Cm7                 F              Bb
He had to take the back road into town

--(key change to B)--

[Verse 4]
B
When he finally made up his mind
C#m7
Your Daddy had wasted too much time
     E                E/F#             B
Your Papa just put it off a little too long
               B
'Cause all the years that Papa was sleepin'
       C#m7
Father Time kept right on creepin'
            E               E/F#         B
'Til it was time for him to lay his body down
          B
He did it all against his will
       C#m7
He got lost back in them fields
   E           E/F#         B
My Daddy never made it into town

[Chorus]
           B
But twelve kids, he had a heavy load
E
He couldn't walk the front road
C#m7           E             B
On his face he always wore a frown
           B
It was for you and the others too
       E
He was tryin' to make it through
C#m7               E              B
He had to take the back road into town

[Outro]
           B
But twelve kids, he had a heavy load
E
He couldn't walk the front road
C#m7           E             B
On his face he always wore a frown
           B
It was for you and the others too
       E
He was tryin' to make it through
C#m7               E              B
He had to take the back road into town