| Dm7/G | Dm7/G | G7 | C | C |
[Verse 1]
C F
If Loretta stayed in Butcher Holler and Conway still sang rock,
G G* C*
or if Chet had played the piccolo when Billboard had no charts.
C F
If Tanya stayed at school would Johnny barbecue that goat
G G* C*
and if Minnie didn't buy that hat would Archie tell his jokes.
[Verse 2]
C F
If Ernest never waltzed across that Texas border line
G G* C*
and the truckers never rolled again to the songs of Red Sovine.
C F
What if Marty and that Devil Woman learned to love again
G G* C
and Melvin never stuttered, what a state we'd all be in?
[Chorus]
F C
There'd be no country music, no homespun comedy,
D7 G
rock'n'roll would drive us mad and dominate the scene.
C F
There'd be an Opry House but not in Nashville, Tennessee,
G G* C
if there was no country music, what a sad world this would be.
[Interlude]
| Dm7/G | Dm7/G | G7 | C | A7 |
[Verse 3] (Key Change to E)
D G
If Hank had never known the torment of a cheatin' heart,
A7 A7* D*
or Guy Drake never told about that "Welfare Cadillac" car.
D G
If Cash had never walked the line with June there by his side,
A7 A7* D*
we'd never hear those country songs sung by Charley Pride.
[Verse 3]
D G
But if Acuff kept it secret 'bout the Wabash Cannonball
A7 A7* D*
and Eddy Arnold didn't sing his lonesome cattle call.
D G
If we never heard the guitar or the fiddle start to play,
A7 A7* D
we'd never know the pleasure that we'd missed along the way.
[End-Chorus]
G D
There'd be no country music, no homespun comedy,
E7 A
rock'n'roll would drive us mad and dominate the scene.
D G
There'd be an Opry House but not in Nashville, Tennessee,
A7 A7* D
if there was no country music, what a sad world this would be.
A7 A7* D
If there was no country music, what a sad world this would be.
