Capo 2 
 
 
A 
Poor bottom Virginia 
       D           E7 
In the spring of '43 
A 
Waltzin' to your Ma's  
           D         E7 
Clawhammer banjo melody 
A 
Tryin' to catch our breath 
            D              E7 
Beneath the lonesome maple tree 
D             A 
Shakin' and a weepin'  
    E7                     A 
You declared your love for me 
 
A 
Sooner than we'd crossed the  
          D             E7 
Threshold of your cabin door 
 A 
'Fore the blossoms fell  
            D                 E7 
Our country called you off to war 
A 
I saw you to the station 
    D                 E7 
And above the engines roar 
D             A 
Shakin' and a weepin'  
          E7           A 
Swore I'd wait forever more 
 
D                A 
And then soldier who  
     D           A 
They mistook for you 
D                     A          E7 
Bore the brunt of the battle and died 
       D      A 
The misguided news 
      D       E7 
Ended my life too 
    D             A 
For shakin' and a weepin'  
  E7                   A 
I became your brothers bride 
 
A 
Hangin' out the washin'  
     D            E7 
Of a boy I hardly knew 
A 
Heavy with the promise  
     D          E7 
Only dyin can undo 
A 
You crossed the prairie homeward 
          D                    E7 
With your heart beat black and blue 
D             A 
Shakin' and a weepin' cause your  
E7             A 
Woman proved untrue 
 
           D        A 
And at the break of day 
             D    A 
Watched your body sway 
         D         A         E7 
From the arm of an old maple tree 
        D         A 
Cut the ropes red braid 
         D          E7 
With the same sweet blade 
     D             A 
That shakin' and a weepin'  
        E7              A 
Sent me swiftly home to thee 
                              E7   A 
Wakin' and a sleepin' by your side eternaly