Bm
Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos
D
spills into the gulf of Mexico
          A
where the skyline is covered by chemical plants
         G
that put bread on the table of a workin man
         Bm
well the workin man does his best to provide
D
safety and shelter for kids and a wife
A
given a little of his soul everyday
      G*                               **
makin overtime to keep the wolves away

|  *  strum once and let ring
|  ** after "away" he plays

E|-----------------|
B|-----------------|
G|-------------0---|
D|---------0-------|
A|-----2-----------|
E|-3---------------|

[Instrumental Chorus] (with whistling on 2nd round)
Bm  D  A  G  x2

[Verse 2]
           Bm
Well I was barely thirteen when the company man
D
Tried to dig my daddy's grave
   A
It happened on a French owned tanker ship
         G
Spillin' poison into Galveston Bay
          Bm
Where the liquid fire filled his lungs and his eyes
D
Silenced, any moans or cries
A
Cold and the Grit, the damn stinkin pain
       G*                                       **
but he fought like hell to keep the wolves away

[Solo]
Bm  D  A  G  x2

[Verse 3]
        Bm
For the next few years dad was sick as a dog
       D
but he made a recovery just to spite the odds.
    A
The settlement came and we moved out of town
          G
where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds.
     Bm
Yeah he's still alive he's doing good he's in his fifties
        D
but the money's runnin out and he's pinchin for pennies
       A
so I'm going for broke with every song I play,
       G*                                      **
cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away