Chords for Paul Overstreet - Billy Can't Read

_ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Mama and his daddy were very poor [E] and they never went to [B] school _
[E] Billy followed in [B] their footsteps _
like a lot of children [F#] do _
[B] He had to get a job to help pay the bills [E] so his younger brother [B] Ben _
[E] Might go to school and learn to [B] read and write
[F#] Maybe he could teach [B] all of them _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ No, Billy [B] can't read _ _ _ _
But [E] he gives 200 [B]% for the minimum wage that he [F#] _ receives
[E] Sometimes he pretends like he can as he looks [B] and he likes several pictures [E] in the funny books
But it really ain't funny [F#] you see
That Billy [B] can't read
_ Then _ _ _ the boss man came around
[E] Talked to Billy [B] one day
He [E] said now Billy you're the hardest [B] worker I've got and you sure deserve [F#] more pay _
[B] But the boss at the top says I have to give [E] every form of a written [B] test _
[E] Billy hung his head cause [B] he knew right then
[F#] He'd always have to settle [B] for less
[G#m] Cause Billy [E] can't read
_ _ _ No, Billy [B] can't read
_ But _ [E] he gives 200 [B]% for the minimum wage that he [F#] receives _ _
[E] Sometimes he pretends like he can as he looks [B] and he likes several pictures [E] in the funny books
But it really ain't funny [F#] you see that Billy [B] can't read
_ _ Little _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Ben never took for granted all of [E] his brother Billy's _ [B] sacrifice _
[E] Every night while the family [B] slept they would sit up late by that old [F#] lamp light _
_ [B] Sounding out the age in the evening [E] Oh
_ _ _ [B] _ Oh
Now [E] he's reading everything [B] in the cereal box [F#] to the battery [B] times through _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ Yeah, Billy [B] can't read _ _ _ _
[E] Now the rest of his life will [B] be different because of the special gift he [F#] see _ _
[E] Now he don't have to act like he's laughing as he looks
[B] Silly pictures in [E] those funny books.
They're as funny as they can [F#] be now that Billy [B] can read
_ _ His _
_ [E] life is much better you [F#] see now that Billy [B] can read _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _