Chords for Song for Keith, by Larry Cordle

_ [F] _ [G] I've had a lot of _ really great blessings in my life.
_ [Gb] _ _ [C]
One of the best I think was _ _ _ knowing a guy that was the greatest [N] country singer, _ at least
in my lifetime, that I knew personally.
And he was from a place called Sandy Hook.
_ His name is Keith [F] Whitman.
_ [G] _
[F] _ _ [G] I met him when he was about [N] 12. _
I was 16.
_ _ _ Ricky Skaggs' dad called me one summer.
[G] They had went to a _ talent show and they had went and seen these [N] guys.
And he told me, he said, man, you all, you're just not going to believe what this guy can sing like.
I remember the first time I saw him, he was a little skinny, real little skinny kid.
He wore a great ponytail.
_ And boy, when he opened his mouth, he was _ just an amazing singer.
_ Until I left home to service, I was around him a lot.
_ Where I was from in eastern Kentucky, there wasn't anything to do but go to people's houses
like this and play music.
We didn't usually have this big crowd. _
But we'd go and play.
And one of these people, Keith and his brother were there singing with Ricky.
It was just, it tore the house down every time.
_ And after his death, it's hard to believe, you know, that he's been dead 20 years. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sometime maybe a year _ after he passed away, Randy Scruggs called me and asked me if I would help him write this song.
They were going to put it on an album called, _ _ I don't think it was called Kentucky.
I think it's another record.
They called the album The Voice Still Remembers, which is a line out of the song.
And that's what RCA wanted me to call it.
For me, it will always be a song for Keith.
I want to play this for you.
[F] _ [C] Back [F] _ _ _ [Em] _ [Dm] _ _ _ [C] _
[Dm] _ [Em] _ [F] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
[F] _ in [D] [Dm] the mountains _ [Bb] of eastern _ Kentucky,
[F] A young boy [Dm] grew up [C] a dream of _
_ [F] _ playing [C] [D] the [Dm] off'n,
[Bb] Like all of his heroes, [F] by the time that [G] he [Dm] learned how [C] to walk he could [F] sing.
_ [C] _ _ _ [F] Blessed [D] with the voice [Gm] of [Bb] a wild mountain songbird,
_ [F] Quick [D] with the kind [Dm] words [C] to smile, _ _ _
[F] His songs [Dm] about a _ [Gm] lonesome [Bb] _
heartache and love,
_ [F] Touched [G] all [D] who [Dm] travel [C] down life's lonely [F] miles.
_ _ [Em] _ [G] _ [C] His voice rang true [Bb] as his legend grew, _
[F] He was destined [D] to shine a light [C] of stone.
_ _ But he never forgot _ who [Bb] _ that he was,
[F] Or the friends that [Dm] he made with [C] his old [F] _ guitar. _
[D] He _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ _ [D] _ [Dm] _ _ _
[C] _ [Dm] _ [C] _ [F] _ _ _ [C] _ [Dm] _
[C] _ [F] traveled _ [E] [Dm] the highway [Bb]
from Sandy Hook to L.A.,
[F] Singing [Dm] his songs [C] about life. _
_ _ [F] Too soon [G] it was [Dm] over, _ [Bb] the road it had it dead,
[F]
But he left [C] [D] us his [Dm] music [C] to remember him [F] by.
_ _ [C] _ [Dm] _ [C]
[F] Somewhere in [D] the [Gm] mountains [Bb] of eastern _ Kentucky,
[F] A young [D] boy is [Dm] dreaming _ [C] _ _ of _
[Dm] _ [C] _ [F] playing [Em] [D] the [Dm] off'n,
[Bb] Like his fallen hero _ [F] who's gone [E] on [D] to [Dm] sing with [C] the angels [F] on high.
_ _ _ [Em] [G] And [C] a voice still rings true [Bb] from the man that we knew,
[F] Though he's sleeping [Dm] we can't _ [C] understand. _ _ _
But in heaven _ tonight _ [Bb] a new star shines bright,
[F] Now that [E] [D] he's part [Dm] of [C] that great _ angel [F] _ _ _ [G] _ [Dm] _
band.
[Bb] _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ [D] _ _ [Dm] _ [C] _ _ [G] _
_ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _