The Preacher and the Bear Chords by Red Steagall
Tempo:
102.95 bpm
Chords used:
C
G
F
D
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
I've used this song to close out at least a thousand [F#] concerts over the years.
It's one of my favorite songs to sing
It's so much fun.
It's America's oldest known folk song
[C] Not necessarily done like this.
Hope you enjoy it.
Y'all ready?
Lee old preacher went out a-walking
[Cm] He was on one Sunday morning.
I know it was again his [A] religion
Took his old [D] double barrel LC [G] Smith 12 gauge shotgun along
Shot himself [C] some mighty fine quail [F] and just one little old [C] measly hair
And on his way returning [F#] home.
He met a great big
[G] [C] Grizzly bear
[Am] The old bear stood up in the middle of the road as [F] mean as he could [C] be.
That preacher started shaking
[D] Climbed him a cinnamon [G] tree.
[C] The old bear stood up and he rolled his [F] eyes and he shook his ugly head
Preacher looked into the [E] sky.
This [G] is what [C] he said
Hello, Lord
Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the whale [G] and then [C] where the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you can't help [D] me for goodness sakes, [G] don't you help that [C] bear?
Then the bear [F] commenced to climb the tree
That made the preacher sore
[E] So the preacher [D] climbed still higher till he couldn't climb no more [G]
and then that limb began to break
[B] And they both come [D] tumbling down
And when that preacher [A] began to pray
Friends, you could [G] hear him for miles
[C] around
Y'all ready?
Yeah
No, Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and [D] then where the Hebrew children from the fiery [F] furnace or a good wolf [C] duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you [A] can't help me for goodness sakes, [F] don't you help that [C] bear?
Then the fight [Am] went down to the river.
Oh, it was a terrible fight
[Em] No bear was [D] really a landed on
But [G] the preacher was doing all right
Because he dragged [C] that beast right into the water
It [F] was in three times and [C] then out
The old bear got loose and [A] he limped away
[E] Now preacher friend [G] he began to [C] shout
Y'all ready?
Yeah
Oh Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and then
[C] Well, it may not look like nothing [F] Lord from where you [C] set up there
But a hardest job [Em] I ever had was [G] [C] baptizing that man
Lord you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of [B] the whale and then
[C] Well, he [E] grew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
and now [F#] Oh
Lord, [C] you can't help [C#] me
for goodness [D] sakes
[B] Don't help [C] that bear
[Dm]
[G] [C] You
It's one of my favorite songs to sing
It's so much fun.
It's America's oldest known folk song
[C] Not necessarily done like this.
Hope you enjoy it.
Y'all ready?
Lee old preacher went out a-walking
[Cm] He was on one Sunday morning.
I know it was again his [A] religion
Took his old [D] double barrel LC [G] Smith 12 gauge shotgun along
Shot himself [C] some mighty fine quail [F] and just one little old [C] measly hair
And on his way returning [F#] home.
He met a great big
[G] [C] Grizzly bear
[Am] The old bear stood up in the middle of the road as [F] mean as he could [C] be.
That preacher started shaking
[D] Climbed him a cinnamon [G] tree.
[C] The old bear stood up and he rolled his [F] eyes and he shook his ugly head
Preacher looked into the [E] sky.
This [G] is what [C] he said
Hello, Lord
Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the whale [G] and then [C] where the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you can't help [D] me for goodness sakes, [G] don't you help that [C] bear?
Then the bear [F] commenced to climb the tree
That made the preacher sore
[E] So the preacher [D] climbed still higher till he couldn't climb no more [G]
and then that limb began to break
[B] And they both come [D] tumbling down
And when that preacher [A] began to pray
Friends, you could [G] hear him for miles
[C] around
Y'all ready?
Yeah
No, Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and [D] then where the Hebrew children from the fiery [F] furnace or a good wolf [C] duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you [A] can't help me for goodness sakes, [F] don't you help that [C] bear?
Then the fight [Am] went down to the river.
Oh, it was a terrible fight
[Em] No bear was [D] really a landed on
But [G] the preacher was doing all right
Because he dragged [C] that beast right into the water
It [F] was in three times and [C] then out
The old bear got loose and [A] he limped away
[E] Now preacher friend [G] he began to [C] shout
Y'all ready?
Yeah
Oh Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and then
[C] Well, it may not look like nothing [F] Lord from where you [C] set up there
But a hardest job [Em] I ever had was [G] [C] baptizing that man
Lord you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of [B] the whale and then
[C] Well, he [E] grew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
and now [F#] Oh
Lord, [C] you can't help [C#] me
for goodness [D] sakes
[B] Don't help [C] that bear
[Dm]
[G] [C] You
Key:
C
G
F
D
A
C
G
F
_ _ _ _ I've used this song to close out at least a thousand [F#] concerts over the years.
It's one of my favorite songs to sing
It's so much fun.
It's America's oldest known folk song
[C] Not necessarily done like this.
Hope you enjoy it.
Y'all ready? _
Lee old preacher went out a-walking
[Cm] He was on one Sunday morning.
I know it was again his [A] religion
Took his old [D] double barrel LC [G] Smith 12 gauge shotgun along _
Shot himself [C] some mighty fine quail [F] and just one little old [C] measly hair
And on his way returning [F#] home.
He met a great big
[G] _ _ [C] Grizzly bear
[Am] The old bear stood up in the middle of the road as [F] mean as he could [C] be.
That preacher started shaking
[D] Climbed him a cinnamon [G] tree.
[C] The old bear stood up and he rolled his [F] eyes and he shook his ugly head
Preacher looked into the [E] sky.
This [G] is what [C] he said
_ Hello, Lord
Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the whale [G] and then [C] where the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you can't help [D] me for goodness sakes, [G] don't you help that [C] bear?
_ _ Then the bear [F] commenced to climb the tree
That made the preacher sore
[E] So the preacher [D] climbed still higher till he couldn't climb no more [G] _
and then that limb began to break
_ [B] And they both come [D] tumbling down
_ And when that preacher [A] began to pray
Friends, you could [G] hear him for miles _ _
[C] around
Y'all ready?
Yeah
No, Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and [D] then where the Hebrew children from the fiery [F] furnace or a good wolf [C] duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you [A] can't help me for goodness sakes, [F] don't you help that [C] bear?
_ Then the fight [Am] went down to the river.
_ Oh, it was a terrible fight
[Em] No bear was [D] really a landed on
But [G] the preacher was doing all right
Because he dragged [C] that beast right into the water
It [F] was in three times and [C] then out
The old bear got loose and [A] he limped away
[E] Now preacher friend [G] he began to [C] shout
Y'all ready?
Yeah
Oh Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and then
[C] Well, it may not look like nothing [F] Lord from where you [C] set up there
But a hardest job [Em] I ever had was [G] [C] baptizing that man
Lord you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of [B] the whale and then
[C] Well, he [E] grew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad _
_ _ and now [F#] Oh
Lord, [C] you can't help [C#] me
for goodness [D] sakes
[B] Don't help [C] that bear
[Dm] _ _ _
[G] _ [C] You _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It's one of my favorite songs to sing
It's so much fun.
It's America's oldest known folk song
[C] Not necessarily done like this.
Hope you enjoy it.
Y'all ready? _
Lee old preacher went out a-walking
[Cm] He was on one Sunday morning.
I know it was again his [A] religion
Took his old [D] double barrel LC [G] Smith 12 gauge shotgun along _
Shot himself [C] some mighty fine quail [F] and just one little old [C] measly hair
And on his way returning [F#] home.
He met a great big
[G] _ _ [C] Grizzly bear
[Am] The old bear stood up in the middle of the road as [F] mean as he could [C] be.
That preacher started shaking
[D] Climbed him a cinnamon [G] tree.
[C] The old bear stood up and he rolled his [F] eyes and he shook his ugly head
Preacher looked into the [E] sky.
This [G] is what [C] he said
_ Hello, Lord
Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the whale [G] and then [C] where the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you can't help [D] me for goodness sakes, [G] don't you help that [C] bear?
_ _ Then the bear [F] commenced to climb the tree
That made the preacher sore
[E] So the preacher [D] climbed still higher till he couldn't climb no more [G] _
and then that limb began to break
_ [B] And they both come [D] tumbling down
_ And when that preacher [A] began to pray
Friends, you could [G] hear him for miles _ _
[C] around
Y'all ready?
Yeah
No, Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion den
Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and [D] then where the Hebrew children from the fiery [F] furnace or a good wolf [C] duty clad
And now Oh Lord, if you [A] can't help me for goodness sakes, [F] don't you help that [C] bear?
_ Then the fight [Am] went down to the river.
_ Oh, it was a terrible fight
[Em] No bear was [D] really a landed on
But [G] the preacher was doing all right
Because he dragged [C] that beast right into the water
It [F] was in three times and [C] then out
The old bear got loose and [A] he limped away
[E] Now preacher friend [G] he began to [C] shout
Y'all ready?
Yeah
Oh Lord, you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of the [G] whale and then
[C] Well, it may not look like nothing [F] Lord from where you [C] set up there
But a hardest job [Em] I ever had was [G] [C] baptizing that man
Lord you deliver Daniel from the lion then Jonah from the belly of [B] the whale and then
[C] Well, he [E] grew children from the fiery furnace [F] or a good wolf duty clad _
_ _ and now [F#] Oh
Lord, [C] you can't help [C#] me
for goodness [D] sakes
[B] Don't help [C] that bear
[Dm] _ _ _
[G] _ [C] You _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _