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Delta Dawn
Words and Music by Alex Harvey and Larry Collins - 1972
Reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 on the Billboard Country chart in 1973.
Chorus:
F Bb                           F
- C7
F Bb                           F
-                                C7 F
Verse:
F                               Eb F
-                                Eb F
Bb            D              Gm               C7 F
-                                Eb F    (repeat chorus and verse)   (D7 to key change)
Chorus Key Change:
G C                            G                
- D7
G C                            G
                                  D7 G
8-beat intro.  Play 4-beats for each cell, reading from left to right.
Play: Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus Key Change.
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Chorus:
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meetin' you here today,
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
 
Verses:
She's forty-one, and her daddy still calls her baby,
All the folks around Brownsville say she's crazy.
'Cause she walks downtown with her suitcase in her hand,
Looking for a mysterious dark haired man.
 
In younger days, they called her Delta Dawn,
Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on.
Then a man of low degree stood by her side,
Promised her he'd take her for his bride.
 
Chorus Key Change:
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meetin' you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
_______
 
Performer Links:
(webpage)
 
Listen to the Statler Brothers perform "Delta Dawn" (youtube)
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Arranged by Jim Bottorff
 
This Chord Chart may not appear correctly with some browsers.  It should be viewed with a full size window.
The chord names should appear in single rows.   Let me know of any problems.
 
email: jbott@ix.netcom.com