[Chorus]
  A                   G
I killed a man in the river
        D
Yeah, I watched the current
G     D    A
Carry him away
        A                        G
Yeah, I killed a man down in the river
               D              G        D       A
Yeah, I had to take a life to keep one out the grave
 

[Interlude]
A G D
A G D

 
[Verse 1]
       A
He was friends with the devil
       A
Wasn't worth a dang
         G
Tried to drown me in the bottle
         D
Tried to choke me on smoke
       A
He was hurtin' my mama
    A
Had my old man
G                              D
Prayin' like a preacher at the end of his rope

 
[Prechorus]
       G
It was justified
       G
It was self-defense
       G
It was do-or-die
       G
It was me or him

 
[Chorus]
     A                   G
So I killed a man in the river
        D
Yeah, I watched the current
G     D    A
Carry him away
        A                        G
Yeah, I killed a man down in the river
               D              G        D       A
Yeah, I had to take a life to keep one out the grave

 
[Verse 2]
       A
Didn't pull no knife
       G
Didn't fire no gun
     D                             G       D
Just held him under long enough to put him down
  A                      G
Nobody's gonna miss that prodigal son
     D                                G       D
He's probably halfway down the Mississippi by now

 
[Prechorus]
          G
Went from guilty in sin
   G
To covered in blood
    G
Now who I am ain't who I was

 
[Chorus]
  A                   G
I killed a man in the river
        D
Yeah, I watched the current
G     D    A
Carry him away
        A                        G
Yeah, I killed a man down in the river
               D              G        D       A
Yeah, I had to take a life to keep one out the grave

 
[Bridge]
G   D          A
  Wipin' muddy water out of my eyes
G            D       A
  And that's the day that I saw the light
      G       D    A
'Bout six feet out in the Buffalo
    G    D
Was my Damascus Road

 
[Chorus]
     A                   G
So I killed a man in the river
        D
Yeah, I watched the current
G     D    A
Carry him away
        A                        G
Yeah, I killed a man down in the river
               D              G        D       A
Yeah, I had to take a life to keep one out the grave

 
[Tag]
                        D
Oh, sometimes you gotta take a life
   G        D       A
To keep one out the grave

 
[Instrumental]
A G D
A G D
A

 
[Outro]
  G               D
I killed a man, I killed a man
  A             G   D    A G D
I killed a man (ohh-ohh)
       A
He was friends with the devil
       A
Wasn't worth a dang
         G
Tried to drown me in the bottle
         D
Tried to choke me on smoke
              I killed a man
In the river
Yeah, I watched the current carry him away

Yeah, I killed a man
Down in the river
Yeah, I had to take a life
To keep one out the grave

He was friends with the devil
Wadn't worth a dang
Tried to drown me in a bottle
Tried to choke me on smoke
He was hurtin' my momma
Had my ol' man prayin' like a preacher at the end of his rope

It was justified
It was self-defense
It was do or die
It was me and him

So I
Killed a man
In the river
Yeah, I watched the current carry him away

Yeah, I killed a man
Down in the river
Yeah, I had to take a life
To keep one out the grave

Didn't pull no knife, didn't fire no gun
Just held him under long enough to put him down
Nobody's gonna miss that prodigal son
He's probably halfway down the Mississippi by now

Went from guilty as sin to covered in blood
Now who I am ain't who I was
(Cause)

I killed a man
In the river
Yeah, I watched the current carry him away

Yeah, I killed a man
Down in the river
Yeah, I had to take a life
To keep one out the grave

Wipin' muddy water outta my eyes
That's the day that I saw the light
'Bout six feet out in the Buffalo
Was my Damascus road

So I killed a man
In the river
Yeah, I watched the current carry him away

Yeah, I killed a man
Down in the river
Yeah, I had to take a life
To keep one out the grave

(Ohh)
Oh, sometimes
You gotta
Take a life
To keep one out the grave

I killed a man
I killed a man
I killed a man

He was friends with the devil
Wadn't worth a dang
Tried to drown me in a bottle
Tried to choke me on smoke              
Tab not available
 Buy song Killed A Man on iTunes store

Support artists with purchashing the original song!

Not signed in yet? Click here to sign in



Master. Play. Share.

Share the tabs you’ve mastered and inspire others to follow your lead!

Publish Tab Now

Master. Play. Share.

Share the tabs you’ve mastered and inspire others to follow your lead!

Publish Tab Now
All Artists:
All Artists: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z