Old Lou Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
I [D]found [Eb]Lou when I was 1[Em]0 years ol[D]d.
[A]I was walking home o[D]ne day
[C]and the [D]weather turned [B]cold.
[Em]He was just a scrawny kitten
by [D]the railroad [G]track
and I'd have left [Em]him there
[A]but I happene[Em]d to [G]look back
and no[D]ticed he was [A]limping.
His front paw was [C]hurt.
I went back [B]an d picked him up
and [Em]stuck him under my shirt.
When I [G]got home I tried to hide him
but my mama [Em]said, what's [A]that?
[D]When I opened up [A]my[C]
[B]She went on a raving
an[Em]d said,
Son, you'll have to take [Eb]it back.
[Em]It's another [G]mouth to feed,
And we can't feed [Em]no alley c[D]at.
So I took poor Lou up [A]under the house,
[C]Dug a hole in the dir[B]t,
Just as quite as a [Em]mouse.
I stuck him down in there
And [Eb]covered [G]him with hay,
Hoping [Em]that would be enough
To keep [D]the cold away.
[A]Through the night I whirred
[C]And tossed around in [B]bed.
I was sure [Em]that with a bit cold
by [G]morning he'd be dead
so I [A]sneaked outside real quiet
[D]not to wake the others[A] and
I brought that ragged cat inside
and [B]hid him in the cupboard
[Em]when I woke [B]up
I sure was [D]scared
[G]cuz mama was stand[A]ing there
that [D]darn cat no longer hid
[A]it was playing in [B]my hair
[C]I t[B]hought for sure she'd whip me hard
[Em]or as hard as she was able[G],
but she just gave me a funny [D]look
an[A]d said, breakfast is on [D]the table.
If I'd known [F#m]more about Mama,
I wouldn't [D]have had [C]no fear.
[D]It [B]turned out she let him stay
[Em]for 17 long [G]years.
Old Lou just wanted [Em]enough to [A]eat.
He never asked [D]for more.
He was [F#m]there when Daddy passed [D]away
[C]and when [A]Sonny went [B]to war.[Em]
I never will forget the day
when Old Lou finally [G]died.
[A]He was just a [D]plain ol' alley cat,
[A]but Lord, how Mama [C]cried.
That [B]was so many years [Em]ago,
how fast the years [Eb]unfold.[G]
Seems like Mama [D]was young one day
[Em]an d the next da[A]y sh[D]e was old.
I went [A]back last [D]year,
[C]just [B]before Mama die[Em]d.
She kept talking about Dad [G]and Sonny
and all the [Em]days gone by.
[A]Then she [D]said, son,
I know I'm getting [A]old,
an[D]d my [B]sight's failing me,
[Em]but I could swear I [Eb]just saw old Lou
[G]out yonder [D]un der that old
[A]tree.

[Outro 1]
[D][A][D][C][B][Em]
[G]