Ray Stevens - Sittin' Up With The Dead Chords

Sittin' Up With the Dead
written by C. W. Kalb, Jr.
3/24/06


INTRO: F-C-D F-C-G  F-C-D  F-C-G

                G
Well out in the country we didn't have morturaries
    C
And so it was always customary
        G                                    A7                     D
For the undertaker to do his job and lay yer kin out right there at home
         G
Yeah the church would lend you foldin' chairs
               C
And you'd have visitation and everything right there
             G      
But when the nighttime come you'd have to sit up with the dead
          D                             INTRO
'Cause it wasn't right to leave 'em alone

         G
Well the last time I sat up was '65
        C
When my old arthritic Uncle Fred died
       G                                       A7                             D
He was ninety-seven and so stooped over the mortician couldn't straighten him out
            G                   C
They used a loggin' chain down, covered that all up with a cape and a gown
           G
And didn't tell nobody in the family
                                D                               INTRO
'Cause that's the kind of stuff folks just don't wanna know about

             G (let ring)                               F-C-D
Well we were all sittin' there, it was 3 in the mornin'
               G (let ring)                                     F-C-D
And then there come up a cloud of thunder lightnin' and stormin'
          G
Well that lightnin' flashed and that thunder clapped
         C
And that chain 'round old Uncle Fred went snap
    D                                                    N/C
And rattled and fell to the floor with a thump and Uncle Fred just stay right up (Yeeoowww!)


CHORUS:
      G                                       C                       F-C
And I ain't sittin' up with the dead no more, I don't know 'bout you
     G                                          D                         Dsus4-D
No I ain't sittin' up with the dead no more, no matter what you say or do
             G
They say the dead can't hurt ya 'cause they already left
              C
But what they left can sure make you hurt yourself
      G                         Em
And I ain't sittin' up with the dead no more
          C            D          INTRO
Since the dead started sittin' up too

                G
Well when Uncle Fred sat up so did everyone there
          C
And there came a great partin' of the foldin' chairs
         G
And that preacher nearly knocked me down, he said
          A7                       D
"Ohhh I'm headin' out that kitchen door!"
            G
I hollered "Rev that kitchen ain't got a door in it!"
         C
He said "Don't worry son, it will have in a minute"
      G                        D                      INTRO
And I ain't never seen so much jumpin' and shovin' before

         G
And then somebody stepped on the old cat's tail
       C
And he let out a scream, a screech, a wail
       G                                               A7         D
And to say the least that howl didn't help to calm the situation down
              G
And then that lightnin' flashed and that house went black
      C    
And I spoke to my feet and said "boys make tracks!"
      G                             D                   INTRO
And I went through that screen door lickity-split for time

       G (let ring)                             F-C-D
Well I cut through the cemetary, fell in a hole
             G (let ring)                         F-C-D
It was Uncle Fred's grave and it was dark and cold
         G
Yeah the town drunk dug it and he dug it too deep
        C
And unbeknownst to me he was still in there asleep
        D
And I'm scratchin' and jumpin' tryin' to get outta that hole
    N/C
And he woke up and said "You might as well come over here and sit down beside me, boy
N/C
'Cause you ain't gettin' outta here tonight"
N/C
But I did!


CHORUS


SPOKEN OVER INTRO:

Wasn't no sense in nobody sittin' up with Uncle Fred anyhow!
Uncle Fred gon' be done sittin' up with his own self!
Next time I'm just gonna send flowers!
Yeah