By The Time I Get To Phoenix Chords by Isaac Hayes

I'm talking about the power of love now.
I'm gonna tell you what [Ab] love can do. _
You know when they say love makes the world go round.
That's the truth.
Now [Db] I want your imagination.
[Cm] I want you to travel with me.
_ [Ab] _ This _ _ _ [Db] young man was raised in the hills of Tennessee.
When he reached the age of maturity he moved to the west [Ab] coast.
And he fell in love when he got out there.
So this [Bb] young girl [Ab] _ _ _ came engaged and they were married.
Oh, the power of love. _ _ _
[Bb] But you see girls I don't mean to come down on you.
[Fm] _ But this man loved this woman so [Cm] he could see no wrong.
_ _ He spent his last dime on the woman because he loved her.
_ [N] You know girls you can take love and kindness sometimes for weakness.
_ And she took it for granted. _
And she tipped out on him.
See nobody gonna believe what you tell them no way.
[Bb]
Fool.
[Gb] Oh yeah girls you do like that sometimes.
_ [Cm] _ [Ab] But one day, _ [Gm] [Eb] one day.
_ [Ab] Old boy got [Cm] sick [Abm] and [Eb] he had to come home.
[N] I don't have to tell you what he found.
_ Oh it hurt him so bad.
_ _ He said baby, _ mama.
_ [Ab] _ _ Why?
That's all he could say.
But she said [Bb] oh, _ [N] gone fool you doing it.
But the man wasn't doing it but that's the only excuse she could give him.
He said mama I can't take it I got to leave you.
I'm gonna leave you.
When she tried to straighten up she said she was gonna straighten up.
She got a little job to [Cm] help him out with the wheels to go fishing. _
_ [Db] _ Because he found it again and again.
And seven times he left this woman.
[Ab] And seven times he came back.
_ [Gm] [Gb] And he had taken all that he could stand.
And the eighth time that this went down [C] he said mama I got to go.
[Bb] He said I'm leaving my heart right here.
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ And he's been going down the highway.
_ I guess it was around three thirty in the morning.
_ _ [N] He could hardly see the road.
The tears in his eyes.
[Cm] He could barely see the sign that read on the side of the road.
The next town under 25 miles away. _ _ _
[Ab] And these very words came into his mind.
_ _ He said by the time I _ get to Phoenix.
_ [Gm] _ She'll be _ rising. _
_ [Fm] _ Oh and she'll find I'll [Gm] have her hanging on the door. _ _ _ _
_ [Ab] _ She'll laugh [Bb] when she leaves the park.
[Gm] _ That says I'm leaving.
[Eb] Yes she did.
Why?
[Ab] _ _ Because I've loved that girl so [Db] many times [D] before.
_ [Bb]
Oh [Ab] by the time I make it through the country.
_ [Gm] _ She'll be [Eb] working.
_ [Gm] _ _
_ [Ab] And she'll probably stop at lunch.
Just to [Gm] give her her sweet good thing of call. _
[Ab] Oh she'll hear [Gm] all the phone.
She'll write on the ringing and ringing and ringing and [Cm] ringing.
And she'll get 100 _ [Ab] off the [Fm] wall. _
My my [Db] my my my that's all.
_ [Bb] _ _ _
[Fm] [Ab] And by the [Eb] time I get to Oklahoma.
_ _ She'll be sleeping.
[Gm] _ _ _
_ [Ab] _ _ [Bb] She'll turn softly in her restless sleep. _
[Gm] Call my name out of the _ blue. _
[Ab] Oh and then she'll cry.
_ [Bb] Just to think.
[Gm] I _ I would [Cm] really leave her.
_ [Ab] But time after time after time after time and time again.
[Fm] I tried [Gm] to tell her so.
_ [Ab] She was a non-believer.
[Fm] Oh and she didn't know.
[G] Oh that I [C] I would really go.
_ _ [Gm] _ She [C] didn't believe I would really go.
[Gm] Oh I'm so. _
I [C] hate to leave you baby.
Yes I do.
[Gm] _ I really [C] really really hate to go.
Oh yeah.
[Gm] But it's part of [C] my. _ _ _ _ _ _