Chords for Jason Isbell "Something More Than Free" | How I Wrote That Song

[C] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ I get my _ reward.
This particular song _ was something more than free.
There were two things [E] that happened at the same time that I thought were unrelated until
I actually started the process of writing the song.
I was on the phone with my dad and he works six hours, I mean six days a week, sometimes
[Gbm] seven days a week.
[F] _ _ He does [G] maintenance at a hospital.
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ And my sister, [Ab] she and my [B] stepmom go to church on Wednesdays, on Sunday mornings.
Dad works all week, so Sunday is his only day [A] to sleep past 5 o'clock a.m. and get up
and go take a nap, and _ [Eb] drink a cup of coffee and then take a third nap.
_ _ _ So I was on the phone with him and he was saying, you know, I wish I could go to [F] church with him.
I think I probably should be, but I'm just too exhausted _ every [G] Sunday to do that.
And it occurred to me, I thought, what kind of a _ [Ab] position is that to be in?
_ You're really grateful [B] for having this job that prevents you from [E] being grateful [G] in public
about it in [E] the way that people in my part of the country normally [G] show their gratitude
by going to church and giving thanks with their community for something like that.
And [F] then also the first line of this song, which I did not realize that the two [Em] were
going to be related, but the first,
[G] the, uh,
When I get home from work, _ I'll call up all my friends and we'll go bust up something beautiful.
_ We'll have to build again.
That came to me _ _ _ before the rest of the song did.
And I was so [Eb] thankful for [Ab] that line.
I don't know, I was traveling somewhere.
I was, I think I was probably on a flight [N] when that happened and just wrote it down.
And it was one of those lines.
I know _ these are going to work out well when I don't have to record any [E] sound, when I can
just write, [G] write it down on a piece of paper and I don't [Am] forget [G] the melody.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ When I get home from work, _ I'll call up all my friends and we'll go bust up [C] something beautiful.
[G] _ We'll have to build again.
_ When I get home from work, _ I'll wrestle off my clothes and leave them right inside the front door.
There's no place home to know.
_ _ [D] You see the hammer _ finds the nail and [C] the freight train [G] needs the rails.
[D]
And I'm doing what I'm on this _ [Am] earth to do.
_ _ And [Em] I don't thank God [D] why I'm here [G] where it hurts.
_ [Em] I'm just lucky to [G] have the work.
_ [D] _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday morning [D] I'm too tired to [G] go to church.
[Em] But I thank [G] God for the work.
_ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ I thank [G] God for the work.
_ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ I get my reward.
My [C] work will [G] all be done and I will sit back in my chair beside the Father and the Son.
_ _ _ No more holes to fill _ and no more rocks to break and no more loading boxes [C] _ [G] on the trucks
for someone else's sake.
_ [D] You see the hammer finds the nail [C] and the poor man's [G] up for sake.
I guess [D] I'm doing what I'm on this earth [Am] to _ do.
And [Em] I don't thank God [D] why I'm here where [G] it hurts. _
[Em] I'm just lucky to have the [G] work. _
[D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ [G] Every night I [D] dream I'm drowning [G] in the dirt. _
But I thank God for the work [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ and the day will _ [D] come _ _ I'll [C] find a reason. _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ Somebody proud to love a man [C] like me.
_ _ My [G] back [D] is numb.
_ My [Em] hands [C] are freezing. _
_ _ But [G] what [D] I'm working for is something more [C] than free.
_ _ _ [Em] And I don't thank God [D] why I'm here where [G] it hurts.
_ [Em] _
I'm just lucky to [G] have the work. _
[D] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Sunday morning I'm [D] too tired to [C] go to church. _
But I thank God [Em] for the work.
[D] _
_ _ _ [G] _ [C] _ _ _ [G]
I thank God for the work. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _