Crooked Jack

	  		This isn't a Nickel Creek song, but the lyrics given are not the original lyrics, 
and are in fact the words Nickel Creek sang (at least at the Kennedy Performing Arts 
Center.)  Also, though many people refer to this song as "Crooked Jack", it is a 
combination of a song called "Crooked Jack" and another song called "Blacksmith." 
 
Enjoy! 
 
Intro: Fm  Eb  Cm   Bbsus2  Ab  Gm  (4x) 
 
   Ab             Cm 
A blacksmith courted me 
      Fm               Bbsus2 
Nine months and better 
    C#            Cm 
He fairly won my heart 
         Eb          Fm  Eb 
He wrote me a letter 
          Ab            Bbsus2 
With his hammer in his hand 
    Fm                 Gm  C7 
He looked quite clever 
       Ab     Cm      Eb   D 
And if I was with my love 
         C#      Eb Fm  Eb  Cm  Bbsus2  Ab Gm 
I would live for-ev-er 
 
(Pre-Chorus) 
      Fm 
Come Irishmen, both young and stern 
                        Eb 
With adventure in your soul 
           Fm 
There are better ways to spend your days 
              Eb     Fm 
Than working down a hole 

            Ab                Cm 
     I was tall and true, all of 6 foot 2 
               C#                  Gm 
     But they broke me across the back 
           C#                             Eb 
     By a name I'm known but it's not my own 
           Fm      Eb      Bbsus2 
     They call me Crooked Jack
 
 
But where's my love gone 
With his cheeks like roses 
And his good black Billycock on 
Decked around with primroses 
I fear the blazing sun 
Will shine and burn his beauty 
And if I was with my love 
I would do my duty 
 
(Pre-Chorus) 
The ganger's blue-eyed pet was I 
Big Jack could do no wrong 
And the reason simply was because 
I could work for hours and long 
 
(Chorus) 
 
(solos)  Fm  Eb  C#  Eb (4x) 
 
        Fm             Eb 
Strange news is come to town 
        C#      Eb  Fm 
Strange news is carried 
        Fm              Eb 
Strange news is come to town 
        C#      Eb  Fm 
That my love is married 
Oh I wish them both much joy 
Though they can't hear me 
And may God reward them well 
For the slighting of me 
 
(Pre-Chorus) 
And I've seen old men before their time 
Their faces drawn and gray 
But I never thought so soon would be mine 
Be lined in the self same way 
 
(Bridge) 
    Ab        Cm 
Do you remember when 
     Fm          Bb7 
You lay beside me 
         C#              Cm 
And you said you'd marry me 
    C7          Fm  Fm7 
And not deny me 
     Ab           Fm 
If I said I'd marry you 
(Fm)(Eb) C#             Eb  (C#) 
 It was only for to try you 
    Fm         Eb         Cm 
So bring your witness love 
          C#   Eb  Fm 
And I'll not deny you 
 
(vocalized chord) 
 
(Chorus) 
 
(This riff is a work in progress, and I'll put the rest up once I figure it all 
out.) 
Fm  Eb  Cm  B  C#m  D  Cm  Bbsus2  /G  /A  Bbsus2  Eb  D  Cm  Bbsus2 
 
(overlapping) (Follow the normal chord progression for 1 and you should be fine.) 
1: They say that honest toil is good 
For the spirit and the soul 
But believe me boys it's for sweat and blood 
That they want you down a hole 
I was tall and true, all of 6 foot 2 
But they broke me across the back 
By a name I'm known but it's not my own 
They call me Crooked Jack 
 
2: No witness have I none 
Save God Almighty 
And may he reward you well 
For the slighting of me 
Her lips grew pale and wan 
It made a poor heart tremble 
To think she loved a one 
And he proved decietful 
 
(Outro, which I still don't know, but for now I'd use the solo)