Written By: John Hartford
Intro:
C F Em Am F C Am F C G C
C F
I wanna sing you a song about Vegas town and poor old Howard Hughes
Em Am F C
Locked up there in his hotel suite trying to find his shoes
Am F
Well he’s got so much to lose…
C G C
Old Howard Hughes and all his blues
C F
His Nurses and his chauffeurs they stand around and sigh
Em Am F C
Watch the door and wait on him whatever’s on his mind
Am F
And that’s a hell of a lot to do…
C G C
To guard old Howard Hughes and all his blues
Chorus:
C
And if he didn’t have a nickel
F
If he didn’t have a dime
Em Am
He could do whatever he damn well please
F C
He could do it all the time
Em Am F
But success is just a mess of overdue news (?) …
C G C
For old Howard Hughes and all his blues
C F
He’s always in the papers he’s always on the news
Em A F C
But no one knows whose Hughes are Who (?) Or even what’s the truth
Am F
or who is getting screwed…
C G C
and it’s them and you know who and all his blues
C F
Way down yonder on the Vegas strip where the regular people pass
Em Am
I heard some say he’s not too well
F C
I heard he’s sinking fast
Am F
But those are unofficial sources to the news…
C G C
About poor old Howard Hughes and all his blues
Chorus:
C
And if he didn’t have a nickel
F
If he didn’t have a dime
Em Am
He could do whatever he damn well please
F C
He could do it all the time
Em Am F
But success is just a mess of overdue news (?) …
C G C
For old Howard Hughes and all his blues
C
Now a bunch folks are writtin’ books about him
F
And some of them are awful long
Em Am F C
I didn’t really have that much time so I thought I’d just write this song
Am F
Gotta get me in a few licks too…
C G C
About old Howard Hughes and all his blues
Chorus: (X2)
C
And if he didn’t have a nickel
F
If he didn’t have a dime
Em Am
He could do whatever he damn well please
F C
He could do it all the time
Em Am F
But success is just a mess of overdue news (?) …
C G C
For old Howard Hughes and all his blues
