The Mary Ellen Carter
Stan Rogers (1979)
Intro
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
She | [G] went down last Oc- | [Gmaj7] tober in a | [Em7] pouring driving | [G] rain
The | [Am] skipper he'd been | [Am] drinking, and the | [C] mate he felt no | [D] pain
Too | [G] close to Three Mile | [Gmaj7] Rock and she was | [Em7] dealt her mortal | [G] blow
And the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [Am] Carter settled | [D] low | [D]
There was | [G] just us five a- | [Gmaj7] board her when she | [Em7] finally was a- | [G] wash
We | [Am] worked like hell to | [Am] save her, all | [C] heedless of the | [D] cost
And the | [G] groan she gave as | [Gmaj7] she went down it | [Em7] caused us to pro- | [G] claim
That the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter would rise | [G] again | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
Well the | [G] owners wrote her | [Gmaj7] off, not a | [Em7] nickel would they | [G] spend
"She | [Am] gave twenty years of | [Am] service, boys, then | [C] met her sorry | [D] end.
But in- | [G] surance paid the | [Gmaj7] loss to us, so | [Em7] let her rest be- | [G] low."
Then they | [Am] laughed at us and | [Am] said we had to | [D] go. | [D]
But we | [G] talked of her all | [Gmaj7] winter, some | [Em7] days around the | [G] clock
She's | [Am] worth a quarter | [Am] million | [C] floating at the | [D] dock
And with | [G] every jar that | [Gmaj7] hit the bar we | [Em7] swore we would re- | [G] main
And make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again. | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
That her | [C] name not be | [C] lost to the | [G] knowledge of | [D] men
All | [G] those who loved her | [Gmaj7] best and were | [Em7↓] with her [D↓] 'til the | [G] end
Will make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
All | [G] spring now we've been | [Gmaj7] with her on a | [Em7] barge lent by a | [G] friend
Three | [Am] dives a day in a | [Am] hardhat suit and | [C] twice I've had the | [D] bends
Thank | [G] God it's only | [Gmaj7] sixty feet and the | [Em7] currents here are | [G] slow
Or I'd | [Am] never have the | [Am] strength to go be- | [D] low | [D]
But we've | [G] patched her rents, | [Gmaj7] stopped her vents, dogged | [Em7] hatch and porthole | [G] down
Put | [Am] cables to her, | [Am] fore and aft, and | [C] girded her a- | [D] round
To- | [G] morrow noon, we | [Gmaj7] hit the air and | [Em7] then take up the | [G] strain
And make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
That her | [C] name not be | [C] lost to the | [G] knowledge of | [D] men
All | [G] those who loved her | [Gmaj7] best and were | [Em7↓] with her [D↓] 'til the | [G] end
Will make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [G]
Instrumental
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
For we | [G] couldn't leave her | [Gmaj7] there, you see, to | [Em7] crumble into | [G] scale
She'd | [Am] saved our lives so | [Am] many times, | [C] living through the | [D] gale
And the | [G] laughing, drunken | [Gmaj7] rats who left her | [Em7] to a sorry | [G] grave
They | [Am] won't be laughing | [Am] in another | [D] day... | [D]
And | [G] you, to whom ad- | [Gmaj7] versity has | [Em7] dealt its final | [G] blow
With | [Am] smiling bastards | [Am] lying to you | [C] everywhere you | [D] go
Turn | [G] to, and put out | [Gmaj7] all your strength of | [Em7] arm and heart and | [G] brain
And like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again! | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
Though your | [C] heart it be | [C] broken and | [G] life about to | [D] end
No | [G] matter what you've | [Gmaj7] lost, be it a | [Em7↓] home, a [D↓] love, a | [G] friend
Like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
Though your | [C] heart it be | [C] broken and | [G] life about to | [D] end
No | [G] matter what you've | [Gmaj7] lost, be it a | [Em7↓] home, a [D↓] love, a | [G] friend
Like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again | [G]
Instrumental
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] | [G↓]
#Play along with original in this key. (May be slightly out of tune.)
#Last Updated 11/18/19 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons
Stan Rogers (1979)
Intro
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
She | [G] went down last Oc- | [Gmaj7] tober in a | [Em7] pouring driving | [G] rain
The | [Am] skipper he'd been | [Am] drinking, and the | [C] mate he felt no | [D] pain
Too | [G] close to Three Mile | [Gmaj7] Rock and she was | [Em7] dealt her mortal | [G] blow
And the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [Am] Carter settled | [D] low | [D]
There was | [G] just us five a- | [Gmaj7] board her when she | [Em7] finally was a- | [G] wash
We | [Am] worked like hell to | [Am] save her, all | [C] heedless of the | [D] cost
And the | [G] groan she gave as | [Gmaj7] she went down it | [Em7] caused us to pro- | [G] claim
That the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter would rise | [G] again | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
Well the | [G] owners wrote her | [Gmaj7] off, not a | [Em7] nickel would they | [G] spend
"She | [Am] gave twenty years of | [Am] service, boys, then | [C] met her sorry | [D] end.
But in- | [G] surance paid the | [Gmaj7] loss to us, so | [Em7] let her rest be- | [G] low."
Then they | [Am] laughed at us and | [Am] said we had to | [D] go. | [D]
But we | [G] talked of her all | [Gmaj7] winter, some | [Em7] days around the | [G] clock
She's | [Am] worth a quarter | [Am] million | [C] floating at the | [D] dock
And with | [G] every jar that | [Gmaj7] hit the bar we | [Em7] swore we would re- | [G] main
And make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again. | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
That her | [C] name not be | [C] lost to the | [G] knowledge of | [D] men
All | [G] those who loved her | [Gmaj7] best and were | [Em7↓] with her [D↓] 'til the | [G] end
Will make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D]
All | [G] spring now we've been | [Gmaj7] with her on a | [Em7] barge lent by a | [G] friend
Three | [Am] dives a day in a | [Am] hardhat suit and | [C] twice I've had the | [D] bends
Thank | [G] God it's only | [Gmaj7] sixty feet and the | [Em7] currents here are | [G] slow
Or I'd | [Am] never have the | [Am] strength to go be- | [D] low | [D]
But we've | [G] patched her rents, | [Gmaj7] stopped her vents, dogged | [Em7] hatch and porthole | [G] down
Put | [Am] cables to her, | [Am] fore and aft, and | [C] girded her a- | [D] round
To- | [G] morrow noon, we | [Gmaj7] hit the air and | [Em7] then take up the | [G] strain
And make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
That her | [C] name not be | [C] lost to the | [G] knowledge of | [D] men
All | [G] those who loved her | [Gmaj7] best and were | [Em7↓] with her [D↓] 'til the | [G] end
Will make the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter rise | [G] again | [G]
Instrumental
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
| [G] | [Gmaj7] | [Em7] | [D] |
For we | [G] couldn't leave her | [Gmaj7] there, you see, to | [Em7] crumble into | [G] scale
She'd | [Am] saved our lives so | [Am] many times, | [C] living through the | [D] gale
And the | [G] laughing, drunken | [Gmaj7] rats who left her | [Em7] to a sorry | [G] grave
They | [Am] won't be laughing | [Am] in another | [D] day... | [D]
And | [G] you, to whom ad- | [Gmaj7] versity has | [Em7] dealt its final | [G] blow
With | [Am] smiling bastards | [Am] lying to you | [C] everywhere you | [D] go
Turn | [G] to, and put out | [Gmaj7] all your strength of | [Em7] arm and heart and | [G] brain
And like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again! | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
Though your | [C] heart it be | [C] broken and | [G] life about to | [D] end
No | [G] matter what you've | [Gmaj7] lost, be it a | [Em7↓] home, a [D↓] love, a | [G] friend
Like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again | [G]
Chorus
Rise | [Am] again... | [D] ... rise | [G] again [Gmaj7↓] | [Em7↓] [D↓]
Though your | [C] heart it be | [C] broken and | [G] life about to | [D] end
No | [G] matter what you've | [Gmaj7] lost, be it a | [Em7↓] home, a [D↓] love, a | [G] friend
Like the | [Am] Mary Ellen | [D] Carter, rise | [G] again | [G]
Instrumental
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C] | [D7] |
| [G] | [G] | [Em7] | [Em7] |
| [D7] | [D7] | [C↓] [D↓] | [G↓]
#Play along with original in this key. (May be slightly out of tune.)
#Last Updated 11/18/19 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons