Family Tradition Harmonica Tabs

5 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 -4 Country music singers
have always been a real
-4 -4 4 4
close family

4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 4
But lately some of my kinfolk have disowned a
4 4 4 4 5
few others and me

5 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 -4 -4
I guess it’s because I went and changed my
-4 -4 4
position

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -4 -3 5 5 Lord, I guess I went and
broke their fam’ly
5 -4 4
tradition

CHORUS
7 7 7 7 7
They wanna know: “Hank..

7 7 6 5 -6 -6 -6 7 -6
Why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke?

6 6 6 -7 -7 6 6 6 -5 5
Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?

7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 -6 -6 -6 Stop and think it over –
try to put yourself
-6 -6 7 -6 -5
in this position

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7-7 -7
When I get stoned,I’m just carryin’on

6 6 6 6 5 -4 4
an old fam’ly tradition.

Verse 2
5 6 6 6 6 5 -4 4 4 4 4
Now I am very proud of my daddy’s name

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 Although his kind of music
and mine ain’t
4 4 4 4 5
exactly the same

7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 -6 -6 -6 -6 Stop and think it over
– try to put yourself in
-6 7 -6 -5
my position

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7
When I get stoned and sing all night long

6 6 6 6 6 5 -4 4
it’s just a fam’ly tradition

CHORUS 2
(Don’t ask me: “Hank…”)
Why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out them songs that you wrote?
If I’m down in a honky tonk, and some ole slick’s
tryin’ to gimme some friction
I says “Leave me alone, I’m stayin’ all night long
’cause it’s a family
tradition”

verse 3
5 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 -4 -4 Lordy, I have loved some
ladies, and I still
-4 4 4
love Jim Beam

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 4 4 4
They both tried to kill me in nineteen seventy-

5
three

7 7 7 7 7 6 6 -6 -6 -6 -6 When that doctor asks me
“Son, how’dja get in
-6 7 -6 -5
this condition?”

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7-7 -7
I says “Hey Sawbones, I’m just a-carryin’ on

6 6 6 6 5 -4 4
the old fam’ly tradition.”
CHORUS 3
(So don’t ask me: “Hank…”)
Why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out them songs that you wrote?
Stop and think it over –
try to put yourself in my unique position
When I get stoned and sing all night long,
it’s just a family tradition.