A Picture from Life’s Other Side

Traditional—Woody Guthrie/Hank Williams
D Diatonic Harmonica/Key of D
3/4 Time (bass note/chord/chord)

Intro D

Verse
D
3 3 3 3 3 3 4 -4 4 5 5
In the world’s mighty gallery of pictures
G D
4 4 4 -4 4 3
There’s scenes painted from life
D
4 4 4 -4 4 5 5
Scenes of youth and of beauty
E7 A7
-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -4
Scenes of hardship and strife
D
4 4 4 -4 4 5 5
Scenes of wealth and of plenty
G D
4 4 4 -4 4 4 3 3
Old age and a blushing young bride
D
5 5 5 -4 4
All hang on the wall
G
5 5 5 5 -4 4
But the saddest of all
A7 D
5 5 5 5 -4 4 -4 4 4
Is a picture from life’s other side

Chorus
D
4 4 4 4 -4 4 -4 5
A picture from life’s other side
G D
4 4 4 4 4 -4 3 3
Somebody has fell by the way
D
4 4 4 4 4 -4 4 -4 5
And a light has gone out with the tide
E7 A7
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -4 -4
That might have been happy someday
D
4 4 4 4 -4 5
Some poor mother at home
G D
4 4 4 4 -4 4 3 3
Is watching and waiting alone
G D
-5 -5 -5 4 4 -4 5 5 -4 4
Longing to hear, from her sweatheart so dear
A7 D
5 5 5 5 5 4 -5 -4 4
That’s a picture from life’s other side

Additional Verses (Guthrie version)

Now the first scene is that of two brothers
Their paths in life differently led
One lived in luxury and riches
And the other one begged for his bread
One night they met on the highway
Your money; your life; one cried
Then with his knife, he took his own brother’s life
That’s a picture from life’s other side

Now the next scene is down by the river
A heartbroken mother and babe
In the harbor light there see them shiver
Outcasts that no one will save
Once she was a true woman
Somebody’s darling and pride
God help her she leaps
There’s no one to weap
That’s a picture from life’s other side