Family Tradition

by Hank Williams JR · posted by Scott_Christensen

How hard is it?

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How to read this tab — notation key

+: Blow note
−: Draw note
b or ': Half-step bend
bb or '': Two half-step bend
bbb or ''': Three half-step bend
(###): Chord — relevant hole numbers in parentheses
< or *: Push the button in (chromatic harmonica)

Full reference and posting tips in the tab guide.

Tab

     
  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.

Play on a harmonica— watch which holes to blow & draw, with sound