Not Pickin' No More Cotton

(12-bar Delta Blues feel, slow and gritty)

[Verse 1]

(E7)
Sun beat down, fields burnin' my skin
(A7)
Sun beat down, fields burnin' my skin
(E7)
My daddy broke his back, never gonna do it again

[Verse 2]

(E7)
Lord knows this land soaked in sweat and tears
(A7)
Lord knows this land soaked in sweat and tears
(E7)
Took too many souls, too many painful years

[Chorus]

(B7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(A7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(E7)
Got freedom in my footsteps, and blues in my veins

[Verse 3]

(E7)
They paid me pennies, left scars you can’t see
(A7)
They paid me pennies, left scars you can’t see
(E7)
But the cotton Not growin' off the back of me

[Chorus]

(B7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(A7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(E7)
Got freedom in my footsteps, and blues in my veins

[Bridge]

(A7)
My children gonna sing a different song
(E7)
No fields of pain, gonna grow up strong
(B7)
Chains been broken, now rightin' every wrong
(A7)
Movin' forward, our spirit carryin' on

[Verse 4]

(E7)
Hear my guitar cry, let the truth ring clear
(A7)
Hear my guitar cry, let the truth ring clear
(E7)
Ain't pickin' no more cotton, freedom’s finally here

[Outro Chorus]

(B7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(A7)
Not pickin' no more cotton, ain't draggin' no more chains
(E7)
Got freedom in my footsteps, and blues in my veins

©Copyright 2025. Gold Shield Publishing Inc
Writer: Songsmith