Shuffle Children

Key: D minor Tempo: Slow shuffle groove

[Verse 1]

D minor
Barefoot on the levee, dust in their eyes
G minor
Shuffle children movin’, ‘neath them Southern skies
A7
Mama done gone, daddy never came
D minor
Born to the rhythm, never had no name

[Verse 2]

D minor
Rusty rail tracks and old cotton rows
G minor
Sleepin' in the shade where the kudzu grows
A7
Singin' with the train, moanin’ with the wind
D minor
Tryin’ to find a place they ain't never been

[Chorus]

G minor
Shuffle, shuffle children, lost in time
D minor
Writin’ blues with footsteps in a crooked line
A7
No one knows where they belong
D minor
But they carry the beat, and they sing it strong

[Verse 3]

D minor
Church bell rings in the dead of night
G minor
But the gospel fades with no end in sight
A7
They got hunger dreams and worn-out shoes
D minor
A lifetime wrapped in Delta blues

[Chorus]

G minor
Shuffle, shuffle children, hearts of flame
D minor
Livin’ wild with nothin’ but a shadowed name
A7
The world looked once, then looked away
D minor
But their song still walks the break of day

[Bridge]

Bb
They don’t cry, they don't plead
G minor
Just plant their hope like a stubborn seed
A7
In a land that takes more than it gives
D minor
Still they rise, yeah, still they live

[Final Chorus]

G minor
Shuffle, shuffle children, hear that sound
D minor
The Delta moans, but won’t break ‘em down
A7
They're ghosts and flame, they're bone and soul
D minor
Marchin’ on, where the river rolls

©Copyright 2025. Gold Shield Publishing Inc
Writer: Songsmith