Hills Of Tennessee is a slow, heartfelt and sentimental song about chance meetings and love at first sight.  It’s also about home, family and happy endings.  It’s a lengthy song as my songs go, and the lyrics simply speak for themselves – so I’ll step aside and let you be the judge, “I’d never seen eyes so green, She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen, I said yes anything would do, But may I have you, For the rest of my life, For the rest of my life, For the rest of my life…”

~~~~~~~~~~

I recorded my original song “Hills Of Tennessee” in three takes as demos on Set 9 in 1996, and they tell the story of a guy who falls in love with his waitress with big green eyes in Tennessee while driving to California, “Back in the hills of Tennessee, She was as cute as a girl could be, And I was drivin’ by on my way, In my ol’ Chevrolet…”  Enjoy! ♡ 🙂 Mark

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(Emailed versions of these songs lose their chord alignment and formatting, so refer to the original post and/or the scanned lyric sheet as your guide!)

Hills Of Tennessee

“Three Chords and a Prayer”, Collected Works Volume VI, Copyright 1991, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Verse One:

                D                  E

Back in the hills of Tennessee

                 D                         E

She was as cute as a girl could be

               D                     E

And I was drivin’ by on my way

                      A

In my ol’ Chevrolet

A                 D

Goin’ to California

D                  G

California that day

G           E

California way…     (Hold for 4 counts)

        D                          E

And I stopped at a restaurant

           D                                    E

Time to eat and didn’t give it a thought

         D                          E

Until I looked up from my menu

                           A

May I please help you

                    D

Is all that she said

D               G

All that she said

G               E

All that she said…     (Hold for 8 counts)

Verse Two:

             D                    E

I’d never seen eyes so green

                  D                               E

She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen

         D                     E

I said yes anything will do

                      A

But may I have you

A                        D

For the rest of my life

D                   G

The rest of my life

G                        E

For the rest of my life…     (Hold for 4 counts)

               D                             E

She said I don’t even know your name

               D                                E

She said I don’t want to play your game

               D                         E

And if you don’t live in Tennessee

                     A

You can forget me

A                    D

You can forget me

D        G

Forget me

G                    E

You can forget me…     (Hold for 8 counts)

Verse Three:

            D                           E

‘Cause I don’t want to go to LA

         D                                   E

You’ll never catch me goin’ that way

    D                                    E

My life’s just as nice as could be

                    A

Here in Tennessee

A                  D

Here in Tennessee

D           G

In Tennessee

G                  E

Here in Tennessee…     (Hold for 4 counts)

      D                        E

So I asked her for her hand

  D                     E

I said that I understand

           D                        E

And I’ll stay here in Tennessee

E                  A

If she’ll marry me

A                  D

If she’ll marry me

D                  G

If she’ll marry me

G                            E

She said she’ll marry me…     (Hold for 8 counts)

Verse Four:

       D                            E

So I made up my mind to stay

     D                              E

I unpacked the old Chevrolet

        D                                     E

And I asked her to show me the way

    E                A

To her father’s house

A                    D

To her father’s house

D               G

Her father’s house

G                    E

To her father’s house…     (Hold for four counts)

             D                   E

He had a shotgun in his hand

        D                         E

I said Sir you don’t understand

                D                       E

I’m gonna’ live here in Tennessee

E                           A

She wants to marry me

A                     D

Wants to marry me

D                     G

Wants to marry me

G                           E

She wants to marry me…     (Hold for 8 counts)

Verse Five:

           D              E

He said only if you stay

                     D                               E

And don’t you ever take my daughter away

                  D                 E

‘Cause we’re just one big family

E                  A

Here in Tennessee

A                  D

Here in Tennessee

D          G

In Tennessee

G                  E

Here in Tennessee…     (Hold for 4 counts)

             D                                 E

It’s been twenty-five years to the day

                  D                                 E

She’s still as cute as she was on that day

                    D                          E

When I drove up in my old Chevrolet

E                                  A

And saw those big green eyes

A                    D

Just lookin’ my way

D              G

Lookin’ my way

G              E

Lookin’ my way…     (Hold for 8 counts)

E

Well, you know I was…     (Slow and heartfelt to finish…)

A                   D

Drivin’ to California

D                   G

California that day

G            E

California way…     (Hold for 8 counts)

E                  A

But in Tennessee

A  D

I’ll stay

D           G

In Tennessee

G           E

In Tennessee

E                      A

In Tennessee I’ll stay