500 Miles Away from Home - guitar chords and comments

Lyrics without distraction HERE

This song was made famous by Bobby Bare, and in many ways a commercial international breakthrough for both the artist and country music. But he didn't write the song. He had some influence, and he's credited on the the label of both the RCA 1963 single and album. But in fact it is a remake of Hedy West's "500 Miles" with enhanced lyrics and arrangement.

The "500 Miles" song is often also credited Curly Williams along with Hedy West - but, gimme a break; this song is close related to the traditional "900 Miles", which has branches to both "Reuben's Train" and "Train 45", also traditional. And the melody is almost identical with “You’ll Never Miss Your Mother Till She’s Gone", written by Harry Birch[Charles A. White] and recorded by Fiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923 ... sometimes, crediting is quite random.

The song has been recorded by Bill Anderson, Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed, Priestie Boys, Lonnie Donegan, Gene Vincent, Joe Simon and a lot of others: in 1995 Reba McEntire cut a final version, adding a lost verse; excluding Bare's reciting part. My lyrics combine them.

A
teardrops fell on mama's note
                            F#m
when I read the things she wrote
              Bm               Bm7               E
she said "we miss you son, we love you: come on home"
         A
well I didn't have to pack
                          F#m
I had it all right on my back
          Bm          Bm7   D         A    A7
now I'm five hundred miles away from home

           D
away from home  away from home
                         Bm
cold and tired and all alone
         Em            G              D     ... E
yes I'm five hundred miles away from home