You Can't Do Wrong And Get By

George Jones and Ricky Skaggs

Written by Larry Cordle and Jim Rushing

Key of C · Chords: I II IV V

Verse 1

C             F             C
I remember my grandfather's counsel
               D7            G7
As he laid the leather to my hide
   C                     F                 C           F
He said there's just one rule to life that always will apply
    C        G7            C
You can't do wrong and get by

Verse 2

                    F               C
Now lessons tend to fade as we grow older
                      D7      G7
And I found myself in jail at twenty-five
       C               F              C                      F
Had to sit there by my lawyer the old judge looked me in the eye
         C        G7            C
Said you can't do wrong and get by

Verse 3

    F                                  C
You can't do wrong and get by for very long
                               G7
Do wrong and all your troubles multiply
    C                 F               C               F
You may not face them here but you'll face the man on high
    C        G7            C
You can't do wrong and get by

Verse 4

                      F          C
Now once I had a wife and loving children
                    D7               G7
But I gave into the pleasures of the night
    C                  F             C            F
She used my grand dads very words to say her last goodbye
    C        G7            C
You can't do wrong and get by

Verse 3

    F                                  C
You can't do wrong and get by for very long
                               G7
Do wrong and all your troubles multiply
    C                 F               C               F
You may not face them here but you'll face the man on high
    C        G7            C
You can't do wrong and get by

Verse 5

   F      C        G7            C
Oh no you can't do wrong and get by