Lyrics-merle travis
Poverty stricken but still i'm stickin'
To things i know to be facts
One day it's feathers and the next day chicken
While i'm pickin' my yakety axe
Everybody says that i never will get far
Keepin' out of work by pickin'this guitar
Livin' on a shoestring puttin' off things
Like a shave and a haircut
Money don't matter as long as i scatter
A little bit of happiness around
If people keep grinnin' i figure i'm winnin'
With my good ole yakety sound
City slickers go around turnin' up their noses
Countin' their greenbacks smellin' their roses
But i wouldn't quit my yakety axe
Even for a t-bone
I'm confessin' i never took a lesson
All of my notes is a matter of guessin'
Hopin' they'll come out in some sort of manner
That'll make a yakety sound
If you get in the mood and your feet start pattin'
You feel a little groovy and your hands start clappin'
Then i've done what i've wanted to do a way back
I got you diggin' my yakety axe
1958, 1963, 1965 tree publishing co., inc.