Worried Man Blues (Traditional - Reimagined)

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[Verse 1]
[I’m a worried man,
And I’m worried all the time.
I went down to the jailhouse,
And I left my worries behind.

They said, “Worried man,
How did you get so blue?”
I said, “I’ve got a hundred worries,
And I’m probably making ninety-nine of them up too.”]

[Chorus]
[Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I’m a worried man,
But I won’t worry all my life.

Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I’ve got worries on my shoulders,
But I’m still walking down the line.]

[Verse 2]
[If I had a nickel
For every thing I feared,
I’d have bought myself a farm
With money left over for a year.

I worry about tomorrow,
Then I worry about today.
By the time I solve one problem,
Three more have found their way.]

[Rap 1]
[That’s the funny thing about worry.
It calls itself preparation.

It tells you every bad thing
That could happen to your situation.

“What if this?”
“What if that?”
“What if everything goes wrong?”

So you spend your whole damn life
Getting ready for a storm.

But tomorrow hasn’t happened.
Yesterday is already gone.
And somewhere in the middle
Is the only place you can stand.

You can plan.
You can work.
You can do what you can do.
But worrying about the rest
Won’t make it come true.]

[Chorus]
[Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I’m a worried man,
But I won’t worry all my life.

Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I’ve got worries on my shoulders,
But I’m still walking down the line.]

[Verse 3]
[I’ve worried about my money,
I’ve worried about my home.
I’ve worried about the people
Who might leave me all alone.

I’ve worried about my children,
I’ve worried about my friends.
I’ve worried about the beginning,
And I’ve worried about the end.]

[Rap 2]
[Some worries matter.
Some worries need a plan.

Pay the bill.
Make the call.
Show up when you said you can.

Take responsibility
For the things that you can change.
But don’t carry every problem
Like the whole world's in your name.

There’s a difference between caring
And believing you control it all.
Sometimes you do your very best
And still something has to fall.

That ain’t failure.
That’s life.
That’s the deal we’re living in.
You keep moving forward
And you learn to breathe again.]

[Verse 4]
[The road may twist before me,
The weather may turn cold.
I may lose some things I love,
And I may grow old.

But I’ve walked through darker valleys,
And I’ve made it through before.
So I’m putting down tomorrow
And I’m walking through this door.]

[Bridge]
[If trouble comes tomorrow,
I’ll meet it when it comes.
If the road gets hard beneath me,
I’ll keep moving toward the sun.

I don’t need to know the ending.
I just need to take the next step.
I’ve spent too many years afraid
Of things that haven’t happened yet.]

[Rap 3]
[Here’s what I’m learning:
Worry wants a guarantee.

Life doesn’t give you one.
It gives you possibility.

You can love somebody
Without knowing they’ll stay.
You can build something beautiful
Knowing it could fade away.

You can make a plan
And watch the whole thing change.
You can lose what you expected
And still find another way.

That’s not certainty.
That’s courage.

Not knowing what comes next
And walking anyway.]

[Final Chorus]
[Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I was a worried man,
But I won’t worry all my life.

Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
I’ve got worries on my shoulders,
But I’m still walking down the line.

Oh, a worried man,
Oh, a worried man,
Tomorrow can wait its turn.
I’ll do what I can today,
And let the rest take its turn.]

[Outro]
[I’m a worried man,
But I’m learning to let go.
I don’t know what tomorrow brings,
And I don’t have to know.

I’m a worried man,
But tonight I’m doing fine.
I’ve got worries on my shoulders,
But I’m still walking down the line.]

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[Voice: Male bari-tenor, G2–E4. Warm, weathered Appalachian storyteller with an easy, wry sense of humor. Traditional sections earthy, melodic and highly conversational. Rap sections rhythmic, clever and reflective, never aggressive.] [Verse 1] [I’m a worried man, And I’m worried all the time. I went down to the jailhouse, And I left my worries behind. They said, “Worried man, How did you get so blue?” I said, “I’ve got a hundred worries, And I’m probably making ninety-nine of them up too.”] [Chorus] [Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I’m a worried man, But I won’t worry all my life. Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I’ve got worries on my shoulders, But I’m still walking down the line.] [Verse 2] [If I had a nickel For every thing I feared, I’d have bought myself a farm With money left over for a year. I worry about tomorrow, Then I worry about today. By the time I solve one problem, Three more have found their way.] [Rap 1] [That’s the funny thing about worry. It calls itself preparation. It tells you every bad thing That could happen to your situation. “What if this?” “What if that?” “What if everything goes wrong?” So you spend your whole damn life Getting ready for a storm. But tomorrow hasn’t happened. Yesterday is already gone. And somewhere in the middle Is the only place you can stand. You can plan. You can work. You can do what you can do. But worrying about the rest Won’t make it come true.] [Chorus] [Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I’m a worried man, But I won’t worry all my life. Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I’ve got worries on my shoulders, But I’m still walking down the line.] [Verse 3] [I’ve worried about my money, I’ve worried about my home. I’ve worried about the people Who might leave me all alone. I’ve worried about my children, I’ve worried about my friends. I’ve worried about the beginning, And I’ve worried about the end.] [Rap 2] [Some worries matter. Some worries need a plan. Pay the bill. Make the call. Show up when you said you can. Take responsibility For the things that you can change. But don’t carry every problem Like the whole world's in your name. There’s a difference between caring And believing you control it all. Sometimes you do your very best And still something has to fall. That ain’t failure. That’s life. That’s the deal we’re living in. You keep moving forward And you learn to breathe again.] [Verse 4] [The road may twist before me, The weather may turn cold. I may lose some things I love, And I may grow old. But I’ve walked through darker valleys, And I’ve made it through before. So I’m putting down tomorrow And I’m walking through this door.] [Bridge] [If trouble comes tomorrow, I’ll meet it when it comes. If the road gets hard beneath me, I’ll keep moving toward the sun. I don’t need to know the ending. I just need to take the next step. I’ve spent too many years afraid Of things that haven’t happened yet.] [Rap 3] [Here’s what I’m learning: Worry wants a guarantee. Life doesn’t give you one. It gives you possibility. You can love somebody Without knowing they’ll stay. You can build something beautiful Knowing it could fade away. You can make a plan And watch the whole thing change. You can lose what you expected And still find another way. That’s not certainty. That’s courage. Not knowing what comes next And walking anyway.] [Final Chorus] [Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I was a worried man, But I won’t worry all my life. Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, I’ve got worries on my shoulders, But I’m still walking down the line. Oh, a worried man, Oh, a worried man, Tomorrow can wait its turn. I’ll do what I can today, And let the rest take its turn.] [Outro] [I’m a worried man, But I’m learning to let go. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, And I don’t have to know. I’m a worried man, But tonight I’m doing fine. I’ve got worries on my shoulders, But I’m still walking down the line.]

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