The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)
Ry Cooder
From the album "Bop Till You Drop" (1979)
Standard Tuning

Intro same as verse chords

          C#m             G#m7          C#m
 My father told me, lying on his bed of death, 
                                                          G#7 
 "Boy," he says, "woman she's gonna make it, don't fool yourself 
                  C#m                     F#7
 'Cause she's got something to make a man lay that money, uh,   right in her hand 
              E                    B                  C#m    F#7
 And the very thing that makes her rich will make you poor  
          C#m                  G#7                C#m
 The very thing that makes her rich will make you poor" 
  F#7
 That's right! 

Same chords
                   C#m                             G#m7           C#m
 Well, I put you behind the wheel of a deuce and a quarter, yes I did 
                                                  G#7
 Had you living like a rich man's daughter, yes I did, I sure did 
                C#m 
 While you were living high on the hog 
            F#7            
 You had me down here scuffling like a dog 
                E                    B             C#m    F#7
 Well, the very thing that makes you rich makes me poor 
          C#m                  G#7           C#m
 The very thing that makes you rich makes me poor 

           C#m        G#m7               C#m
 Don't you never ever make such a bad mistake
                                                 G#7
 You know I'd rather climb into bed with a rattlesnake
         C#m                               F#7            
 Then to work hard every day bringing that woman all my pay
          E                    B             C#m 
 The very thing that makes you rich makes me poor,
                  F#7 
 Makes me so damn poor 
     E                    B             C#m   F#7
 The thing that makes her rich makes me poor 
          E                    B
 The very thing that makes you rich make me poor 
      E                    B             C#m
 Very thing that makes you rich makes me poor 
                    F#7
 Makes me so damned poor 

             C#m           F#7
 Money won't change it, no no... 


I hope you enjoy this tab, I'm not 100% sure about some of the placing of chords over words 
because it was done from memory. 

have fun!