That Little 40 Acre Patch of Land


Reflective Ballad
Key: G Major
Tempo: Slow and steady (around 70 BPM)

[Verse 1]

G D/F#
He came down from the hills of Tennessee
Em C
Carved out a dream where few would see
G D
With calloused hands and quiet pride
C G
He built a life on the county line

G D/F#
Forty acres, not a dollar more
Em C
Just enough to keep from poor
G D
But rich in ways that don’t wear thin
C D G
Roots so deep they still live in the wind

[Chorus]

C G
That little 40 acre patch of land
D Em
Held the hopes of one good man
C G
Raised a house and raised a clan
Am
With nothing but his heart and hands
C G
It’s where my blood runs like the rain
D Em
Down through every furrowed plain
C G
And though the house no longer stands
D G
I still return to where it began

[Verse 2]

G D/F#
Buck was his name, and he wore it well
Em C
With stories only time could tell
G D
Six kids strong, he helped them rise
C G
Under those wide Illinois skies

G D/F#
One became the man who’d pass to me
Em C
The strength and grace of family
G D
And in a photo from '75
C D G
The past stood still, and love survived

[Chorus]

C G
That little 40 acre patch of land
D Em
Held the hopes of one good man
C G
Raised a house and raised a clan
Am D
With nothing but his heart and hands
C G
It’s where my blood runs like the rain
D Em
Down through every furrowed plain
C G
And though the house no longer stands
D G
I still return to where it began

[Bridge]

Em C
And when the wind blows soft and low
G D
I swear I hear Buck’s old banjo
Em C
And I can feel his weathered hand
Am D
Still guiding me to understand

[Final Chorus]

C G
That little 40 acre patch of land
D Em
Made me who I am, not who I planned
C G
In every breath, in every stand
Am D
There’s a piece of that proud old man
C G
It’s where my soul still longs to stay
D Em
Though time has worn it all away
C G
And though the house no longer stands
D G
I still believe in what he began

©Copyright 2025. Gold Shield Publishing Inc
Writer: Songsmith