David Rovics - Battle of blair mountain
chordsver. 1
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Tuning: E A D G B E
David uses chord variants based on a G major chord, like so
G: 3 2 0 0 3 3
G*: See Below
Cadd9: x 3 2 0 3 3
Cadd9*: 0 3 2 0 3 3 (used on the second-to last Cadd9 in a verse)
Dsus4: 2 0 0 2 3 3
The second G in a verse (marked G*) has a step-down portion that goes like this
(lyrics from verse 1 for timing) which then leads into the Dsus4 on the next line
e|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|
B|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|
G|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
D|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
A|-2-----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2-----------------------|
E|-3-----------------------|-2-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
Tell you about what happened then
The strumming pattern places emphasis on the root note on the 1st count, and emphasis
on the upper strings on the rest. this can be replaced with a thumb or first finger
pick on the chord's root note, while keeping the rest of the strumming the same. if
you do this, Cadd9s in the verse should have the root note picked,and then the next
highest string picked the second time the chord is played on that line, like so
(lyrics from verse 1 for timing)
e|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|
B|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|
G|--------0-----0--0--0--0-|--------0-----0--0--0--0-|--------0-----0--0--0--0-|
D|--------2-----2--2--2--2-|-2------2-----2--2--2--2-|--------0-----0--0--0--0-|
A|-3------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------3-----3--3--3--3-|--------2-----2--2--2--2-|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-3------3-----3--3--3--3-|
Yest- er- day to me
[Verse]
G1921 was the year
Seems like Cadd9yesterday to mGe
G*
Let me tell you about what happened then
Back in the Dsus4mine country
We were Cadd9fightin' hard to build a Gunion
'Cause at Cadd9forty cents a Dsus4ton
There was Cadd9no way to feed a Gfamily
When the Dsus4minin' day was Gdone
[Verse]
The Gstrike had lasted for a year
When they Cadd9shot down Smilin' GSid
G*
He was a lawman who stood up for us miners
Dsus4That's the only crime he ever did
A hundred Cadd9miners locked up Gwith no trial
Cadd9There in Mingo-Dsus4town
But the Cadd9last straw came in GSharples
When they Dsus4gunned the women Gdown
[Chorus]
We're Cadd9marchin' on to GMingo
Ten Cadd9thousand Gmen and Dsus4countin'
Here in the Cadd9hills of West VirGginia Dsus4
At the Battle of Blair GMountain
[Verse]
We Gshouted through the hillsides
In Cadd9every union Ghall
G*
We're marchin' on to Mingo
Teach them a Dsus4lesson, once and all
We Cadd9commandeered every Gfreight train
Cadd9To the Kentucky Dsus4line
Took every Cadd9car that crossed our Gpath
And Dsus4all the guns and ammo we could Gfind
[Verse]
The Gunion leaders tried to stop us
Mother Cadd9Jones told us to turn Gback
G*
But we had learned ourselves from the gun thugs
There's a Dsus4time to talk and a time to attack
We Cadd9had no leader, Gwe didn't need one
We all Cadd9knew our way through Logan Dsus4County
And we all Cadd9knew once we Ggot there
We're gonna Dsus4hang Sheriff Chapin from a Gsour apple tree
[Chorus]
We're Cadd9marchin' on to GMingo
Ten Cadd9thousand Gmen and Dsus4countin'
Here in the Cadd9hills of West VirGginia Dsus4
At the Battle of Blair GMountain
[Verse]
We dug Gtrenches and wore helmets
That we Cadd9brought from the GArgonne
G*
All the way from France to Logan
We Dsus4fought from dusk to dawn
They Cadd9dropped explosives from their Gairplanes
Such a Cadd9thing you never Dsus4saw
They Cadd9shot us with macGhine guns
It was the Dsus4operator's Glaw
[Verse]
For Gthree days and nights we fought them
The Cadd9front was ten miles Gwide
G*
Every cop and scab in West Virginia
Dsus4Were there on the other side
President Cadd9Harding sent in the GArmy
And we Cadd9left our line to Dsus4them
But the Cadd9hills of West VirgGinia
Will Dsus4long remember Gwhen
[Chorus]
We're Cadd9marchin' on to GMingo
Ten Cadd9thousand Gmen and Dsus4countin'
Here in the Cadd9hills of West VirGginia Dsus4
At the Battle of Blair GMountain