I Ain't Ma

pre>
C
Oh, the shadows of doubt are in many a mind,
Am dm g
Lookin' for an answer they're never gonna find,
Em dm g
But they'd better decide 'cause they're runnin' out of time,
Dm g
For these are the days of decision.

Oh, the games of stalling you cannot afford,
Dark is the danger that's knocking on the door,
And the far-reaching rockets say you can't wait anymore,
For these are the days of decision.

In the face of the people who know they're gonna win,
There's a strength that's greater than the power od the wind,
And you can't stand around when the ice is growing thin,
For these are the days of decision.

I've seen your heads hinding 'neath the blankets of fear,
When the paths they are plain and the choices are clear,
But with each passing day, boys, the cost is more dear
For these are the days of decision.

There's many a cross that burns in the night,
And the fingers of the fire are pointing as they bite,
Oh you can't let the smoke keep on blinding all your sight,
For these are the days of decision.

Now the mobs of anger are roamin' the street,
From the rooftops they are aimin' at the police on the beat,
And in city after city you know they will repeat,
For these are the days of decision.

There's been warnin's of fire, warnin's of flood,
Now there's the warnin' of the bullet and the blood,
From the three bodies buried in the mississippi mud,
Sayin' these are the days of decision.

There's a change in the wind, and a split in the road,
You can do what's right or you can do what you are told,
And the prize of the victory will belong to the bold,
Yes, these are the days of decision.
/pre>

pre>
Am f dm
Have you seen the iron lady's charms
Am f dm
Legs of steel, leather on her arms
Bb gm
Taking on a man to die
Am dm
A life for a life, an eye for an eye
Bb gm dm c
And death's the iron lady in the chair

Stop the murder, deter the crimes away
Only killing shows that killing doesn't pay
Yes that's the kind of law it takes
Even though we make mistakes
And sometimes send the wrong man to the chair

In the death row waiting for their turn
No time to change, not a chance to learn
Waiting for someone to call
Say it's over after all
They won't have to face the justice of the chair

Just before they serve him one last meal
Shave his head, they ask him how he feels
Then the warden comes to say goodbye
Reporters come to watch him die
Watch him as he's strapped into the chair

And the chaplain, he reads the final prayer
Be brave my son, the lord is waiting there
Oh murder is so wrong you see
Both the bible and the courts agree
That the state's allowed to murder in the chair

In the courtroom, watch the balance of the scales
If the price is right, there's time for more appeals
The strings are pulled, the switch is stayed
The finest lawyers fees are paid
And a rich man never died upon the chair

Have you seen the iron lady's charms
Legs of steel, leather on her arms
Taking on a man to die
A life for a life, an eye for an eye
That's the iron lady in the chair /pre>

pre>
Intro: d a c d a (2x)

A c d a
Come you ranks of labor, come you union core,
C d a
And see if you remember the struggles of before,
F#m d e
When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door
Bm e a
And you started building links on the chain.
Bm d e a
On the chain, you started building links on the chain.


When the police on the horses were waitin' on demand,
Ridin' through the strike with the pistols in their hands,
Swingin' at the skulls of many a union man,
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain,
As you built one more link on the chain.

Then the army of the fascists tried to put you on the run,
But the army of the union, they did what could be done,
Oh, the power of the factory was greater than the gun,
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain,
As you built one more link on the chain.

And then in 1954, decisions finally made,
The black man was a-risin' fast and racin' from the shade,
And your union took no stand and your union was betrayed,
As you lost yourself a link on the chain, on the chain,
As you lost yourslef a link on the chain.

And then there came the boycotts and then the freedom rides,
And forgetting what you stood for, you tried to block the tide,
Oh, the automation bosses werre laughin' on the side,
As they watched you lose your link on the chain, on the chain,
As they watched you lose your link on the chain.


You know when they block your trucks boys, by layin' on the road,
All that they are doin' is all that you have showed,
That you gotta strike, you gotta fight to get what you are owed,
When you're building all your links on the chain, on the chain,
When you're building all your links on the chain.

Amd the man who tries to tell you that they'll take your job away,
He's the same man who was scabbin' hard just the other day,
And your union's not a union till he's thrown out of the way,
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain, of the chain,
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain.

For now the times are tellin' you the times are rollin' on,
And you're fighting for the same thing, the jobs that will be gone,
Now it's only fair to ask you boys, which side are you on?
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain, on the chain,
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain.

/pre>

pre>
G b7 em e7
So you tell me that your last good dollar is gone
A d g
And you say that your pockets are bare.
G b7 em e7
And you tell me that your clothes are tattered and torn
A a7 d
And nobody seems to care.

B7 em
Now don't tell me your troubles,
A d g
No i don't have the time to spare.
B7 em e7
But if you want to get together and fight
A d g
Good buddy that's what i want to hear.

And you tell me that your job was taken away
By a big ol' greasy machine.
And you tell me that you don't collect no more pay
And your belly is growing lean.

Now if i had the jobs to give
You know i'd give them all away.
But don't waste your breath calling out my name
If you don't have nothing to say.

And you tell me that you don't have nothing to do
And you keep on wasting your time.
And you say when you want to get your family some food
You gotta stand in a relief line.

Now it's a sin and a bloody shame
'bout the way they're pushing you 'round.
But when you decide not to take no more
You know i'll put my money down.

'cause i've seen your kind many times before
And i'll see 'em many times again.
Oh but every bad thing that's happened to you
Has happened to better men.

So don't explain that you've lost your way
That you've got no place to go.
You've got a hand and a voice and you're not alone
Brother that's all you need to know.

And if you're still wondering what i'm trying to say
Let me tell you what it's all about.
Now nobody listens to a single man
When he's walkin' 'round down and out.

So if you're looking for an answer
He's standing there by your side.
And you'll never really know how far you'll go
'til you join together and try.

(repeat first six lines)

/pre>

pre>
Intro: d
D g d g
From the flat plains of ohio we drifted out one day,

D g a
For the southern part of the journey

G d g d
Underneath the bridge, the ohio river sang

G a d
As we headed for the hills of west virginia


And the red sun of the morning was smiling through the trees,
As the darkness of the night was quickly fading,
And the fog hugged the road like a cloudy, cloudy sea,
As we drove though the hills of west virginia.

We smoked the tobacco and drank of the wine,
And we spoke of the forest we were passing.
And the road would wind and wind and wind,
When we drove through the hills of west virginia.

Among all the wealth of the beauty that we passed,
There was many old shacks a-growing older,
And we saw the broken bottles laying on the grass.
When we drove though the hills of west virginia.

The virginia people watched as we went riding by,
Oh, proud as a boulder they were standing.
And we wondered at each other with a meeting of the eye,
When we drove thought the hills of west virginia.

And once in a while we would stop by the road
And gaze at the womb of the valley,
Almost wishing for a path down below,
Where we stopped in the hills of west virginia.

Up and down and all around we took our restless ride,
And the rocks they were staring cold and jagged.
Where explosions of the powder had torn away the side,
Where we drove through the hills of west virginia.

And the orange sun was falling on the southern border line,
As the shadows of the night were now returning.
And we knew the mountains followed us and watched us from behind,
When we drove from the hills of west virginia.

/pre>

pre>
Dm c
Let's drink a toast to the admiral,
Dm f
And here's to the captain bold,
Am dm
And glory more for the commodore,
F c
When the deeds of might are told.

Dm c
They stand to the deck with the battle's wreck,
Dm f
When the great shells roar and pound,
Am dm
And never they fear when the foe is near
F c
To lay their orders down--

F dm
But off with your hats and three times three
F c
For every sailor's son,
Dm c
For the men below who fight the foe,
F c
The men behind the guns:
Am dm
Oh, the men behind the guns.

Their hearts a-pounding heavy when
They swing to port once more --
With never enough of the greenback stuff,
They start for the leave ashore.

And you'd think perhaps the blue-blouse chaps
Had better clothes to wear,
For the uniforms of officers
Could hardly be compared:

Warriors bold with straps of gold
That dazzle like the sun
Outshine the common sailor boys,
The lads who serve the guns:
Oh, the men behind the guns.

Say not a word till the shot is heard
That tells the fight is on,
And the angry sound of another round
That says there must be (god? gone??)

Over the deep and the deadly sweep,
The fire and the bursting shell,
Where the very air is a mad despair,
The throes of a living hell.

But down and deep in a mighty ship
Unseen by the midday sun
You'll find the boys who make the noise,
The lads who serve the guns:
Oh, the men behind the guns.

And well they know the cyclone blow
Loose from the cannon's steel.
The know the hull of the enemy ship
Will quiver with the (peal?).

And the decks will rock with the lightning shock
And shake with the great recoil
While the sea grows red with the blood of the dead
And swallows up her spoil.

But not until the final ship
Has made her final run
Can we give their rest to the very best:
To the lads who serve the guns --
Oh, the men behind the guns.

Let's drink a toast to the admiral,
And here's to the captain bold,
And glory more for the commodore,
When the deeds of might are told.

They stand to the deck with the battle's wreck,
When the great shells roar and pound,
And never they fear when the foe is near
To lay their orders down--

But off with your hats and three times three
For every sailor's son,
For the men below who fight the foe,
The men behind the guns:
Oh, the man behind the gun.

/pre>

pre>

By alfred noyes
---------------------------------

Part one
I
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-
Riding-riding-
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

Ii
He'd a french cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

Iii
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Iv
And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say-

V
"one kiss, my bonny sweetheart, i'm after a prize to-night,
But i shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

Vi
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! his face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.

Part two
I
He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gipsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching-
Marching-marching-
King george's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

Ii
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride.

Iii
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"now keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say-
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

Iv
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till here fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like
Years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! the trigger at least was hers!

V
The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain.

Vi
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! had they heard it? the horse-hoofs
Ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? were they deaf that they did
Not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! she stood up strait and still!

Vii
Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! tlot-tlot, in the echoing night
!
Nearer he came and nearer! her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.

Viii
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Ix
Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat.

* * * * * *

X
And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding-
Riding-riding-
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Xi
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.



By alfred noyes and phil ochs
------------------------------------------------
C em
The wind was a torrent of darkness
Am
Among the gusty trees
Em f
The moon was a ghostly galleon
Dm g7
Tossed upon cloudy seas
C em
And the road was a ribbon of moonlight
Am
Over the purple moor
F c e am
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding
F c
Yes, the highwayman came riding
Dm g7
Up to the old inn door
Over the cobbles he clattered
And clashed in the darkened yard
And he tapped with his whip at the window
But all was locked and barred
So he whistled a tune to the window
And who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black eyed daughter
Bess the landlord's daughter
Plaiting a dark red love knot
Into her long black hair
One kiss, my bonny sweetheart
For i'm after a prize tonight
But i shall be back with the yellow gold
Before the morning light
Yet if they press me sharply
Harry me through the day
Oh, then look for me by moonlight
Watch for me by moonlight
And i'll come to thee by moonlight
Though hell should bar the way
He did not come at the dawning
No, he did not come at the noon
And out of the tawny sunset
Before the rise of the moon
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon
Looping the purple moor
Oh a redcoat troop came marching, marching, marching
King george's men came marching
Up to the old inn door
And they bound the landlord's daughter
With many a sniggering jest
And they bound the musket beside her
With the barrel beneath her breast
Now keep good watch and they kissed her
She heard the dead man say
"oh look for me by moonlight
Watch for me by moonlight
And i'll come to thee by moonlight
Though hell should bar the way"
Look for me by moonlight
Hoof beats ringing clear
Watch for me by moonlight
Were they deaf that they did not hear
For he rode on the gypsy highway
She breathed one final breath
Then her finger moved in the moonlight
Her musket shattered the moonlight
And it shattered her breast in the moonlight
And warned him with her death
Oh he turned; he spurred on to the west
He did not know who stood
Out with her black hair a flowing down
Drenched with her own red blood
Oh not 'til the dawn had he heard it
And his face grew gray to hear
How bess the landlord's daughter
The landlord's black eyed daughter
Had watched for her love in the moonlight
And died in the darkness there
C em
Back he spurred like a madman
Am
Shrieking a curse to the sky
Em f
With the white road smoking behind him
Dm g
And his rapier brandished high
C em
Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon
Am
Wine red his velvet coat
F c
When they shot him down on the highway
E am
Down like a dog on the highway
F c
And he lay in his blood on the highway
F g
With a bunch of lace at his throat
And still on a winter's night they say
When the wind is in the trees
When the moon is a ghostly galleon
Tossed upon cloudy seas
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight
Over the purple moor
Oh the highwayman comes riding, riding, riding
Yes the highwayman comes riding
Up to the old inn door. /pre>