From: * (Wilhelmsen, Lee F.)




                                                             24 February 1995

This song isn't too hard to play I think. A nice combination of fingerpicking
and strumming. Listen to album "American Pie" otherwise you haven't a chance.
Comments and corrections are always welcome. The lyrics follow after the TAB.

Good luck

Lee Francis


Intro:
                          C                                E7
e|-1p0-----------0-------------------------0-------------------------------0--|
b|------3-----------3--------------0h1--3-----3-------0-----------------3-----|
g|---------2-----------2--------0----------------0h2-----2-----------1--------|
D|------------0--------------2------------------------------------0-----------|
A|------------------------3------------------------------------2--------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------0-----------------|


Verse:

   When the wars of our nation...              A man barely...
   Am                    G                     C           B        E
e|--------------------------------3------------------------------------------------|
b|----------1--1/3\1-p0--------------0/1\0-----------------------------------------|
g|-------2-----2/4\2-p0--------0-----    0/2\0--2--------0-----------0-----1-------|
D|----2---------------------0---------------------2-----------0--------2-----------|
A|-0-------------------------------------------3-----------2-----------------------|
E|-----------------------3------------------------------------------0--------------|

   Proud of the trust...      nation.          He's gone.
   Am       G        C        E                     A
e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
b|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
g|-------0--------0--------0--------1-----------------------------------------|
D|----2--------0--------2-----------2-----------------------------------------|
A|-0-----------------3-----------2------------------0-------------------------|
E|----------3-----------------0-----------------------------------------------|

   But eternity knows...           And it knows what we've done.
                                                           E7
e|------1p0-----0h1-----------------------1-----3----5--------------------0---|
b|-----------3----------------------------3-----5----6-----------------3------|
g|------------------------------------------------------------------1---------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------0------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------2---------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------0------------------|


[Strumming part begins]

   And the rain fell like pearls on the leaves of the flowers.
           Am             Bm/A          D?            E7
e|---------0--------------0-------------0-------------0-----------------------|
b|-strum---1--------------3-------------0-------------3-----------------------|
g|---------2--------------4-------------7-------------1------ Repeat this ----|
D|---------2--------------4-------------7-------------0------ sentence 3  ----|
A|---------0--------------0-------------5-------------2------ times       ----|
E|----------------------------------------------------0-----------------------|
                .
                .

    As he held to his rifle and prayed not to die.
          C                     Dm            E7
e|--------0---------------------5-------------0-------------------------------|
b|-strum--1---------------------6-------------3-------------------------------|
g|--------0---------------------7-------------1-------------------------------|
D|--------2---------------------7-------------0-------------------------------|
A|--------3---------------------5-------------2-------------------------------|
E|--------3-----------------------------------0-------------------------------|

    But the silence of night     was shattered by fire.
            Dm                Am                     Asus2...Am...
e|----------1-----------------0----------------------0--0--0------------------|
b|-strum----3-----------------1----------------------0--1--0------------------|
g|----------2-----------------2----------------------2--2--2- Repeat this ----|
D|----------0-----------------2----------------------2--2--2- sentence 3  ----|
A|----------------------------0----------------------0--0--0- times       ----|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                .
                .

    In a morgue of marines alone standing there.
          C                Dm             E7
e|--------0----------------5--------------0-----------------------------------|
b|-strum--1----------------6--------------3-----------------------------------|
g|--------0----------------7--------------1-----------------------------------|
D|--------2----------------7--------------0-----------------------------------|
A|--------3----------------5--------------2-----------------------------------|
E|--------3-------------------------------0-----------------------------------|

       He crouched ever lower, ever lower of fear.
          F                                  Am
e|--------1----------------------------------0--------------------------------|
b|-strum--1----------------------------------1--------------------------------|
g|--------2----------------------------------2--------------- Repeat this ----|
D|--------3----------------------------------2--------------- sentence 3  ----|
A|--------3----------------------------------0--------------- times       ----|
E|--------1-------------------------------------------------------------------|
                .
                .

     I'll cover myself - I know I'm not brave!          The earth, the earth
          F                             E7                  C          Dm
e|--------1-----------------------------0-------------------0-----------------|
b|-strum--1-----------------------------3-------------------1----------6------|
g|--------2-----------------------------1-------------------0----------7------|
D|--------3-----------------------------0-------------------2----------7------|
A|--------3-----------------------------2-------------------3----------5------|
E|--------1-----------------------------0-------------------3-----------------|

     The earth is my grave.
         E7
e|-------0--------------------------------------------------------------------|
b|-------3--------------------------------------------------------------------|
g|-------1--------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------0--------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------2--------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------0--------------------------------------------------------------------|

[Strumming part ends]

Solo:
(Hint: Barre in 5 position, beware of tricky rythme)

          Am7                                    G
e|--5--5--5--------------5--7-----5--------5--5--3----------------------------|
b|--------------------5-----------------------------------0--1-----0----------|
g|-----------------5-----------------5-----------------0--------0-----0h2-----|
D|--------------5--------------5--------------------0--------2-----0----------|
A|-----------7----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------5-----------------5-----------5-------\3----------------------------|

    C
e|--3-----------3--3--5-----3--------------------3--------------0-----0--0----|
b|-----------1--------------------6-----6-----6-----6-----6-------------------|
g|--------0--------------0-----3-----3--3--3-----------3-----3-----0----------|
D|-----2--------------5-----------------0-------------------------------------|
A|--3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

                                                         E7
e|--0---------------3-----1-----0--0-------------0-----------------------0----|
b|--1------------1-----------------1----3-----------3-----0-----------0-------|
g|--2---------2--------2-----2-----2-------2-----------2--1--------1----------|
D|--3------3-----------------------3----------3-----------2-----2-------------|
A|--0---0--------------------------0------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------0----------------|

[Repeat 1st verse picking pattern]


Lyrics:


[Without guitar]

        The grave that they dug him had flowers
        Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colours
        And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone
        He's gone


        When the wars of our nation did beckon
        A man barely twenty did answer the calling
        Proud of the trust that he placed in our nation
        He's gone
        But eternity knows him
        And it knows what we've done

[Strumming begins]

        And the rain fell like pearls on the leaves of the flowers
        Leaving brown muddy clay where the earth had been dry
        And deep in the trench he waited for hours
        As held to his rifle and prayed not to die

        But the silence of night was shattered by fire
        As guns and grenades blasted sharp through the air
        One after another his comrades were slaughtered
        In a morgue of marines, alone standing there

        He crouched ever lower, ever lower of fear
        They can't let me die, they can't let me die here
        I'll cover myself with the mud and the earth
        I'll cover myself, I know I'm not brave!
        The earth, the earth, the earth is my grave

[Solo]

        The grave that they dug him had flowers
        Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colours
        And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone
        He's gone

Lyrics & guitar transcribed by:

Lee Francis Wilhelmsen
Erlevn 4, Lye
4340 Bryne
Norway

francis@*
*
19(C)95