INTRO: C

                      F
Years ago on an April day
  G                          C
A crowd gathered from miles around
                             F
Over a thousand, I heard one say
G                              C
All around me on the square in town


                           F
Ladies dressed up in their best
G                   C
Kids ran around and played
                           F
They all come to see me, I guess
G                               C
Me and the sheriff and a man in chains


    F                    C
The Reverend Sam began a prayer
       F                            C
To the women, the men, the boys and girls
        F                  C
"We are graveyard sons and daughters
                              G
Passing through an unfriendly world"


  C                          F
A few last words and down he goes
G                       C
Teeth bared in an awful grin
                          F
A cheer rises up from the crowd
     G                         C
As I hold him, twistin' in the wind


                            F
Men held up their babies to see
  G                     C
Reporters jotted down a tale
                         F
Hawkers brought out lemonade
        G                                 C
And the ladies headed for the hanging day sale


                                    F
From time to time these folks would come
    G                       C
And all but one would walk away
                                F
I'd shudder as the rope snapped tight
    G                     C
But I got used to hanging day



                                F
Now they don't gather 'round no more
G                           C
Though I'm tall and stouter still
                                 F
Now they do it all behind closed doors
     G                        C
They say it's a better way to kill


    F                    C
The Reverend Sam began a prayer
       F                            C
To the women, the men, the boys and girls
        F                  C
"We are graveyard sons and daughters
                              G
Passing through an unfriendly world"


  C                          F
A few last words and down he goes
G                       C
Teeth bared in an awful grin
                          F
A cheer rises up from the crowd
     G                         C
As I hold him, twistin' in the wind
                           F      G
One more poor boy dead and gone
                C
Twistin' in the wind