Mother Country
John
recorded ‘Mother Country’ four times.
The song is
also on “The Phoenix Concerts”, double
LP, RCA, 1974, CD
re-release as “The Complete Phoenix
Concerts”
Many fans
consider this to be the greatest song ever written by the best
Spoken
Background - strings muffled with heel of hand and played with index
finger in an almost marching beat.
"(C)Dum-de-dum, de-de-(F)dum-da-(G)dum-da..."
(C) (F) (G) (C) (F) (G)
(Spoken)
(C) There
was a (F)story in the (G)San Francisco (C)Chronicle
That of
(F)course I for(G)got to save,(C)
But it was
a(F)bout a (G)lady
Who
(C)lived in the 'good old (F)days',(G)
(C) When a
(F)century was (G)born
(C) And a
(F)century had (G)died,
(C) And
a(F)bout these 'good old (G)days'
(C) The old
(F)lady re(G)plied,
(C) (F) "Why, they were (G)just a lot of
(C)people
(F)Doing
the (G)best they (C)could.
(F) Just a
(G)lot of people(C)
(F)Doing
the (G)best they (C)could."
(F) (G)And
then the lady (C)said (F) (G)that they (C)did it,
"Pretty
(F)up and (G)walking (C)good."
(F)
What(G)ever happened (C)to those faces in the (F)old photo(G)graphs?
(C) (F) I
(G)mean, the little (C)boys...(F) (G)
(C)Boys?
(F)Hell, they were (G)men
Who
(C)stood knee deep (F)in the Johns(G)town (C)mud
In the
(F)time of that (G)terrible (C)flood, (F) (G)
And they (C)listened
to the water,(F) (G)
(C) (F)
That (G)awful (C)noise...
(F)
(G) (C)And then they (F)put a(G)way the
(C)dreams
That
be(F)longed to (G)little boys(C)...(F) (G)
(Play
“unmuffled”)
(Sung)
(E) And the sun is going (Am)down(D7) for Mister
(G)Bouie
As he's
(E)singing with his (Am)class (D)of nineteen-(G)two, (G7)
(C)”Oh,
mother (F)country, (G)I do (C)love you. (F) (G)
(C)Oh,
mother (F)country, (G)I do (C)love you” (F) (G)
("Muffled”
again)
(Spoken)
(C) (F) I (G)knew a man (C)named E.A. St(F)uart,(G)
(C) Spelled
(F)S.T.(G)U. (C) (F) A.(G)R.(C)T.
(F) And
(G)he owned some of the (C)finest horses
(F)That I
(G)think I've ever (C)seen,
(F) And
(G)he had one (C)favorite, (F) a (G)champion,
(C) The old
Cam(F)paigner,(G)
(C) (F)
(G)And he (C)called her
(F)"Sweetheart
(G)On Pa(C)rade", (F) (G)
(C) And she
was (F)easily the (G)finest horse(C)
That the
(F)good Lord (G)ever made.(C) (F) (G)
But old
(C)E.A.Stuart, (F) (G)he was going (C)blind, (F) (G)
And he
said, "Be(C)fore I go,
I (F)gotta
(G)drive her (C)one more time."(F) (G)
(C)So
people came from (F)miles a(G)round, (C)
And they
(F)stood a(G)round the ring,(C) (F) (G) (C)
But (F)no
one (G)said a word,(C)
You know,
(F)no one (G)said a thing.(C) (F) (G) (C)
(F) Then
(G)here they come,(C) (F) (G)
(C)E.A.
Stuart (F) in the (G)wagon right be(C)hind, (F) (G)
(C) Sitting
(F)straight and (G)proud, (C)
And he's
(F)driving (G)her stone (C)blind. (F) (G)
(C) And
would you (F)look at her,(G)
(C) Oh, she
(F)never looked (G)finer (C)or went better (F)than to(G)day.
(C) It's
(F)E.A. (G)Stuart (C) and the (F)old Cam(G)paigner,
(C)
(F)"Sweetheart (G)On (C)Parade", (F) (G)
And the
(C)people cheered,(F) (G)
(C)Why, I
even saw a (F)grown (G)man (C)break right down and (F)cry,(G)
(C) And you
(F)know it was (G)just a (C)little while later(F) (G)
(C) That
old (F)E.A. (G)Stuart (C)died. (F) (G)
(Play
“unmuffled”)
(Sung)
(E) And the sun, it is going (Am)down(D7) for
Mister (G)Bouie,
As he's
(E)singing with his (Am)class (D)of nineteen-(G)two, (G7)
(C)”Oh,
mother (F)country, (G)I do (C)love you. (F) (G)
(C)Oh,
mother (F)country, (G)I do (C)love you.” (F) (G) (C)
© John
Stewart, All Rights Reserved
Art Faller, Charlie Woodward & janhauenstein@gmx.de
11/2003