The Song Of Chief Joseph chords by James Talley

SimplifiedD · G · Em · Bm · A

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Verse 1
D 
I have  (D major) no ponies left to ride,
G 
Em 
there  (G major) are no visions in  (E minor) my mind
Bm 
A 
 (B minor) The sky  (A major) is broken,
Bm 
the moon is down, there is  (B minor) darkness
D 
And I will  (D major) pray to the morning star
Em 
Pray  (E minor) that I might carry on
A 
Give me  (A major) wisdom, give me life,
give me courage
Bm 
G 
D 
 (B minor) Once this  (G major) great land was  (D major) my home
Em 
Where my  (E minor) people freely roam
D 
Em 
A 
 (D major) Now the  (E minor) world is torn  (A major) apart
Bm 
G 
A 
Bm 
There is dark (B minor) ness  (G major)  (A major)  (B minor) 
Em 
Bm 
My name is Joseph, this  (E minor) is my  (B minor) story
Em 
Bm 
I didn't want  (E minor) fame, I didn't seek  (B minor) glory
My father's land, I will defend it
Em 
Bm 
With my  (E minor) life, with  (B minor) my  hand
We were on our way
To the reservation, forced to go
Em 
Bm 
Our  (E minor)  (B minor) homes abandoned,
my people's hearts
Em 
They were breaking, my young men  (E minor) killed
Bm 
And the  (B minor) war was on
The army found us in White Bird Canyon
Em 
Bm 
We were camped  (E minor) on the Salmon  (B minor) River
One hundred men we did defeat
Em 
Bm 
And away to  (E minor) death, to death we  (B minor) rode
Day and night they pursued us
Em 
along the  (E minor) rivers of the bitter root
Bm 
 (B minor) We're young and old, the trail was brutal
Em 
Bm 
but we were run (E minor) ning for our  (B minor) lives
Then one cold dawn in the big hole valley
Em 
their bullets  (E minor) rang
Bm 
In a deadly viol (B minor) ent, so many died
Em 
I can't remember, we fought them  (E minor) off,
Bm 
and we rode  (B minor) on
Across the divide, they came after
Em 
Bm 
Down the  (E minor) val ley, into Yellowstone (B minor) 
Down the steps of
Clark's Fork Canyon
Em 
Through the land of the  (E minor) crow
Bm 
Up the mussel shell  (B minor) 
Across the Missouri at Cow Island
Em 
Twelve hundred miles  (E minor) 
Bm 
we'd run and  (B minor) fall
Headed north to the Bearfall Mountains
Em 
Bm 
And it was there  (E minor) our love ran  (B minor) out
Five days and nights
we stood
Em 
and fought the bitter wind  (E minor) 
Bm 
Freezing snow,  (B minor) 
we shot each other all to pieces
Em 
Bm 
Till a fluke ran  (E minor) out, the ammunition gone  (B minor) 
My heart is sick, sad and heavy
Em 
My children freez (E minor) ing, so many gone
Bm 
 (B minor) I'll fight no more, no more forever
Em 
Where the sun now  (E minor) stands,
Bm 
I will fight no  (B minor) more
I hear the thunder from the mountains
Em 
Bm 
I see the  (E minor) blood there on the  (B minor) plain
I feel a sorrow never -ending
Em 
Bm 
G 
A 
D 
Among the tears  (E minor) of  everlasting  (B minor) pain  (G major)  (A major)  (D major) 
I have no ponies left to ride
Em 
There are no visions  (E minor) in my mind
A 
The sky is broken,  (A major) the moon is down,
Bm 
there is dark (B minor) ness
D 
I will pray  (D major) to the morning star,
G 
Em 
pray that I  (G major) might carry  (E minor) on
A 
Give me wisdom,  (A major) give me light,
Bm 
give me cour (B minor) age
G 
D 
Once this great  (G major) land was my home  (D major) 
G 
D 
My people  (G major) freely roam  (D major) 
Em 
Now the world  (E minor) is  torn apart,
A 
 (A major) there is darkness,
Bm 
G 
 (B minor) I will fight no more,  (G major) 
A 
Bm 
I will fight no more,  (A major) no more  (B minor) forever.
This is a song that
I wrote about my father.
My father worked in the Hanford
plutonium factory.
He worked in the reactor
as a chemical operator,
and after we left Washington,
shortly thereafter,
he continued to have problems with his health
and died rather prematurely
at age 57.
And years ago when I had two little boys
I wrote this song I guess to explain
it to them and to myself.
It's called Richland, Washington.