Jerry Jeff Walker – Night Riders Lament (Guitar)

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Chords

[Intro] D [Verse 1]
      D           G
While I was out a-ridin'

    D                               A
The grave yard shift, midnight 'til dawn

    G                    D
The moon was bright as a readin' light

      A                              D
For a letter from an old friend back home
[Chorus 1]
                G          A             D
And he asked me why do you ride for your money

        G          A              D
Tell me why do you rope for short pay

          G         A
You ain't gettin' nowhere

           D           G   G/F# Em
And you're losin' your sha-a----are

         A                      D
Boy, you must've gone crazy out there
[Verse 2]
        D                     G
He said last night I ran onto Jenny

      D                      A
She's married and has a good life

         G
Boy, you sure missed the track

         D
When you never come back

          A                      D
She's the perfect professional's wife
[Chorus 1]
                 G           A            D
And she asked me why does he ride for his money

G           A              D
Why does he rope for short pay

         G         A
He ain't gettin' nowhere

         D          G   G/F# Em
And he's losin' his sha-a----are

   A                      D
He must've gone crazy out there
[Chorus 2]
                G     A        D
B' then they've never seen the Northern Lights

     G            A           D
They never seen a hawk on the wing

        G            A              D       G  G/F# Em
They've never seen a spring hit the Great Divi-i----ide

            A                           D
And they've never heard old camp cookie sing
[Instrumental] G A D G A D G A D G G/F# Em A D [Verse 3]
        D                      G
Well, I read up the last of my letter

  D                            A
I tore off the stamp for Black Jim

     G                  D
When Billy rode up to relieve me

        A                       D
He just looked at my letter and grinned
[Chorus 1]
             G           A              D
He said, now why do they ride for their money

        G           A              D
Tell me why do they rope for short pay

           G         A
They ain't gettin' nowhere

            D            G   G/F# Em
And they're losin' their sha-a----are

          A                     D
Son, they all must be crazy out there
[Chorus 2]
               G     A        D
'Cause they've never seen the Northern Lights

        G            A           D
They've never seen a hawk on the wing

        G          A              D       G  G/F# Em
They've never seen spring hit the Great Divi-i----ide

            A                           D
No, they've never heard old camp cookie sing
[Outro]
    G              D
Yodelayee odelo-oh layee tee oh

     A              D
Deedalayee o--oh  dalayee

    G                D
Yodelayee-oh delo-oh layee tee oh

  A                 D
Delayee tee ay oh dalayee

         E7         G      A     D
Eye tee olayee  old-layee-olayee-oo