Nanci Griffith – Night Riders Lament (Guitar)

G                  C
While I was out a-ridin'

 G                                  D   Dsus  D
The graveyard shift midnight till dawn

     C                        G          
The moon was as bright as a reading light

        D            C                G
For a letter from an old friend back home

D
He asked me 

C          D             G
Why do you ride for your money? 

C          D              G
Why do you rope for short pay? 

           C           D
You ain't gettin' nowhere 

            G           C    C/B   Am
And you're losin' your share 

         D                      G
Oh, you must've gone crazy out there 

G                                C
He said last night I ran into Jenny

G                              D     Dsus  D
They married and have a good life

          C                             G                 
Oh, you sure missed the track when you never came back

      ,      D          C            G
She made the perfect professional's wife

D
And she asked me 

C           D              G
Why does he ride for his money? 

C            D              G
Why does he rope for short pay? 

          C           D
You ain't gettin' nowhere 

          G              C    C/B   Am
And you?re losin' your share 

        D                      G
Oh, you must've gone crazy out there

        C       D        G
They've never seen the northern lights

C             D           G
Never seen a hawk on the wing

C                D             G    C  C/B   Am
Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide

               D                           G
And they ain't ever heard old Camp Cookie sing

G                             C
Now, I read up the last of my letter

G                                D   Dsus  D
And tore of the stamp for Black Jim

        C                    G             
Little Dougie rode up to relieve me

         D           C          G
He just looked at my letter and grinned

G
He asked me 

C            D              G
Why do they ride for their money? 

C           D                G
Why do they rope for short pay? 

           C           D
They ain't gettin' nowhere 

            G             C    C/B   Am
And they?re losin' their share 

          D                      G
Oh, they must've gone crazy out there

        C      D         G
They've never seen the northern lights

C             D           G
Never seen a hawk on the wing

C                D             G    C  C/B   Am
Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide

               D                           G
And they ain't ever heard old Camp Cookie sing