The Decemberists – The Crane Wife Parts 1 2 3 (Guitar)

Key
-
Versions (2)

Auto-scroll

Chords

*The Crane Wife 1* INTRO G VERSE 1 It was a cold night
                 Em
And the snow lay around
I pulled my coat tight
                    C
Against the falling down
And the sun was all
                    G     Em
And the sun was all down
And the sun was all
                    C     G
And the sun was all down
VERSE 2 I am a poor man
                     Em
I haven't wealth nor fame
I have my two hands
                  C
And a house to my name
And the winter's so
                    G     Em
And the winter's so long
And the winter's so
                    C     D
And the winter's so long
CHORUS And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
VERSE 3 It was a white crane
                  Em
It was a helpless thing
Upon a red stain
                  C
With an arrow its wing
And it called and cried
                        G     Em
And it called and cried so
And it called and cried
                        C     D
And it called and cried so
CHORUS And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found

                        Em    C
My crane wife, my crane wife

                        G
My crane wife, my crane wife
VERSE 4 Now I helped her
                  Em
And I dressed her wounds
And how I held her
                   C
Beneath the rising moon
And she stood to fly
                     G     Em
And she stood to fly away
And she stood to fly
                 C     D
She stood to fly away
CHORUS And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found

                        Em    C
My crane wife, my crane wife

                        G
My crane wife, my crane wife

G            Em              C              G
Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da

G            Em              C              G
Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da
D Bm D G D Bm D G D Bm D G D Bb D G D Bm D G D Bb D G *The Crane Wife 2* INTRO D VERSE 1
                 C          G           D
My crane wife arrived at my door in the moonlight

    C               G                      D
All star-bright and tongue-tied I took her in
VERSE 2
D                   C          G             D
We were married and bells rang sweet for our wedding

        C           G                  D
And our bedding was ready when we fell in
CHORUS
Em                  A                       Em
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red

              A                           G
Soft as fontanelle, the feathers in the thread

                  A      C         G
When all I ever meant to do was to keep you

    D              G              D           C D
My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife
VERSE 3
                    C        G      D
We were poorly, our fortunes fading hourly

    C       G                           D
And how she vowed me she could bring it back
VERSE 4
D                         C        G             D
But I was greedy, I was vain and I forced her to weaving

     C              G                    D
On a cold loom in a closed room down the hall
CHORUS
Em                  A                       Em
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red

              A                           G
Soft as fontanelle, the feathers in the thread

                  A      C         G
When all I ever meant to do was to keep you

    D              G              D           C D
My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife
OUTRO
Em                                F
There's a bend in the wind and it rakes at my heart

Em                                  F
There is blood in the thread and it rakes at my heart

G             C    G   C  G   C  G   C  G   C
Rakes at my heart, heart, heart, heart, heart
G C G C
G      C      G      C      G      C     G      C
Heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart

   D
My crane wife
*The Crane Wife 3* INTRO D A G x2 VERSE 1
D      A              G
And under the boughs unbound

D            A           G
All clothed in a snowy shroud

D          A            G
She had no heart so hardened

D      A              G
All under the boughs unbound
D A G x2 VERSE 2
D            A            G
Each feather, it fell from skin

D           A         G
Till threadbare she grew thin

D             A         G
How were my eyes so blinded?

D            A            G
Each feather, it fell from skin
CHORUS
            D             A            G
And I will hang my head, hang my head low

            D             A            G
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
D A G x2 VERSE 3
D         A       G
A gray sky, a bitter sting

D           A           G
A rain cloud, a crane on wing

D         A          G
All out beyond horizon, oh

D         A       G
A gray sky, a bitter sting
CHORUS
            D             A            G
(And I will hang my head, hang my head low) x7
OUTRO D A G x4