It Could Have Been Me

[Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can work for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can work for freedom C I can too [Verso 1] F C F C Students at Kent and Jackson, 200 yards away F C F G Shot down by a nameless fire one early day in May C Am F C Some people cried out angry "you should have shot more of them down" F But you cant bury youth my friend F C Youth grows the whole world round [Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can die for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can die for freedom C I can too [Verso 2] F C F C The junta took the fingers on Victor Jaras hands F C F G They said to the gentle poet play your guitar now if you can C Am F C O' Victor started singing but they shot his body down F You can kill that man but not his song F C When its sung the whole world round [Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can play for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can play for freedom C I can too [Verso 3] F C F C A woman in the jungle three thousand miles away F C F G Tends her baby in the night, defends her village by day C Am F C Although her skin is golden like mine will never be F Her song is heard, and I know the words F G And ill sing them until shes free [Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can work for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can work for freedom C I can too [Verso 4] F C F C The songs of Nicaragua and El Salvador F C F G Will long outlast the singers who face the guns in war C Am F C They sing at the line of fire and they sing from a fire within F C All across the land the poets stand F El pueblo unido jamás será vencido F El pueblo unido jamás será vencido [Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can sing for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can sing for freedom C I can too [Verso 5] F C F C One night in Oklahoma, Karen Silkwood died F C F G Because she had some secrets big companies wanted to hide C Am F C Well they talk of nuclear safety, they talk of national pride F C F G But we all know it's a death machine & that's why Karen died [Refrão] F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F G So Ill keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two F Ill be a student of life, a singer of songs Em A farmer of food and a righter of wrong F C It could have been me, but instead it was you F C And it may be me dear sisters and brother G Before we are through C Am But if you can study for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can study for freedom C I can too [Verso 6] F C F C Our sisters are in struggle, from Vietnam to Wounded Knee F C F G From Mozambique to Puerto Rico & they look to you & me C Am F C To fight against the system that kills them off & takes their land F C F G It's our fight too if we're gonna win, we've got to do it hand in hand [Refrão] F C It's gonna be me, and it's gonna be you F G So we'll keep doing the work we've been doing until we are thru F We'll be students of life, singers of songs, Em Farmers of food & fighters so strong F C It's gonna be me, and it's gonna be you F C But it will be us dear sisters & brothers G Before we are through C Am 'Cause if you can fight for freedom Am C Freedom, freedom, freedom F If you can fight for freedom C We can too