Civil War Suite
View chords used in this chart
Intro: E A6/E Emaj7 A6/E E A6/E Emaj7 A6/E
E A6/E Emaj7 A6/E
Oh, hear the drums thunder; they sound such a wonder.
Emaj7 F#m E B7
A young soldier lad marches off with his gun.
E A6/E Emaj7 A6/E
With his bangles and spangles and bright golden buttons,
Emaj7 A/E B7 E
Bright golden buttons that shine in the sun.
E Amaj7 E Amaj7
Oh, the cannons are screaming, or is it my dreaming?
E C#m7 F#m B7
Young men will stumble and fall in the dust.
E A6/E Emaj7 A6/E
And the cheers turn to crying when life turns to dying,
Emaj7 A/E B7 E
And bright golden buttons have all turned to rust.
[Refrão]
C Em7/B Am C Em7/B Am
C Em7/B Am
Boom bah bah boom bah bah boom,
C Em7/B Am
Twelve riders in the gloom.
C Em7/B Am D
Seven show red and the rest are dead,
G D/F# E
But the First Battalion's home.
C Em7/B Am
Boom bah bah boom bah bah boom,
C Em7/B Am
You can hear the hoof beats boom.
C Em7/B Am D
The drums are low and the pace is slow,
G D/F# E
But the First Battalion's home.
[Ponte]
D G
So run to your homes, Virginia gals,
D G
Fix your hair with pins,
D G
Give them wine and kisses,
D E
But don't ask them where they'd been!
[Refrão]
C Em7/B Am
Boom bah bah boom bah bah boom,
C Em7/B Am
And Richmond is their tomb.
C Em7/B Am D
There's a hundred still at Richmond,
C Em7/B Am D
Three hundred dead at Gettysburg,
C Em7/B Am D
And a hundred more they've never found,
G D/F# Em
But the First Battalion's home!
[Verso 1]
Em
There's a battle raging somewhere,
G D/F# Em
And its thunder shakes the ground.
Terrible silence, when it's over?
G D/F# Em
Only death makes such a sound.
G
And I see, yes, I see,
D/F# Em
On the last day of July.
G
And I see, oh, yes I see,
D/F# Em
On the last day of July.
[Verso 2]
Em
What's that moving in the shadows?
Em
What is this that's drawing nigh?
Em7 Em6
It's the reaper, moving silent,
D/F# Em
Must be someone's turn to die.
G
And I see, yes, I see,
D/F# Em
On the last day of July.
G
And I see, oh, yes I see,
D/F# Em
On the last day of July.
G
I said I see, oh, yes I see,
D/F# Em
On the last day of July.
[Verso 3]
Em Esus4 Asus2 Am
Am G
Two brothers on their way.
Am G
Two brothers on their way.
Am G
Two brothers on their way,
Am D G Am Asus2 Am Asus2
One wore blue and one wore gray.
Am G Am D
One wore blue and one wore gray,
G Bm G Bm
As they marched along their way.
C Am D Bm
The fife and drum began to play,
G D Esus4
All on a beautiful morning.
[Verso 4]
Am G
One was gentle, one was kind.
Am G
One was gentle, one was kind.
Am G
One came home, one stayed behind
Am D G Am Asus2 Am Asus2
Cannonball don't pay no mind.
Am G Am D
Cannonball don't pay no mind
G D G D
Though you're gentle, or you're kind,
C Am D Bm
It don't care for the folks behind,
G D Esus4
All on a beautiful morning.
[Verso 5]
Am G
Two girls waiting by the railroad track.
Am G
Two girls waiting by the railroad track,
Am G
For their darlings to come back,
Am D G Am Asus2 Am Asus2
One wore blue and one wore black.
Am G Am D
One wore blue and one wore black,
G D G D
Waiting by the railroad track,
C Am D Bm
For their darlings to come back,
G D Esus4
All on a beautiful morning.
[Refrão]
C Em7/B Am C Em7/B Am
C Em7/B Am
Boom bah bah boom bah bah boom,
C Em7/B Am
And Richmond is their tomb.
C Em7/B Am D
There's a hundred still at Richmond,
C Em7/B Am D
Three hundred dead at Gettysburg,
C Em7/B Am D
And a hundred more they've never found,
C Em7/B Am D
Yes, a hundred more they've never found,
G D/F# E
But the First Battalion's home!
How to play Civil War Suite
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is E. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.