I Was An Oak Tree
View chords used in this chart
Intro
F C G Am G
F C G Am G
F C G Am G F G
[Verso 1]
F
I was an oak tree.
C G F
I took a thousand years to grow,
C G
and I've seen kingdoms come and go.
F C G Am G
I've seen the losers turn to lords and back again.
F C G Am G
I held the rebels when they hung them from my limbs.
F C G
When men of fortune cast their futures on the sea,
Am G F G
that's when they came for me.
[Verso 2]
F
And I was a slave ship,
C G F
under the standard of the cross,
C G
a hallelujah holocaust.
F C G Am G
And half were dead before we reached the other shore,
F C G Am G
and the captain never saw the coming storm
F C G
that swept around the cape and took us by surprise,
Am G F G
and only eight survived.
[Verso 3]
F C G F
I was a camp fire, a pile of driftwood in the sand.
C G
The only comfort in this land.
F C G Am G
8 hungry sailors roasted acorns that they found,
F C G Am G
and left me burning as they stumbled towards the sound
F C G
of a church bell ringing out above the ocean's wind,
Am G F G
and I was born again.
F C G F
And I am an oak tree, out along the wild cape fear,
C G
and there is talk of freedom here.
F C G Am G
Where is the kingdom that was here before I came,
F C G Am G
where have the people gone who only left their names.
F C G
A revolution's just a circle after all,
Am G F G
and every kingdom falls.
F C G F
I am an oak tree, if it takes a thousand years to grow,
C G F
I'll see kingdoms come and go,
C G
I'll see kingdoms come and go.
Outro
F C G Am G
F C G Am G
F C G Am G F G
How to play I Was An Oak Tree
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 F. 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.