Lawsons Ghost
View chords used in this chart
Capotraste na 2ª casa
intro
D
[Verso 1]
D G
As i sat beside the campfire late last evening
A7 D
My old blue dog he lay close by of course
G
All was quiet except for bells and hobbles jingling
A7 D
And my horses fed along the water course.
G D
You know the way a campfire makes you drowsy
E A7
As you sit alone and gaze into its glow
D G
I must have drifted off and started dreaming
A7 D
And how i wish that dream was really so.
[Verso 2]
D D7
Up to my fireside walked a weary swagman
G E
He said goodnight and dropped his bluey down
A7
And from his water bag he filled his billy
G A7 D
And while it boiled, he squatted on the ground.
[Verso 3]
D D7
He filled his pipe and lit it from the fire
G E
And in the glow his face i plainly saw
A7
A face with lines of care and eyes of sadness
G A7 D
And i wondered where i'd seen that face before.
[Verso 4]
D D7
He said his name was lawson, henry lawson
G E
Then reached inside his tucker bag for tea
A7
And threw a handle full in his battered billy
G A7 D
And filled two mugs and handed one for me
[Verso 5]
D D7
He told that he'd had a spell from tramping
G E
Been resting a place called paradise
A7
I said i’d never been there though i'd travelled
G A7 D
And seldom ever trod the same tracks twice.
[Verso 6]
D D7
He said he noticed that things had little altered
G E
From what they were a hundred years ago
A7
He noticed precious water from the darling
G A7 D
Still wasted in the ocean far below.
[Verso 7]
D D7
He puffed his pipe a while and mumbled something
G E
That sounded like the storm that is to come
A7
He spoke about the drought and desolation
G A7 D
Amazed that men of office still are dumb
Interlude
D G
A7 D B7
[Verso 8]
E E7
The curlews screeching overhead awoke me
A F#
I stirred the fire and put billy on
B7
i just remembered then the old sundowner
A B7 E
But when i looked his swag, and he were gone
[Verso 9]
E E7
Was it really ghost that came to see me?
A F#
Or just a dream in my subconscious mind
B7
Oh i'll never know the answer to that question
A B7 E
Until i’ve left this living world behind
E E7
Then i thought about this lawson, henry lawson
A F#
And all at once it hit me with a rush
B7
He was the man who made his name immortal
A B7 E
And immortalised this country in his verse
E E7
He was the poet of the people, the common people
A F#
And he fought their cause with magic of his pen
B7
And when sad alone and destitute he left us
A B7 E
He bore no ill to us, his fellow men
E E7
And now an afterlife to laud his greatness
A F#
A lasting monument that’s carved in stone
B7
Looks down upon some street where once he wondered
A B7 E
Hungry, sad and worst of all alone
E E7
And from each 10-dollar bill that now is printed
A F#
There looks at us his only friendly dial
B7
And he leans upon some haloed bar up yonder
A B7 N.C. E
I can almost see him smile, his quiet smile.
How to play Lawsons Ghost
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 D. 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.