Midnight Star
View chords used in this chart
CAPO: 2
C F
Let me tell you a story, it happened long ago
C G7
When the pines were dancing in the wind on the Mendocino shore
Am Em
The town lights were blazing, there were parties everywhere
F C G C
It was Christmas eve and joy was in the air
F
In the dark and stormy night someone heard the sound
C G7
Of something breaking on the rocks and a big ship going down
Am Em
Some said they saw a light some swore it was a star
F C G C
That shone out there in the night although it wasn't far
F
In the grey light of morning they walked along the sand
C G7
Finding pieces of the ship but no sign of her hands
Am Em
Except a tiny pair of shoes and a woman's ragged coat
F C G C
That lay there at the water's edge in the driftwood and the foam
F
Some said she sailed from India or the coast of Oregon
C G7
Some said by the size of her rigging it was some place far beyond
Am Em
But why she sailed into a port closed down so long ago
F C G C
Or if all on board were lost at sea no one seemed to know
F
The fire was crackling in the stove when he heard the wailing cry
C G7
Of a little baby in the night somewhere close outside
Am Em
He grabbed his gun and he left the house, he thought it was A cat
F C G C
But he found a woman with a babe, fallen in her tracks
F
She was cold, her eyes were glazed, her skin was ghostly white
C G7
He tried to make her speak, she just handed him the child
Am Em
And then she passed into that endless sleep
F C G C
And he knelt beside her on the trail and he began to weep
F
Rushing home he stoked the fire and he bathed the weary babe
C G7
Its skin was brown as a hazel nut, its eyes of greenest jade
Am Em
In age it was about two years or maybe six months more
F C G C
But he had the look of a wise old man who'd been this way before
F
And so he stayed and he filled the heart of the man that he called dad
C G7
And Shipwreck Star was the only name that boy-child ever had
Am Em
His mama, she lies buried in the manzanita and the pines
F C G C
Where the wild azaleas bloom in the fog-bound summertime
How to play Midnight Star
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 C. 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.