The Legionnaires Lament
View chords used in this chart
Dm
I'm a Legionnaire
F
Camel in disrepair
Gm
Hoping for a Frigidaire
Dm A
To come passing by
Dm
I am on reprieve
F
Lacking my joie de vivre
Gm
Missing my gay Paris
Dm A
In this desert dry
F
And I wrote my girl
Told her I would not return
Bb
I've terribly taken a turn
Dm A
For the worst now I fear
Dm
It's been a year or more
F
Since they shipped me to this foreign shore
Gm
Fighting in a foreign war
Dm A
So far away from my home
F
If only some rain would fall
C Bb
On the houses and the boulevards
Gm
And the sidewalk bagatelles
Bb
It's like a dream
F
With the roar of cars
C Bb
And the lolling of the cafe bars
Gm Bb
The sweetly sleeping sweeping of the Seine
Gm Dm A Dm
Lord I don't know if I'll ever be back again
F
La la la la
Gm Dm A
La la la la
Dm
Medicating in the sun
F
Pinch doses of laudanum
Gm
Longing for the old fecundity
Dm A
Of my homeland
Dm
Curses to this mirage
F
A bottle of ancient Shiraz
Gm
A smattering of distant applause
Dm A
Is ringing in my poor ears
Dm
On the old left bank
F
My baby in a charabanc
Gm
Riding up the width and length
Dm A
Of the Champs-Elysee
F
If only some rain would fall
C Bb
On the houses and the boulevards
Gm
And the sidewalk bagatelles
Bb
It's like a dream
F
With the roar of cars
C Bb
And the lolling of the cafe bars
Gm Bb
The sweetly sleeping sweeping of the Seine
Gm Dm A Dm
Lord I don't know if I'll ever be back again
How to play The Legionnaires Lament
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 Dm. 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.