Black Day In July keyboard

Black Day In July

• Em

Gordon Lightfoot

                         BLACK DAY IN JULY

Em             D    Em        D              G                Em
Black day in July, motor city madness has touched the countryside
       C                     Em            C               Em
And through the smoke and cinders, you can hear it far and wide
      C                 Em              C              Em
The doors are quickly bolted and the children locked inside 
D             Em
Black day in July.

Em             D            Em            D        G               Em
Black day in July, and the soul of Motor City is bared across the land
        C               Em        C           Em  
As the book of law and order is taken in the hands
        C             Em               C             Em 
Of the sons of the fathers who were carried to this land
D             Em 
Black day in July.

Em             D            Em              D                G
Black day in July, in the streets of Motor City there is a deadly silent
  Em
sound
         C         Em                 C                Em
And the body of a dead youth, lies stretched upon the ground
C                  Em         C             Em
Upon the filthy pavement no reason can be found 
D             Em
Black day in July.

Em            D      Em         D           G                 Em
Black day in July, Motor City madness has touched the countryside
           C            Em              C              Em
And the people rise in anger and the streets begin to fill
               C               Em               C               Em 
And there's gunfire from the rooftops and the blood begins to spill 
D             Em
Black day in July.
 

Interlude #1:

          Em             G
In the mansion of the governor
          Em              G
There's nothing that is known for sure
         Em         G
The telephone is ringing
          Em           G
And the pendulum is swinging
           Em             G
And they wonder how it happened
           Em             G
And they really know the reason
         Em                G
And it wasn't just the temperature
         Em              G
And it wasn't just the season 
D             Em 
Black day in July.


Em             D    Em            D               G                 Em 
Black day in July, Motor City's burning and the flames are running wild
        C               Em            C            Em
They reflect upon the waters of the river and the lake
        C           Em            C       Em
And everyone is listening and everyone's awake 
D             Em
Black day in July.

Em             D          Em                D             G
Black day in July, the printing press is turning and the news is quickly
Em 
flashed
         C                 Em            C               Em  
And you read your morning paper and you sip your cup of tea 
          C              Em           C           Em  
And you wonder just in passing is it him or is it me 
D             Em 
Black day in July.
 

Interlude #2:

         Em             G  
In the office of the President
     Em                G
The deed is done the troops are sent
          Em              G
There's really not much choice you see
     Em                G
It looks to us like anarchy
     Em                 G
And then the tanks go rolling in
     Em                 G 
To patch things up as best they can
      Em                G
There is no time to hesitate
      Em                G
The speech is made the dues can wait 
D             Em
Black day in July.


Em            D          Em              D            G          Em
Black day in July, the streets of Motor City now are quiet and serene
          C                 Em              C            Em
But the shapes of gutted buildings strike terror to the heart
         C               Em            C               Em
And you say how did it happen and you say how did it start
     C                  Em         C                Em
Why can't we all be brothers, why can't we live in peace
          C           Em              C             Em
But the hands of the have-nots keep falling out of reach
D             Em
Black day in July.

Em            D     Em           D
Black day in July, black day in July. 

x

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