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Sutters Mill

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Cmajor

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Dan Fogelberg - Sutter's Mill
(## NOTE: ~ = walk down from C to Am ##)
CAPO: 3rd Fret
[Intro]
 C   Am   F   C   Am   F    C   Am   F   C~  Am   Dm7   G7  C  
CIn the Amspring Fof forty-Cseven
So the AmstoFry it is Ctold
           Am                     F      C~ Am  
Old John Sutter went to the mill site 
Found a Dm7piecG7e of shining Cgold
Well, he Amtook it Fto the Ccity
Where the AmworFd like wildfire Cspread
           Am                 F         C~ Am  
Old John Sutter soon came to wishing 
He'd left that Dm7stonG7e in the river Am7bed
Oh, they Fcame like herds of Clocusts
Every FwoCman, child and Amman
                        F       C~ Am  
In their lumbering Conestogas 
They left their Dm7tracG7k upon the Am7land
[Chorus]
Some would Ffail and some would Cprosper
Some would FdiCe and some would Amkill
                                      F            C~ Am  
Some would thank the Lord for their deliverance 
Some would Dm7cursG7e John Sutter's CMill
Well, they Amcame Ffrom New York CCity
And they Amcame Ffrom AlaCbam'
             Am                 F       C~ Am  
With their dream of finding fortune 
In this Dm7wild G7unsettled Cland
Well, some fell Amprey Fto hostile Carrows
As they AmtrieFd to cross the Cland
                Am               F            C~ Am  
And some were lost in the Rocky Mountains
With their Dm7hands G7froze to the Am7reins
[Chorus]
Some would Ffail and some would Cprosper
Some would Fdie Cand some would Amkill
                                   F            C~ Am  
Some would beg the Lord for their deliverance 
Some would Dm7cursG7e John Sutter's CMill
[Instrumental]
 C   Am   F   C   Am   F    C   Am   F   C~  Am   Dm7   G7  C  
Some pushed Amon  Fto CaliCfornia
Others AmstoppFed to take their Crest
             Am                F        C~ Am  
And by the spring of eighteen-sixty 
They had Dm7openG7ed up the Cwest
And then the AmrailroFad came beChind them
And the AmlanFd was ploughed and Ctamed
                Am                     F        C~ Am  
When old John Sutter went to meet his maker 
With not one Dm7pennG7y to his Am7name
[Chorus]
Some would Ffail and some would Cprosper
Some would Fdie Cand some would Amkill
                                   F            C~ Am  
Some would beg the Lord for their deliverance 
Some would Dm7cursG7e John Sutter's CMill
            Dm7                G7      C~ Am  
Some would curse John Sutter's Mill
Some men's Dm7thirsG7ts are never Cfilled
OUTRO:  C   Am   F   C   Am   F    C   Am   F   C~  Am   Dm7   G7  C  

All chords in this song (6)

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Sutters Mill

by Dan Fogelberg

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 3 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Dm7

Am7

Dan Fogelberg - Sutter's Mill

(## NOTE: ~ = walk down from C to Am ##)

CAPO: 3rd Fret

[Intro]

C Am F C Am F C Am F C Am Dm7 G7 C

C Am F C

In the spring of forty-seven

Am F C

So the story it is told

Am F C Am

Old John Sutter went to the mill site

Dm7 G7 C

Found a piece of shining gold

Am F C

Well, he took it to the city

Am F C

Where the word like wildfire spread

Am F C Am

Old John Sutter soon came to wishing

Dm7 G7 Am7

He'd left that stone in the river bed

F C

Oh, they came like herds of locusts

F C Am

Every woman, child and man

F C Am

In their lumbering Conestogas

Dm7 G7 Am7

They left their track upon the land

[Chorus]

F C

Some would fail and some would prosper

F C Am

Some would die and some would kill

F C Am

Some would thank the Lord for their deliverance

Dm7 G7 C

Some would curse John Sutter's Mill

Am F C

Well, they came from New York City

Am F C

And they came from Alabam'

Am F C Am

With their dream of finding fortune

Dm7 G7 C

In this wild unsettled land

Am F C

Well, some fell prey to hostile arrows

Am F C

As they tried to cross the land

Am F C Am

And some were lost in the Rocky Mountains

Dm7 G7 Am7

With their hands froze to the reins

[Chorus]

F C

Some would fail and some would prosper

F C Am

Some would die and some would kill

F C Am

Some would beg the Lord for their deliverance

Dm7 G7 C

Some would curse John Sutter's Mill

[Instrumental]

C Am F C Am F C Am F C Am Dm7 G7 C

Am F C

Some pushed on to California

Am F C

Others stopped to take their rest

Am F C Am

And by the spring of eighteen-sixty

Dm7 G7 C

They had opened up the west

Am F C

And then the railroad came behind them

Am F C

And the land was ploughed and tamed

Am F C Am

When old John Sutter went to meet his maker

Dm7 G7 Am7

With not one penny to his name

[Chorus]

F C

Some would fail and some would prosper

F C Am

Some would die and some would kill

F C Am

Some would beg the Lord for their deliverance

Dm7 G7 C

Some would curse John Sutter's Mill

Dm7 G7 C Am

Some would curse John Sutter's Mill

Dm7 G7 C

Some men's thirsts are never filled

C Am F C Am F C Am F C Am Dm7 G7 C

OUTRO: ~

About Sutters Mill Chords by Dan Fogelberg

Learn how to play Sutters Mill by Dan Fogelberg with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Sutters Mill chords”, “Sutters Mill guitar chords”, or “Dan Fogelberg Sutters Mill chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Sutters Mill chords and for experienced players who want accurate Sutters Mill lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, Am, F, Dm7, G7, Am7.

FAQ — Sutters Mill by Dan Fogelberg

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What key is "Sutters Mill" in?

The chords for "Sutters Mill" show the original chord names (including C, Am, F, Dm7, G7, Am7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.