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The Hostage

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Judy Collins - The Hostage
[Verse 1]
I'm a Dmguard in the grey iron prison, at Gleast I was 'till Dmnow
It was Gnever a picnic Bbsocial, never a Dmday
They never come in laughing and you Gknow they never taught them Dmhow
It was Gdamn hard work, and you Bbwouldn't believe the Dmpay
[Verse 2]
It was early in the morning, lord, I Gwasn't but half aDmwake
When the Gcons went nuts, and Bbtook us by surDmprise
I never was one for shaking, but I Gfound it hard to Dmstand
With a Gsix-inch blade held Bbright before my Dmeyes
[Verse 3]
We could hear a siren blowing, Gsomebody yelled in Dmpain
Then it Ggot so quiet, you could Bbhear a bird walk Dmby
They all had masks on their faces, and they Gspoke with a voice of DmCain
"If they Gcome in shooting, then you Bbknow you're bound to Dmdie"
[Verse 4]
I turned to a buddy named Willie, I said "GWillie, it'll be all Dmright
If they Gmeant to kill us we'd be Bbhalf way down to DmHell
See, they high-jacked a plane in the desert
And the Ggovernment screamed and Dmcried
But to Gsave some lives, they Bbopened up a prison Dmcell"
[Verse 5]
So the days kept coming and going, Gtension was getting Dmhigh
But I Gwasn't too worried, I Bbfigured I knew the Dmscore
I knew they were talking to someone, I Gknew they were willing to Dmtry
So I Gfigured my freedom was a Bbmatter of a day or two Dmmore
[Verse 6]
But, Jesus, early this morning, the Gwhirlybird dropped the Dmgas
It Gmade me puke and it Bbbrought me to my Dmknees
The bullets came like hailstones, I Gheard the first ones Dmpass
Then they Gcut down Willie, and they Bbgot Jim Kelly and Dmme
[Verse 7]
They come in yelling curses, like they were Gcrossing the River DmRhine
GShot down every Bbgoddamned thing they Dmsaw
And while I lay there wounded, I Gtook another one in my Dmspine
GPoor Jim Kelly took aBbnother one in his Dmjaw
[Verse 8]
They say we had our throats cut by a Gband of desperate Dmmen
GSay they saved as Bbmany of us as they Dmcould
Well, the governor he should know it, but I Gthink I'll say it aDmgain
That the Ggovernor cut my Bbthroat and he cut it Dmgood
[Verse 9]
Let them take the governor, hold Ghim for a couple of Dmdays
GSee who goes in Bbshooting to set him Dmfree
Hell, they'd open every jail in the country, they'd Gsend them on their Dmway
They'd Gnever do to Bbhim what the governor done to Dmme

All chords in this song (3)

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The Hostage

by Judy Collins

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Judy Collins - The Hostage

[Verse 1]

Dm G Dm

I'm a guard in the grey iron prison, at least I was 'till now

G Bb Dm

It was never a picnic social, never a day

G Dm

They never come in laughing and you know they never taught them how

G Bb Dm

It was damn hard work, and you wouldn't believe the pay

[Verse 2]

G Dm

It was early in the morning, lord, I wasn't but half awake

G Bb Dm

When the cons went nuts, and took us by surprise

G Dm

I never was one for shaking, but I found it hard to stand

G Bb Dm

With a six-inch blade held right before my eyes

[Verse 3]

G Dm

We could hear a siren blowing, somebody yelled in pain

G Bb Dm

Then it got so quiet, you could hear a bird walk by

G Dm

They all had masks on their faces, and they spoke with a voice of Cain

G Bb Dm

"If they come in shooting, then you know you're bound to die"

[Verse 4]

G Dm

I turned to a buddy named Willie, I said "Willie, it'll be all right

G Bb Dm

If they meant to kill us we'd be half way down to Hell

See, they high-jacked a plane in the desert

G Dm

And the government screamed and cried

G Bb Dm

But to save some lives, they opened up a prison cell"

[Verse 5]

G Dm

So the days kept coming and going, tension was getting high

G Bb Dm

But I wasn't too worried, I figured I knew the score

G Dm

I knew they were talking to someone, I knew they were willing to try

G Bb Dm

So I figured my freedom was a matter of a day or two more

[Verse 6]

G Dm

But, Jesus, early this morning, the whirlybird dropped the gas

G Bb Dm

It made me puke and it brought me to my knees

G Dm

The bullets came like hailstones, I heard the first ones pass

G Bb Dm

Then they cut down Willie, and they got Jim Kelly and me

[Verse 7]

G Dm

They come in yelling curses, like they were crossing the River Rhine

G Bb Dm

Shot down every goddamned thing they saw

G Dm

And while I lay there wounded, I took another one in my spine

G Bb Dm

Poor Jim Kelly took another one in his jaw

[Verse 8]

G Dm

They say we had our throats cut by a band of desperate men

G Bb Dm

Say they saved as many of us as they could

G Dm

Well, the governor he should know it, but I think I'll say it again

G Bb Dm

That the governor cut my throat and he cut it good

[Verse 9]

G Dm

Let them take the governor, hold him for a couple of days

G Bb Dm

See who goes in shooting to set him free

G Dm

Hell, they'd open every jail in the country, they'd send them on their way

G Bb Dm

They'd never do to him what the governor done to me

About The Hostage Chords by Judy Collins

Learn how to play The Hostage by Judy Collins with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “The Hostage chords”, “The Hostage guitar chords”, or “Judy Collins The Hostage 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 The Hostage chords and for experienced players who want accurate The Hostage lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Dm, G, Bb.

FAQ — The Hostage by Judy Collins

How do I play "The Hostage" by Judy Collins on guitar?

Open the free chords for "The Hostage" by Judy Collins on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

Are the chords for "The Hostage" by Judy Collins free?

Yes. The chords for "The Hostage" by Judy Collins are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "The Hostage" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "The Hostage" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "The Hostage"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "The Hostage" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "The Hostage" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "The Hostage" by Judy Collins with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Judy Collins below.

What key is "The Hostage" in?

The chords for "The Hostage" show the original chord names (including Dm, G, Bb). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.