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Night Riders Lament

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Gmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
G D
GWhile I was out a-rCidin'
TGhe graveyard shift midnight till daDwnDsus  D  
The mCoon was as bright as a reGading light
For a leDtter from an Cold friend back hGome
DHe asked me 
CWhy do you Dride for your Gmoney? 
CWhy do you Drope for short Gpay? 
You ain't gCettin' nowheDre 
And you're lGosin' your sChare C/B  Am  
Oh, you mDust've gone crazy out tGhere 
GHe said last night I ran into JenCny
GThey married and have a good liDfeDsus  D  
Oh, you suCre missed the track when you nGever came back
      ,                D              C  G  
She made the perfect professional's wife
DAnd she asked me 
CWhy does he Dride for his moGney? 
CWhy does he rDope for short pGay? 
You ain't Cgettin' nowhDere 
And you?re Glosin' your shCare C/B  Am  
Oh, you Dmust've gone crazy out Gthere
They've Cnever seDen the noGrthern lights
CNever seen a hDawk on the wGing
CNever seen the spDring hit the GGreat CDivC/BideAm  
And they ain't Dever heard old Camp Cookie sGing
GNow, I read up the last of my Cletter
GAnd tore of the stamp for Black JDimDsus  D  
Little DCougie rode up to reliGeve me
He just lDooked at my Cletter and Ggrinned
GHe asked me 
CWhy do they rDide for their mGoney? 
CWhy do they Drope for short paGy? 
They ain't Cgettin' nowhDere 
And they?re Glosin' their sChare C/B  Am  
Oh, they mDust've gone crazy out tGhere
They've Cnever sDeen the noGrthern lights
CNever seen a hDawk on the wGing
CNever seen the spDring hit the GGreat CDivC/BideAm  
And they ain't Dever heard old Camp Cookie sGing

All chords in this song (6)

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Night Riders Lament

by Nanci Griffith

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Dsus

C/B

[Intro]

G D

G C

While I was out a-ridin'

G D Dsus D

The graveyard shift midnight till dawn

C G

The moon was as bright as a reading light

D C G

For a letter from an old friend back home

He asked me

C D G

Why do you ride for your money?

C D G

Why do you rope for short pay?

C D

You ain't gettin' nowhere

G C C/B Am

And you're losin' your share

D G

Oh, you must've gone crazy out there

G C

He said last night I ran into Jenny

G D Dsus D

They married and have a good life

C G

Oh, you sure missed the track when you never came back

D C G

She made the perfect professional's wife

And she asked me

C D G

Why does he ride for his money?

C D G

Why does he rope for short pay?

C D

You ain't gettin' nowhere

G C C/B Am

And you?re losin' your share

D G

Oh, you must've gone crazy out there

C D G

They've never seen the northern lights

C D G

Never seen a hawk on the wing

C D G C C/B Am

Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide

D G

And they ain't ever heard old Camp Cookie sing

G C

Now, I read up the last of my letter

G D Dsus D

And tore of the stamp for Black Jim

C G

Little Dougie rode up to relieve me

D C G

He just looked at my letter and grinned

He asked me

C D G

Why do they ride for their money?

C D G

Why do they rope for short pay?

C D

They ain't gettin' nowhere

G C C/B Am

And they?re losin' their share

D G

Oh, they must've gone crazy out there

C D G

They've never seen the northern lights

C D G

Never seen a hawk on the wing

C D G C C/B Am

Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide

D G

And they ain't ever heard old Camp Cookie sing

About Night Riders Lament Chords by Nanci Griffith

Learn how to play Night Riders Lament by Nanci Griffith with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Night Riders Lament chords”, “Night Riders Lament guitar chords”, or “Nanci Griffith Night Riders Lament 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 Night Riders Lament chords and for experienced players who want accurate Night Riders Lament lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, D, C, Dsus, C/B, Am.

FAQ — Night Riders Lament by Nanci Griffith

How do I play "Night Riders Lament" by Nanci Griffith on guitar?

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Can I transpose "Night Riders Lament" to a different key?

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Can I see chord diagrams for "Night Riders Lament"?

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Is "Night Riders Lament" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Night Riders Lament" in?

The chords for "Night Riders Lament" show the original chord names (including G, D, C, Dsus, C/B, Am). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.