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Birches

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Cmajor

90BPM

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[Intro]
C  G  Em    Dm   F  G
[Verse]
They Csat at each end of the couch
And Emwatched as the fire burned down
So Dmquiet on this winter's night
Not a Fporch light on for Gmiles around
[Verse]
Then he Csaid, "I think I'll fill the stove
EmIt's getting time for bed"
DmShe looked up, "I think I'll have some wine
How 'bout Fyou?" she asked, and Ghe declined
[Verse]
C"Warren," she said
"Maybe just Emfor tonight
Let's Dmfill the stove with birches
And Fwatch as the fire Gburns bright
[Verse]
CHow long has it been?
It's Embeen quite a while
DmPour yourself half a glass and
FStay with me a Glittle while"
[Verse]
And CWarren, he shook his head
As if Emshe'd made some kind of joke
"DmBirches? On a winter night?
FNo, we'll fill the Gstove with oak"
[Verse]
"COak will burn as long and hot
As a EmJuly afternoon
DmBirch will burn Fitself out
By the Grising of the moon"
[Verse]
"CAnd you hate a cold house same as me
EmAm I right or not?"
"DmAll right, all right that's Ftrue"
She said, "GIt was just a thought"
[Verse]
Then she said, "CWarren, you do look tired
Maybe Emyou should go up to bed
DmI'll take care of the wood tonight"
"FOak", he told her, "GOak", she said
[Verse]
CShe listened to his footsteps
As he Emclimbed up the stairs
Then she Dmpulled a sweater on her and
FSet her wine glass Gon a chair
[Verse]
She Cwalked down the cellar to the wood-box
It was Emcold as an ice chest
Then Dmclimbed back up with Ffour logs
Each as white as a Gwedding dress
[Verse]
And she Cfilled the stove and poured the wine
Then she Emsat down on the floor
DmShe curled her legs beneath her
FAs the fire sprang to Glife once more
[Verse]
And it Cfilled the room with it's hungry light
And it Emcracked as it drew air
And the Dmshadows danced a Fjittery waltz
Like no one else was Gthere
[Verse]
She Cstood up in the heat, and
She Emtwirled around the room
And the Dmshadows, they saw Fnothing
But a young girl on her Ghoneymoon
[Verse]
And she Cknew the time, it would be short
Soon the Emfire would start to fade
She Dmthought of heat, she Fthought of time
She Gcalled it an even Ctrade

All chords in this song (5)

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Birches

by Mark Erelli

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

C G Em Dm F G

[Verse]

They sat at each end of the couch

And watched as the fire burned down

So quiet on this winter's night

F G

Not a porch light on for miles around

[Verse]

Then he said, "I think I'll fill the stove

It's getting time for bed"

She looked up, "I think I'll have some wine

F G

How 'bout you?" she asked, and he declined

[Verse]

"Warren," she said

"Maybe just for tonight

Let's fill the stove with birches

F G

And watch as the fire burns bright

[Verse]

How long has it been?

It's been quite a while

Pour yourself half a glass and

F G

Stay with me a little while"

[Verse]

And Warren, he shook his head

As if she'd made some kind of joke

"Birches? On a winter night?

F G

No, we'll fill the stove with oak"

[Verse]

"Oak will burn as long and hot

As a July afternoon

Dm F

Birch will burn itself out

By the rising of the moon"

[Verse]

"And you hate a cold house same as me

Am I right or not?"

Dm F

"All right, all right that's true"

She said, "It was just a thought"

[Verse]

Then she said, "Warren, you do look tired

Maybe you should go up to bed

I'll take care of the wood tonight"

F G

"Oak", he told her, "Oak", she said

[Verse]

She listened to his footsteps

As he climbed up the stairs

Then she pulled a sweater on her and

F G

Set her wine glass on a chair

[Verse]

She walked down the cellar to the wood-box

It was cold as an ice chest

Dm F

Then climbed back up with four logs

Each as white as a wedding dress

[Verse]

And she filled the stove and poured the wine

Then she sat down on the floor

She curled her legs beneath her

F G

As the fire sprang to life once more

[Verse]

And it filled the room with it's hungry light

And it cracked as it drew air

Dm F

And the shadows danced a jittery waltz

Like no one else was there

[Verse]

She stood up in the heat, and

She twirled around the room

Dm F

And the shadows, they saw nothing

But a young girl on her honeymoon

[Verse]

And she knew the time, it would be short

Soon the fire would start to fade

Dm F

She thought of heat, she thought of time

G C

She called it an even trade

About Birches Chords by Mark Erelli

Learn how to play Birches by Mark Erelli with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Birches chords”, “Birches guitar chords”, or “Mark Erelli Birches 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 Birches chords and for experienced players who want accurate Birches lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, G, Em, Dm, F, Am.

FAQ — Birches by Mark Erelli

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What key is "Birches" in?

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