Now playing

Lights Of Cheyenne

Chords

4.679 votes

Listen

YouTubeYouTube SpotifySpotify AppleApple Music

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

LIGHTS OF CHEYENNE - JAMES MCMURTRY
Capo I
       D4xx0233         G/F#220033
    Cadd9x32033            G320033
      Em7022033
[Verse 1]
       Cadd9Look Goff down the highway at the Cadd9glittering Glights
       Cadd9Like Gwindshield Em7glass on the shoulder toD4night
       As the dCadd9iesels come  grinding on D4up from the Em7plains
       All bGunched up like pearCadd9ls on a stringD4  
       And I guess Gtime don't mean nothin', not nCadd9othin' at allG  
       Cadd9And oGut on the Em7horizon the broken stars fD4all
       Cadd9Old broken stars, they fall D4down on the lEm7and
       And gGet mixed Cadd9together with the lD4ights of CheyGenne
[Verse 2]
       Cadd9Well, I've Gbeen up all night and I'm Cadd9down on my Gback
       Cadd9WGorkin' the cEm7ounter to take up the D4slack
       'Cause the mCadd9oney tree's light and the D4whiskey stream's Em7low
       You Gain't worked a Cadd9week since JulyD4  
       You say the gGravel pit's hiring Cadd9after the Gfirst
       Cadd9But you Gdon't have the Em7nature for that kind of D4work
       You Cadd9might get hired on but you D4won't make a haEm7nd
       And I'll Gstill be here Cadd9lookin' at the D4lights of CheyGenne
[Chorus]
You D4stand in the sky
with your Cadd9feet on the Gground
D4Never suspectin' a Cadd9thing
But if the D4sky were to
move you might Cadd9never be Gfound
Em7Never be G/F#heard from aCadd9gain
[Verse 3]
       Cadd9We gGo on good behavior when our Cadd9youngest comes Ghome
       Cadd9She Gcomes up from Em7Boulder but she never stays D4long
       And that Cadd9oldest still fights me like D4she was 1Em78
       Stopped Gin for a 6-pack Cadd9a while agoD4  
       And she's got a cGowboy problem and this Cadd9last one's a Gsight
       Cadd9All Gdressed up like Em7Gunsmoke for Saturday nD4ight
       And they were Cadd9off to the bars for D4lack of a plaEm7n
       GRacing the Cadd9stars to the D4lights of CheyGenne
[Solo]
[Verse 4]
       Cadd9And you've Gkept all that meanness Cadd9inside you so Glong
       Cadd9You'd Gfight with a Em7fence post if it looked at you D4wrong
       Well, the Cadd9post won't hit back, and it D4won't call the Em7law
       I lGook at you right, or I doCadd9n't look at allD4  
       Now take a Gcrumpled up soft pack and Cadd9give it a Gshake
       Cadd9OGut by the Em7dumpster on a cigarette D4break
       With Cadd9one eye swelled up from the D4back of your Em7hand
       And the Gother eye Cadd9fixed on the D4lights of CheyGenne
[Chorus]
You D4stand in the sky
with your Cadd9feet on the Gground
D4Never suspectin' a Cadd9thing
But if the D4sky were to
move you might Cadd9never be Gfound
Em7Never be G/F#heard from aCadd9gain
[Verse 5]
       Cadd9Now there's Gantelope grazing in Cadd9range of my gunG  
       Cadd9Come Gopening weekend you Em7won't see a oneD4  
       They'll Cadd9vanish like ghosts 'cause D4somehow they Em7know
       But now Gthey're up to the fencCadd9e in the early D4dawn
       And it's Gwarming up nicely for Cadd9this time of yeaGr
       Cadd9The Gcreeks are still Em7frozen but the roads are all D4clear
       And I Cadd9don't have it in me to D4make one more Em7stand
       Though I Gnever much Cadd9cared for the D4lights of CheyGenne

All chords in this song (5)

🎸 Tips from players

Got a tip for playing this song — capo position, easier chords, strumming? Be the first to share one.

Chord Book

670,000+ free guitar chords · free-chords.com

Lights Of Cheyenne

by James McMurtry

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 1 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

G/F#

Cadd9

Em7

LIGHTS OF CHEYENNE - JAMES MCMURTRY

Capo I

D4 G/F#

xx0233 220033

Cadd9 G

x32033 320033

Em7

022033

[Verse 1]

Cadd9 G Cadd9 G

Look off down the highway at the glittering lights

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

Like windshield glass on the shoulder tonight

Cadd9 D4 Em7

As the diesels come grinding on up from the plains

G Cadd9 D4

All bunched up like pearls on a string

G Cadd9 G

And I guess time don't mean nothin', not nothin' at all

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

And out on the horizon the broken stars fall

Cadd9 D4 Em7

Old broken stars, they fall down on the land

G Cadd9 D4 G

And get mixed together with the lights of Cheyenne

[Verse 2]

Cadd9 G Cadd9 G

Well, I've been up all night and I'm down on my back

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

Workin' the counter to take up the slack

Cadd9 D4 Em7

'Cause the money tree's light and the whiskey stream's low

G Cadd9 D4

You ain't worked a week since July

G Cadd9 G

You say the gravel pit's hiring after the first

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

But you don't have the nature for that kind of work

Cadd9 D4 Em7

You might get hired on but you won't make a hand

G Cadd9 D4 G

And I'll still be here lookin' at the lights of Cheyenne

[Chorus]

You stand in the sky

Cadd9 G

with your feet on the ground

D4 Cadd9

Never suspectin' a thing

But if the sky were to

Cadd9 G

move you might never be found

Em7 G/F# Cadd9

Never be heard from again

[Verse 3]

Cadd9 G Cadd9 G

We go on good behavior when our youngest comes home

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

She comes up from Boulder but she never stays long

Cadd9 D4 Em7

And that oldest still fights me like she was 18

G Cadd9 D4

Stopped in for a 6-pack a while ago

G Cadd9 G

And she's got a cowboy problem and this last one's a sight

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

All dressed up like Gunsmoke for Saturday night

Cadd9 D4 Em7

And they were off to the bars for lack of a plan

G Cadd9 D4 G

Racing the stars to the lights of Cheyenne

[Solo]

[Verse 4]

Cadd9 G Cadd9 G

And you've kept all that meanness inside you so long

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

You'd fight with a fence post if it looked at you wrong

Cadd9 D4 Em7

Well, the post won't hit back, and it won't call the law

G Cadd9 D4

I look at you right, or I don't look at all

G Cadd9 G

Now take a crumpled up soft pack and give it a shake

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

Out by the dumpster on a cigarette break

Cadd9 D4 Em7

With one eye swelled up from the back of your hand

G Cadd9 D4 G

And the other eye fixed on the lights of Cheyenne

[Chorus]

You stand in the sky

Cadd9 G

with your feet on the ground

D4 Cadd9

Never suspectin' a thing

But if the sky were to

Cadd9 G

move you might never be found

Em7 G/F# Cadd9

Never be heard from again

[Verse 5]

Cadd9 G Cadd9 G

Now there's antelope grazing in range of my gun

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

Come opening weekend you won't see a one

Cadd9 D4 Em7

They'll vanish like ghosts 'cause somehow they know

G Cadd9 D4

But now they're up to the fence in the early dawn

G Cadd9 G

And it's warming up nicely for this time of year

Cadd9 G Em7 D4

The creeks are still frozen but the roads are all clear

Cadd9 D4 Em7

And I don't have it in me to make one more stand

G Cadd9 D4 G

Though I never much cared for the lights of Cheyenne

About Lights Of Cheyenne Chords by James McMurtry

Learn how to play Lights Of Cheyenne by James McMurtry with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Lights Of Cheyenne chords”, “Lights Of Cheyenne guitar chords”, or “James McMurtry Lights Of Cheyenne 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 Lights Of Cheyenne chords and for experienced players who want accurate Lights Of Cheyenne lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D4, G/F#, Cadd9, G, Em7.

FAQ — Lights Of Cheyenne by James McMurtry

How do I play "Lights Of Cheyenne" by James McMurtry on guitar?

Open the free chords for "Lights Of Cheyenne" by James McMurtry 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 "Lights Of Cheyenne" by James McMurtry free?

Yes. The chords for "Lights Of Cheyenne" by James McMurtry are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "Lights Of Cheyenne" to a different key?

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

Can I see chord diagrams for "Lights Of Cheyenne"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "Lights Of Cheyenne" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Lights Of Cheyenne" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Lights Of Cheyenne" by James McMurtry with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by James McMurtry below.

What key is "Lights Of Cheyenne" in?

The chords for "Lights Of Cheyenne" show the original chord names (including D4, G/F#, Cadd9, G, Em7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.