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Night Riders Lament

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Dmajor

90BPM

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[Verse 1]
WDhile I was out a-rGidin'
The gDrave yard shift, midnight 'til dAawn
The mGoon was bAright as a rDeadin' lBmight
For a lAetter from an Gold friend back Dhome.D7  
D7And he asked me
GWhy do you rAide for your mDoney?
Tell me Gwhy do you Arope for short Dpay?
You ain't gGettin' nowAhere
And you're lDosin' your sGha-G/F#a-a-aEmre
Boy, you mAust-a gone cGrazy out tDhere.
[Verse 2]
He said lDast night I ran onto JGenny
She's mDarried and has a good lAife
Boy you sGure missed the tArack
When you nDever come Bmback
She's the pAerfect profGessional's wDife.D7  
D7And she asked me
GWhy does he rAide for his mDoney?
And tell me Gwhy does he rAope for short pDay?
He ain't gGettin' nowAhere
And he's lDosin' his sGhaG/F#-a-a-Emare
He mAust've gone cGrazy out tDhere.D7  
[Chorus]
D7But they've nGever sAeen the NDorthern LBmights
NGever seen a hAawk on the wDing
They've Gnever seen sApring hit the DGreat DiGviG/F#-i-i-Emide
And they've Anever heard old Gcamp cookie Dsing.
[Verse 3]
DWell I read up the last of my lGetter
DTore off the stamp for Black AJim.
When BGilly rode Aup to reDlieve Bmme
He just lAooked at my lGetter and he gDrinned.D7  
D7And he said
GWhy do they rAide for their mDoney?
Tell me Gwhy do they rAope for short pDay?
They ain't gGettin' nowAhere
And they're lDosin' their sGhaG/F#-a-a-Emare
Yeah, they Aall must be cGrazy out Dthere.D7  
[Chorus]
D7But they've nGever sAeen the NDorthern LBmights
They've nGever seen a hAawk on the wDing
They've nGever seen sApring hit the DGreat DiGviG/F#-i-idEme
And they've nAever heard old cGamp cookie siDng.
[OUTRO]
G D A D
G D A D

All chords in this song (7)

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Night Riders Lament

by Ian Tyson

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

G/F#

[Verse 1]

D G

While I was out a-ridin'

D A

The grave yard shift, midnight 'til dawn

G A D Bm

The moon was bright as a readin' light

A G D D7

For a letter from an old friend back home.

And he asked me

G A D

Why do you ride for your money?

G A D

Tell me why do you rope for short pay?

G A

You ain't gettin' nowhere

D G G/F# Em

And you're losin' your sha-a-a-are

A G D

Boy, you must-a gone crazy out there.

[Verse 2]

D G

He said last night I ran onto Jenny

D A

She's married and has a good life

G A

Boy you sure missed the track

D Bm

When you never come back

A G D D7

She's the perfect professional's wife.

And she asked me

G A D

Why does he ride for his money?

G A D

And tell me why does he rope for short pay?

G A

He ain't gettin' nowhere

D G G/F# Em

And he's losin' his sha-a-a-are

A G D D7

He must've gone crazy out there.

[Chorus]

D7 G A D Bm

But they've never seen the Northern Lights

G A D

Never seen a hawk on the wing

G A D G G/F# Em

They've never seen spring hit the Great Divi-i-i-ide

A G D

And they've never heard old camp cookie sing.

[Verse 3]

D G

Well I read up the last of my letter

D A

Tore off the stamp for Black Jim.

G A D Bm

When Billy rode up to relieve me

A G D D7

He just looked at my letter and he grinned.

And he said

G A D

Why do they ride for their money?

G A D

Tell me why do they rope for short pay?

G A

They ain't gettin' nowhere

D G G/F# Em

And they're losin' their sha-a-a-are

A G D D7

Yeah, they all must be crazy out there.

[Chorus]

D7 G A D Bm

But they've never seen the Northern Lights

G A D

They've never seen a hawk on the wing

G A D G G/F# Em

They've never seen spring hit the Great Divi-i-ide

A G D

And they've never heard old camp cookie sing.

[OUTRO]

G D A D

About Night Riders Lament Chords by Ian Tyson

Learn how to play Night Riders Lament by Ian Tyson with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Night Riders Lament chords”, “Night Riders Lament guitar chords”, or “Ian Tyson 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 D, G, A, Bm, D7, G/F#.

FAQ — Night Riders Lament by Ian Tyson

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What key is "Night Riders Lament" in?

The chords for "Night Riders Lament" show the original chord names (including D, G, A, Bm, D7, G/F#). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.