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Third Reel

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Cmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
C G Am G Bb Am F G
C G Am F C G F G
[Verse 1]
Well, they've Ctorn up the Gstreets and
AmBurned off the Gfields,
And Bbturned all the Amdogs to the Fwoods;G  
They Amtook up the Gcross
But they Amlost the third rFeel
And the Cpicture was jGust getting Fgood;
AmEvening is cCrawling,
FSummer is FmLost
- They're dCragging the Empond for it Amnow,F  
They've Cpainted the Gwindows all Amshut
And the Ffrost has
CWarmed everytGhing up someChow
[Chorus 1]
And you can Fask me for Emnothing at Gall
And FI'll always Cbe what you Gplease,
You can Amnever leave nCothing behiDnd you
And FI always Gwill love LCouise
[Interlude]
 G Am G Bb Am F  G
[Verse 2]
You've Cseen this beforeG  
And to Amhear you tell,G  
It's Bbnot worth the Amtears or the rFain;G  
There's Cnothing worth Gkeeping
But Amnothing you'd Fsell,
Though you'd trade it Call for a Gseat on the Ftrain;
When your Ambreath can be Gseen
It Fhangs at your Fmknees
But Craises itEmself like a cAmrow,F  
You can Cjump for your Glife
From your Amplace in the Ftrees
But you'd Cdo well to jGust watch it Cgo
[Chorus 2]
And you can Fask me for Emnothing at Gall
And FI'll always Cbe what you Gplease,
You can Amnever leave nCothing behiDnd you
And FI always Gwill love LCouise
[Interlude]
 G Am G Bb Am F  G
[Verse 3]
You can Csend me aloneG  
To the Amshed after Gdark,
Lay me dBbown in mAmy Easter CFlothes,G  
Or Csend them aGlong
To my fAmolks with your pFrayers
But Csave me at leGast one of tFhose;
You can Ammake me your oGnly one
Or Fleave me toFmday
And Csend no more Gmail than Amyou do,F  
I may Cnever be Gable
To Amreach you this Fway
But I Calways will Greach out to yCou
[Chorus 3]
And you can Fask me for Emnothing at Gall
And FI'll always Cbe what you Gplease,
You can Amnever leave nCothing behiDnd you
And FI always Gwill love LBbouiseAm  
I Falways Gwill love CLouise
[Outro]
G Am G F G C

All chords in this song (8)

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Third Reel

by Joe Henry

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

C G Am G Bb Am F G

C G Am F C G F G

[Verse 1]

C G

Well, they've torn up the streets and

Am G

Burned off the fields,

Bb Am F G

And turned all the dogs to the woods;

Am G

They took up the cross

Am F

But they lost the third reel

C G F

And the picture was just getting good;

Am C

Evening is crawling,

F Fm

Summer is Lost

C Em Am F

- They're dragging the pond for it now,

C G Am

They've painted the windows all shut

And the frost has

C G C

Warmed everything up somehow

[Chorus 1]

F Em G

And you can ask me for nothing at all

F C G

And I'll always be what you please,

Am C D

You can never leave nothing behind you

F G C

And I always will love Louise

[Interlude]

G Am G Bb Am F G

[Verse 2]

C G

You've seen this before

Am G

And to hear you tell,

Bb Am F G

It's not worth the tears or the rain;

C G

There's nothing worth keeping

Am F

But nothing you'd sell,

C G F

Though you'd trade it all for a seat on the train;

Am G

When your breath can be seen

F Fm

It hangs at your knees

C Em Am F

But raises itself like a crow,

C G

You can jump for your life

Am F

From your place in the trees

C G C

But you'd do well to just watch it go

[Chorus 2]

F Em G

And you can ask me for nothing at all

F C G

And I'll always be what you please,

Am C D

You can never leave nothing behind you

F G C

And I always will love Louise

[Interlude]

G Am G Bb Am F G

[Verse 3]

C G

You can send me alone

Am G

To the shed after dark,

Bb Am F G

Lay me down in my Easter Clothes,

C G

Or send them along

Am F

To my folks with your prayers

C G F

But save me at least one of those;

Am G

You can make me your only one

F Fm

Or leave me today

C G Am F

And send no more mail than you do,

C G

I may never be able

Am F

To reach you this way

C G C

But I always will reach out to you

[Chorus 3]

F Em G

And you can ask me for nothing at all

F C G

And I'll always be what you please,

Am C D

You can never leave nothing behind you

F G Bb Am

And I always will love Louise

F G C

I always will love Louise

[Outro]

G Am G F G C

About Third Reel Chords by Joe Henry

Learn how to play Third Reel by Joe Henry with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Third Reel chords”, “Third Reel guitar chords”, or “Joe Henry Third Reel 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 Third Reel chords and for experienced players who want accurate Third Reel lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, G, Am, Bb, F, Fm.

FAQ — Third Reel by Joe Henry

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What key is "Third Reel" in?

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