1913 Massacre


Fairly simple and pretty freely played Just about the entire song is played with one pattern: E |--------- B |-----0--- G |-------0- D |---0----- A |--0------ E |--------- ie, A: E |--------- B |-----2--- G |-------2- D |---2----- A |--0------ E |--------- A: X0222X (maybe easier if barred) Bm'(?):X0443X D: X0023X G: X2003X played with capo II (sounding key, E) A BmA Take a trip with me in nineteen thirteen D G A To Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country. BmA I'll take you to a place called Italian Hall D G A Where the miners are having their big Christmas ball. A BmA I'll take you through a door, and up a high stairs. D G A Singing and dancing is heard everywhere, BmA I will let you shake hands with the people you see D G A And watch the kids dance round that big Christmas tree. BmA You ask about work and you ask about pay; D G A They'll tell you that they make less than a dollar a day, BmA Working the copper claims, risking their lives, D G A So it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives. A BmA There's talking and laughing and songs in the air, D G A And the spirit of Christmas is there everywhere, BmA Before you know it, you're friends with us all D G A And you're dancing around and around in the hall. A BmA Well, a little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights D G A To play the piano, so you gotta keep quiet. BmA To hear all this fun you would not realize D G A That the copper-boss thug-men are milling outside. A BmA The copper-boss thugs stuck their heads in the door D G A One of them yelled and he screamed, "There's a fire!" BmA A lady, she hollered, "There's no such a thing! D G A Keep on with your party, there's no such a thing." A BmA A few people rushed, and it was only a few D G A "It's only the thugs and the scabs fooling you." BmA A man grabbed his daughter and carried her down D G A But the thugs held the door and they could not get out. A BmA And then others followed, a hundred or more D G A But most everybody remained on the floor. BmA The gun-thugs they laughed at their murderous joke, D G A While the children were smothered on the stair by the door. A BmA Such a terrible sight I never did see D G A We carried our children back up to their tree. BmA The scabs outside still laughed at their spree D G A And the children that died there were seventy-three. A BmA The piano played a slow funeral tune D G A And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon, BmA The parents they cried and the miners they moaned, D G A "See what your greed for money has done." -Tabbed by Ryon Castro Comments or suggestions, e-mail to depthcharge6000@hotmail.com Go easy on me; first tab.