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One Man Revolution Album
The Nightwatchman
Text File
This is posted on www.ratm.com. I take no credit for it.
The Nightwatchman Guitar tablature
Californias Dark TABS
Capo 2nd Fret
E
It started in basements
A
And it started in sheds
E
It started in backyards
A E
And was hidden under beds
E7
I turned on the TV
A sus 4 E
Don't believe a word they say
E7
We can't stay here
A sus 4 E
And we can't get away
A E
There's a riot on Sunset
A E
And fires burn in the park
A E D sus 4 D
The sun has set my friend
A E
And California's dark
And over the screaming
I heard a clear voice
I looked at my choices
And I made a choice
Smoke and ashes
Tonight hide the stars
The stop lights are red now, love
We've come for what's ours
There's a riot on Sunset
And fires burn in the park
The sun has set my friend
And California's dark
E
Come stand among the rattlesnakes
At the side of the desert road
And close your eyes and listen
A E
To the music hard and cold
Tonight the moon is blackened
Tonight the doors are shut
Behind the shuttered windows
A E
We pray the sun will come up
E7
For something walks across these fields
For which there is no name
You might have heard different
A
But I was there when it came
E7
It will start with a spark
And a great fire will grow
Don't know how I know it
A
But I just know
There's a riot on Sunset
And fires burn in the park
The sun sets everywhere
And the whole damn country's dark
There's a riot on Sunset
And fires burn in the park
The sun has set my friend
And California's dark
Outro
E A G E
One Man Revolution
Capo 2nd Fret
F# minor
On the streets of New York
The cabs don't stop
A
On the street where I live
E
They called the cops
B minor
Found a noose in my garage
Now how 'bout that
C# minor
So tonight I'm in the bushes
With a baseball bat
F# minor
Cause I'm a one man
A
I'm a one man
E
I'm a one man revolution
B minor
I'm a one man
C# minor
I'm a one man
F# minor
I'm a one man revolution
The time is nigh
A
The day is dark
E
There's only one solution
B minor
I'm a one man
C# minor
I'm a one man
F# minor
I'm a one man revolution
On the streets of Havana
I got hugged and kissed
At the Playboy Mansion
I wasn't on the list
On the streets of Cape Town
Shit's ready to blow
I don't know how to get there
But I'm ready to go
Cause I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
The time is nigh
The day is dark
There's only one solution
I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
D A
Sacrifice and neon lights
E F# minor
Slaveships don't wait
D A
Love many, trust few
E C# minor
And don't be late
F# minor
In my nightmares
The streets are aflame
And in my dreams
It's much the same
And on the streets of L.A.
They know my name
And if you've come this far mister
E
Maybe we're one and the same
I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
The time is nigh
The day is dark
There's only one solution
I'm a one man
I'm a one man
I'm a one man revolution
Let Freedom Ring
Capo 4th Fret
Intro
G C C/B A minor
G G/F# E minor
E minor
There's a man homeless and hungry
A minor E minor
There's a wind that's hard and biting
There's a song in need of singing
A minor E minor
There's a fuse in need of lighting
G E minor
It's no secret the day is coming
G E minor
And it's a day I hope to see
But if they ask
If they ask you brother
A minor
Who told you that
E minor
You didn't hear it from me
G
Let Freedom Ring
C C/B A minor
Let Freedom Ring
A minor
Let Freedom Ring
G G/F# E minor
Let Freedom Ring
There's a book with seven seals
There's a beast with seven heads
There's seven angels on seven horses
There's seven vials with seven plagues
So if you hear
If you hear a knocking
On that door
Just let it be
But if they ask
If they ask you brother
Who told you that
You didn't hear it from me
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Where the righteous
Where the righteous stood
And where the righteous
Where the righteous fell
There's a voice
That's soft and whispering
Coming from the bottom of the well
And I tried hard to remember
To remember what that voice said
Over and over
Over and over
I repeated those words
Inside my head
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring
Eminor
And if they ask
If they ask you brother
A minor
Who told you that
E minor
Tell them it was me
The Road I Must Travel
E B
Well I climbed the seven summits
C# minor B
And I swam the seven seas
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
I fought in the jungles
C# minor B
And I fought in the streets
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
Once I had a reason
C# minor B
Don't know what it could be
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
Well I sang to myself
C# minor B
That I want to be free
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
E B
I walked the empty desert
C# minor
And I was burned in the heat
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
I crossed the frozen wasteland
C# minor B
And in the bitter cold did freeze
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
And I will knock on every door
C# minor B
For I do not have a key
C# minor A
And the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
Well I sang to myself
C# minor B
That I want to be free
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
E B
They shot a man in Soho
C# minor B
Couldn't guess his age
C# minor A
I found his empty journal
E
I filled up every page
B
I called up my state senator
C# minor B
They said he wasn't there
C# minor A
The secretary took my name
E
And man she sounded scared
B
So I counted my misfortunes
C# minor B
I added up the blame
C# minor A
I picked through all the garbage
E
I checked off all the names
B
I read in the newspaper
C# minor B
They'd questioned all my friends
C# minor A
They hoped that they could find me
E
Before I struck again
B
Well I sang to myself
C# minor B
That I want to be free
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
E B
So when thirsty I will drink
C# minor B
When hungry I will steal
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
So tonight I walk in anger
C# minor B
With worn shoes on my feet
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
And I will sing to myself
C# minor B
That I'm gonna be free
C# minor A
But the road I must travel
E
Its end I cannot see
B
There's a sign along the highway
C# minor B
But it's too dark now to read
C# minor A E
The Garden of Gethsemane
Capo 4th Fret
A minor G
On the side of the dirt road
A minor
An old Chevy wreck
G
I climbed through the window
A minor
I sat in the back
G
I gathered my thoughts
A minor
With my head in my hands
G
My next of kin
A minor
My list of demands
C G A minor
I slipped from shadow to shadow
C G A minor
I saw things I should not see
C G
The moon rose high
E minor D
Over the Garden
C G A minor
The Garden of Gethsemane
I know who I'm for
And who I'm against
I pulled the shades tight
I built me a fence
I dug a tunnel
Deep and wide
I sit at the bottom
And wait for the night
I slipped from shadow to shadow
I saw things I should not see
The moon rose high
Over the Garden
The Garden of Gethsemane
Morning has come
Clean clothes on the line
There'll be no tomorrow
I rise and I shine
If you swallow the coin
From the wishing well
Your dreams will come true
In heaven or hell
I slipped from shadow to shadow
I saw things I should not see
The moon rose high
Over the Garden
The Garden of Gethsemane
Take my hand
Down we go
Take my hand, love
Down we go
House gone up in Flames
Tuned down ½ step
D minor
It's in the grain of the wood
It's in the needle's rust
C
It's in the eagle's claw
D minor
It's in the eyes you trust
It's in the jackal's dreams
It's in the sleet and the hail
C
It's in the unmarked box
D minor
That came today in the mail
It's in the dead man's pocket
It's in the child's first sin
C
It's in the Constitution
D minor
Written in very small print
It's in Colin Powell's lies
It's in the shaman's trance
C
It's in the cellar waiting
D minor
And it's in the best laid plans
F C
We could cut and run
D minor
And take half the blame
C
Don't stop now
G
That's why we came
House gone up in flames
It's in the National Anthem
It's in the scurrying roach
It's in the closed partition
'Tween first class and coach
It's in the relentless fever
It's in the lonely room
It's in the hands of fate
And it's in the pharaoh's tomb
It's in the rich man's dreams
It's in the poor man's hands
It's in the body bags
Along the Rio Grande
It's in the evening shade
It's on the zealot's tongue
It's in the widow's tears
And it's in the miner's lungs
We could cut and run
And take half the blame
Don't stop now
That's why we came
House gone up in flames
It's in the moon's dark spin
It's in the cloudless sky
It was in St. Peter's denial
That he'd thrice deny
It's in the distant thunder
It's in the whispered prayer
That they won't find us hidden here
Beneath the stairs
So consider yourself lucky
And watch what you say
I got what I wanted
You might get the same
It's in the bold print nailed
To the cathedral door
It's in the black cold pressure
On the ocean floor
We could cut and run
And take half the blame
Don't stop now
That's why we came
House gone up in flames
Flesh Shapes the Day
E
Now you might have heard different
But I know it's a fact
That Jesus, Mary, Joseph
And the Apostle Paul were black
A
Ten letters I am writing
Each one reads the same
E
Nine circles I am drawing
One around your name
B
Land and freedom
Steel and faith
A
Tooth and bone and wire
E
Skin, scar, dirt and fire
B
It doesn't matter who you are
A
It does not matter what you say
G E G E G E
Flesh shapes the day
Now it's clear as a pillar of smoke
And broken Starbuck's glass
Yeah, I support my troops
They wave black flags
They wear black masks
All the roads are closed
Smoke is rising from the fields
The monsters left their cages
An angel set them free
Land and freedom
Steel and faith
Tooth and bone and wire
Skin, scar, dirt and fire
It doesn't matter who you are
It does not matter what you say
Flesh shapes the day
A G E X6
Veteran's hospitals
And witches spells
Low to buy
And high to sell
And little girls
Collecting shells
And memories
Upon the shelves
And ringing bells
And high school choirs
And faithful dogs
Beside the fire
And billionaires
And open bars
And early exits
And judgments hard
And land and freedom
And steel and faith
And tooth and bone and wire
And skin, scar, dirt and fire
It doesn't matter who you are
Does not matter what the fuck you say
Flesh shapes the day
Battle Hymns
Capo 3rd fret
D minor F
Battle hymns for the broken
B flat A minor
Battle hymns for the misled
C A
Battle hymns for the wretched
D minor
The forgotten and the dead
F
Battle hymns of redemption
B flat A minor
Of solidarity and pride
C A
Battle hymns we will be singing
D minor
At the turning of the tide
D minor F C
D minor
Can you explain to the mothers
F
And the fathers of those
C
Who come riding home in coffins
D minor
In their military clothes
D minor
Shiny medals pinned
F
To their dead teenage chests
C
While the trumpets blare
D minor
And you lie your best
So ask all you want
F
From the dusk til the dawn
C
The answer's still no
D minor
Cause brother I'm gone
Battle hymns for the broken
Battle hymns for the misled
Battle hymns for the wretched
The forgotten and the dead
Battle hymns of redemption
Of solidarity and pride
Battle hymns we will be singing
At the turning of the tide
F C A
Can you explain away the sleight of hand
And the criminality
Of spending souls for oil
Well in the mirror I can see
I am the path that leads down
I am a dark and bloody hall
I'm the reaper, executioner
Hangman, judge, and the law
So tie a yellow ribbon
Round the oak tree on the lawn
But the cavalry's not comin'
Cause brother they're gone
Battle hymns for the broken
Battle hymns for the misled
Battle hymns for the wretched
The forgotten and the dead
Battle hymns of redemption
Of solidarity and pride
Battle hymns we will be singing
At the turning of the tide
So I'm sharpening my shovel
I'm firing the kiln
I'm blind and I am purposeful
A martyr on the hill
The dream you might be dreaming
Might be someone else's dream tonight
I'm the whisperer of misgivings
I'm the fading tail light
I'm the call for retribution
From the back of the smoke filled hall
I'm the vow of bitterness
I'm the poison in the well
I've a photographic memory
Of the deeds I will avenge
I'm the cold in the river hollow
I've a hatpin, I've a plan
I don't care of cause or consequence
Head shaved and body lean
I'm the go‐getter, the score settler
I'm the shadow on the green
There's a flock of blackbirds flying
Nearly ten thousand strong
Who set off this morning
And brother they're gone
Battle hymns for the broken
Battle hymns for the misled
Battle hymns for the wretched
The forgotten, for the dead
Battle hymns of redemption
Of solidarity and pride
Battle hymns we will be singing
At the turning of the tide
Maximum Firepower
A minor
This one's for the shoeshine boy
And the farmer in debt
Each string is barbed wire
Each chord is a threat
G
This blues guy I met
That never had a hit
A minor
Said you don't gotta be loud, son
To be heavy as shit
Well I'm the triggerman, baby
And tonight I'll prove
That this machine here
Well it kills fascists too
G
And don't be surprised
If the sermon on the mount
A minor
Next time is delivered
In a little coffee house
D minor
Cause somebody here's
Gotta let them know
A minor
I doubt it's me
But here I go
E minor
I hit the button
Tape started to roll
G
The song's got fire
But it's got no soul
C G A minor
There's a lonely stretch of blacktop
G
Between here and home
C G A minor
Drop down into the valley
Piano playin' in the living room
F A minor
And when you see the white barn
G A minor
You'll know the journey's through
C G A minor
My dog's barking in the backseat
G A minor
Cause he knows it too
A minor G
You'll need a fake passport
And fix your disguise
And don't fire, sugar
Til you see the whites of their eyes
I turned the other cheek
But now I'm through
The skin you're in
Makes choices for you
I was checking off names
And I came late to dinner
Seems the slices of pie
Keep getting thinner and thinner
Brothers and sisters
Rejoice and repent
The landlord's dead
You can keep the rent
You got twelve fine friends
But one of 'em's rotten
There's a hole out back
Ain't got no bottom
Forty days in the wilderness
Forty sleepless nights
I'm confused, half blind
And sure I'm right
There's a lonely stretch of blacktop
Between here and home
Drop down into the valley
Piano playin' in the living room
And when you see the white barn
You'll know the journey's through
My dog's barking in the backseat
Cause he knows it too
F
Officer please
I won't be long
A minor
Called the radio station
Requested this song
F
I had my doubts
About what I knew
E minor
So I turned it up
G
Then it sounded true
A minor
Kiss the ring
If the Queen will let you
But come over the fence
And the dogs will get you
On a rope hung the traitor
On a hook hung the meat
You and me are missing persons
C G
Til we're counted in the streets
A minor
So seize the time
And storm the tower
And come correct
With Maximum Firepower
For the sins of the fathers
The son he must pay
The Nightwatchman giveth
C G
And he taketh away
D minor
Thought hard about this next line
Pretty sure it's true
A minor
If you take a step towards freedom
It'll take two steps towards you
E minor
So mister I ain't scared
And mister I ain't worried
G
Cause on that lonely stretch of blacktop
I sit as judge and jury
There's a lonely stretch of blacktop
Between here and home
Drop down into the valley
Piano playin' in the living room
And when you see the white barn
You know the journey's through
My dog's barking in the backseat
Cause he knows it too
The clock strikes the hour
Tonight we ride
You've got three more seconds
To choose sides
Union Song
Capo 3rd Fret
Intro A E7
A
For the fired auto workers
Who were twisted, tricked and robbed
To the peasant in Guatemala
In a sweatshop got your job
And she can't feed her family
On the pennies that she makes
Meanwhile the crime rate's rising
Up and down the Great Lake states
Like vegetables left in the field
The signatures smell rotten
On the contracts and the deeds
That push the race down to the bottom
As they load the rubber bullets
As they fire another round
I'm heading into the tear gas
Dig in man, hold your ground
D
For Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez
Who fought in their own time
A
For our brothers and our sisters
Up and down that picket line
E
For the unnamed and unnumbered
Who struggle brave and long
A
For the union men and women
Standing up and standing strong
Si nos quedemos
Juntos vamos a ganar? Si !
Hit em where it hurts
And bite the hand that feeds
You might get one to three
Or probation and a fine
But I know where I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be right on that front line
For Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez
Who fought in their own time
For our brothers and our sisters
Up and down that picket line
For the unnamed and unnumbered
Who struggle brave and long
For the union men and women
Standing up and standing strong
Now dirty scabs will cross the line
While others stand aside and look
But ain't nobody never got nothin'
That didn't raise their voice and push
Like the steel worker in Ohio
The miner in West Virginia
The teacher in Chicago
Janitor in Mississippi
From the sweatshops of L.A.
To the fields of Mission Flats
There's a thunder cloud exploding
And I'm free at last
Like Joe Hill and Caesar Chavez
Who fought in their own time
Like our brothers and our sisters
Up and down that picket line
Like the unnamed and unnumbered
Who struggle brave and long
Like the union men and women
Standing up and standing strong
The Dark Clouds Above
G
Never listened to the pain
C G
Never listened to fortune or fame
Never listened to eagle or dove
C G
Never listened to anger or love
D C G
But I listen to the dark clouds above
Never answered to the call
Never answered to nothing at all
Never answered when times got rough
Never answered to anger or love
But I answer to the dark clouds above
Never waited for dollar or dime
Never waited for signal or sign
Never waited when they screamed enough
Never waited for anger or love
But I'm waiting for the dark clouds above
Until The End
Intro
A minor C G A minor F C A minor G E minor
A C
No one knows who gave the orders
G A minor
No one asks about the crime
C
No one looks behind the curtain
G A minor
No one questions why
C
The only time we've got
G
Is right about now
C
I cross my heart
G
I take the vow
C G
I'll never turn
A minor
I'll never bend
G
I'm with you now
A minor
Until the end
Tonight's the test
Tonight's the time
I am the punishment
That fits the crime
I'll break the bricks
I'll pick the locks
I don't got nothin'
But I'll give what I got
I'll never turn
I'll never bend
I'm with you now
Until the end
Ten trials whose outcomes
All fixed from the start
Nine judges sitting counting
Their money in the dark
Eight towers of iron
Surround the desert town
On a cold December morning
Seven martyrs knocked them down
Six fathers still waiting
For their six sons to come home
Five mothers who know better
And accept that they're gone
Four years I've been hunted
Still I breathe free
Three times I shot the sheriff
And did not spare the deputy
Two prayers I'm praying
Until we're together
One promise I'm keeping
Tonight and forever
I'll never turn
I'll never bend
I'm with you now
Until the end
This song is not on the Album but can be found on youtube.
Alone without you
Capo 5th Fret
A minor C A minor
Sick of the waiting praying and hoping
A minor C A minor
Sick of the cold whispered dreams and not knowin
C G
Sick of the strength that it takes to keep going
A minor G A minor
Sick ‘cause I’m losing this fight and it’s showing.
D minor A minor
Aye
G A minor
Unforgivable but true
D minor A minor
Aye
G A minor
I’m alone without you
Sick of the fear and Sick of the cold
Sick ‘cause it’s worse for the weak and the old
With two broken legs I’m climbing this hill
Sick of deciding who gets what in my will
Unforgivable but true
I’m alone without you
F
Sick ‘cause I’m stuck on the wrong side of town
A minor
Sick ‘cause I’m pulling but still sinking down
G
Sick ‘cause I can’t turn this whole thing around
E
Sick ‘cause I’m too weak to hunt somebody down
Unforgivable but true
I’m alone without you
Sick of this hammer and litany of sins
Is banging and burning I can’t stand the din
Sick ‘cause the darkness keeps sinking on in
Sick to be leaving my family and friends