Black Day in July

{title:Black Day In July }
{subtitle:Gordon Lightfoot 1968 }
{key: }

INTRO:  / 1 2 / 1 2 /

[Am] / [Am] / [Am] / [Am] / 

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
[Am] Motor City [G] madness has [C] touched the country-[Am]side [Am]
And [F] through the smoke and [Am] cinders, you can [F] hear it far and [Am] wide
The [F] doors are quickly [Am] bolted and the [F] children locked in-[Am]side [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
And the [Am] soul of Motor [G] City is [C] bared across the [Am] land [Am]
As the [F] book of law and [Am] order, is [F] taken in the [Am] hands
Of the [F] sons of the [Am] fathers, who were [F] carried to this [Am] land [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
In the [Am] streets of Motor [G] City there's a [C] deadly silent [Am] sound [Am]
And the [F] body of a [Am] dead youth, lies [F] stretched upon the [Am] ground
Up-[F]on the filthy [Am] pavement, no [F] reason can be [Am] found [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
[Am] Motor City [G] madness has [C] touched the country-[Am]side [Am]
And the [F] people rise in [Am] anger and the [F] streets begin to [Am] fill
And there's [F] gunfire from the [Am] rooftops
And the [F] blood begins to [Am] spill [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am] / [Am]

BRIDGE:
In the [Am] mansion of the [F] governor
There's [Am6] nothing that is [F] known for sure
The [Am] telephone is [F] ringing and the [Am6] pendulum is [F] swinging
And they [Am] wonder how it [F] happened
When they [Am6] really know the [F] reason
And it [Am] wasn't just the [F] temperature
And it [Am6] wasn't just the [F] season [F]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am] /

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
[Am] Motor City's [G] burning and the [C] flames are running [Am] wild [Am]
They re-[F]flect upon the [Am] waters of the [F] river and the [Am] lake 
And [F] everyone is [Am] listening and [F] everyone's a-[Am]wake [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]
[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
The [Am] printing press is [G] turning and the [C] news is quickly [Am] flashed [Am]
And you [F] read your morning [Am] paper, and you [F] sip your cup of [Am] tea
And you [F] wonder just in [Am] passing, is it [F] him or is it [Am] me? [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am] / [Am]

BRIDGE:
In the [Am] office of the [F] President, the [Am6] deed is done the [F] troops are sent
There's [Am] really not much [F] choice you see, it [Am6] looks to us like [F] anarchy
And [Am] then the tanks go [F] rolling in to [Am6] patch things up as [F] best they can
There [Am] is no time to [F] hesitate
The [Am6] speech is made the [F] dues can wait [F]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am] /

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
The [Am] streets of Motor [G] City now are [C] quiet and se-[Am]rene [Am]
But the [F] shapes of gutted [Am] buildings strike [F] terror to the [Am] heart
And you [F] say “How did it [Am] happen?” and you [F] say “How did it [Am] start?
Why [F] can't we all be [Am] brothers? Why [F] can't we live in [Am] peace?”
But the [F] hands of the [Am] have-nots, keep [F] falling out of [Am] reach [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am] /

[Am] Black day in Ju-[G]ly [G]
[Am] Motor City [G] madness has [C] touched the country-[Am]side [Am]
And [F] through the smoke and [Am] cinders, you can [F] hear it far and [Am] wide
The [F] doors are quickly [Am] bolted and the [F] children locked in-[Am]side [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am]
[G] Black day in Ju-[Am]ly [Am] / [Am]