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Canadian Railroad Trilogy chords by Gordon Lightfoot

Chords with lyrics

Canadian Railroad Trilogy, by Gordon Lightfoot  (Chord diagramC majorC) 1967, 1969 Warner Brothers.


Transcribed by me, Matthew Fifer


View this on an 80 character screen, with a monospaced font, in order to
have everything line up properly.

The Notes:
---------

This is the final, checked-for-errors, intro-included version.

The song is played with the low E-string(s) tuned down to Chord diagramD MajorD and a capo on
the 3rd fret.  The song is mostly based in D.  This tuning gives the Chord diagramD MajorD
chord an especially huge sound.  Try to avoid playing the low Chord diagramD MajorD on most
chords (except the Chord diagramD MajorD).  I have put a (X) on the chord charts to remind you
of this.

Buy, borrow, beg, or steal a 12-string to play this on!  This is a *RULE*
for this song!!! :-)

Lightfoot typically seems to concentrate on the high strings (say the top
four (or 8, if you've got a 12-string) for the jangly, percussive rhythms
and hits bass notes on a main beat.  For the first three verses (and all
the rest just like them), play the D/C# bass chord as a regular Chord diagramD MajorD and just
hit that Chord diagramC#C# once as a bass note, and then the same goes for the Chord diagramBB note in
the Chord diagramG+G chord.  It sounds complicated, but it creates that descending bass
pattern on the Chord diagramA augmentedA string.  Just play along with the record a couple of
times.  I'm sure you'll get the idea!

Feel that musically-metaphoric train chugging along and marvel at his
brilliance as he manages to combine the rhythm with the meaning of the
song...All aboard!!!

Anyway, follow the recording to get the rhythms.  I finally decided to tab
the intro from the Gord's Gold album, since that is the version most
people seem to be most familiar with.  Tablature's major limitation is the
lack of convenient way to notate rhythm.  The way to count the intro is
"one-two-e-and-a..."


The Chords: (apologies in advance for any incorrect names)
----------


     Chord diagramD MajorD                Chord diagramG+G            D/C# bass           Chord diagramG6G6

| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | 1 | 2      | 2 | | | |      | | | 1 | 2      | | 1 | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | 3 |      | | | | 3 4      | | | | 3 |      | | | | 3 4
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | 4 | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
     Chord diagramA augmentedA                Chord diagramC majorC               Chord diagramAm7Am7              Chord diagramE minorEm
X==========      X==========      ===========      ===========
| | | | | |      | | | | 1 |      | | | | 1 |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | 1 2 3 |      | | 2 | | |      | | 2 | | |      1 2 3 | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | |      | 3 | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------


   A7addG             Chord diagramA7A7               Chord diagramE MajorE             Chord diagramA7sus4A7sus4
X==========      X==========      ===========      ===========
| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | 1 | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | 1 | 2 |      | | 1 | 2 |      2 3 4 | | |      | | 1 | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | 3      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | 3 |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------


   Chord diagramCmaj7Cmaj7              Chord diagramD7D7
X==========      ===========      ===========      ===========
| | | | | |      | | | | 1 |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | 2 | | |      | | | 2 | 3      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| 3 | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------
| | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |      | | | | | |
-----------      -----------      -----------      -----------


Intro:
-----


 Chord diagramD MajorD                 Chord diagramG+G                     G/C       Chord diagramG+G       Chord diagramG6G6
---2-2-2---2-2-2-----2-----2-----2-2-2-----2-2-2-----2-2-2---2-2-2-------
---3-3-3---3-3-3-----2-----2-----2-2-2-----2-2-2-----2-2-2---2-2-2-------
---2-2-2---2-2-2-----0-----0-----0-0-0-----0-0-0-----0-0-0---0-0-0-------
-----------------------0-2-----------------------------------2-2-2-------
-----------------0-2---------0-2-------0-3-------0-2-------0-------------
-0-------0---------------------------------------------------------------


 Chord diagramG6G6              Chord diagramD MajorD
---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2-----------------------------------------
---2-2-2---2-2-2---3-3-3---3-3-3-----------------------------------------
---0-0-0---0-0-0---2-2-2---2-2-2-----------------------------------------
---2-2-2---2-2-2---------------------------------------------------------
-0-------0---------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------0-------0--------"There was..."-------------------------


Verses:
------


Chord diagramD MajorD                        Chord diagramG+G                  Chord diagramD MajorD
There ..
         D/C#bass      Chord diagramG+G                Chord diagramG6G6
When ..
    Chord diagramD MajorD               Chord diagramG+G             Chord diagramD MajorD
And ..
                    Chord diagramA augmentedA              Chord diagramC majorC            Chord diagramD MajorD    Chord diagramAm7Am7 Chord diagramD MajorD Chord diagramAm7Am7 Chord diagramD MajorD
When ..

Chord diagramD MajorD                 Chord diagramG+G            Chord diagramD MajorD
But ..
   D/C#bass        Chord diagramG+G            Chord diagramG6G6
As..
     Chord diagramD MajorD               Chord diagramG+G                  Chord diagramD MajorD
They..
                                      Chord diagramA augmentedA                 Chord diagramC majorC          Chord diagramD MajorD Chord diagramAm7Am7 Chord diagramD MajorD Chord diagramAm7Am7
And ..


Chord diagramD MajorD                         Chord diagramG+G        Chord diagramD MajorD
And ..
    D/C#bass          Chord diagramG+G               Chord diagramG6G6
The..
      Chord diagramD MajorD              Chord diagramG+G                Chord diagramD MajorD
Their ..
                    Chord diagramA augmentedA                Chord diagramC majorC              Chord diagramD MajorD
With ..


Chord diagramA augmentedA                        Chord diagramE minorEm
Looked ..
            Chord diagramC majorC                          Chord diagramD MajorD
They ..
Chord diagramA augmentedA                      Chord diagramE minorEm
Bringin ..
    Chord diagramC majorC                        Chord diagramD MajorD
All up ..


      Chord diagramAm7Am7      Chord diagramD MajorD     Chord diagramAm7Am7               Chord diagramD MajorD
Look ..
         Chord diagramAm7Am7     Chord diagramD MajorD            Chord diagramAm7Am7     Chord diagramD MajorD
From..


Chord diagramA augmentedA                        Chord diagramE minorEm
Bring..
            Chord diagramC majorC                       Chord diagramD MajorD
We've ..
Chord diagramA augmentedA                      Chord diagramE minorEm
Open 'er..
      Chord diagramC majorC                          Chord diagramD MajorD
Gotta..


Chord diagramA augmentedA                        Chord diagramE minorEm
Bring ..
            Chord diagramC majorC                       Chord diagramD MajorD
We've ..
Chord diagramA augmentedA                      Chord diagramE minorEm
Open ..
      Chord diagramC majorC                          Chord diagramD MajorD
Gotta ..
Chord diagramC majorC                          Chord diagramA augmentedA                     A7addG
Get on ...


  Chord diagramD MajorD                         Chord diagramG+G        Chord diagramA7A7
Behind ..
    Chord diagramD MajorD               Chord diagramG+G               Chord diagramE MajorE            Chord diagramA augmentedA   Chord diagramA7A7
The ..
Chord diagramD MajorD                           Chord diagramG+G              Chord diagramA7A7         Chord diagramD MajorD
Across..
Chord diagramD MajorD               Chord diagramG+G                Chord diagramA7sus4A7sus4 Chord diagramD MajorD
Beyond ..


Chord diagramD MajorD                      Chord diagramG+G             Chord diagramA7A7
We are..
Chord diagramD MajorD           Chord diagramG+G              Chord diagramE MajorE              Chord diagramA augmentedA   Chord diagramA7A7
Swingin ..
Chord diagramD MajorD                  Chord diagramG+G            Chord diagramA7A7
Livin' ..
Chord diagramD MajorD           Chord diagramG+G                  Chord diagramA7sus4A7sus4        Chord diagramD MajorD
Bendin' ..


Chord diagramD MajorD                      Chord diagramG+G             Chord diagramA7A7
We are..
Chord diagramD MajorD           Chord diagramG+G              Chord diagramE MajorE              Chord diagramA augmentedA   Chord diagramA7A7
Swingin ..
Chord diagramD MajorD                     Chord diagramG+G            Chord diagramA7A7
Layin' ..
Chord diagramD MajorD                               Chord diagramA7sus4A7sus4      Chord diagramD MajorD
Bendin' ....


   Chord diagramA augmentedA                      Chord diagramE minorEm
So ..
Chord diagramC majorC                   Chord diagramD MajorD
Into ..
Chord diagramA augmentedA                           Chord diagramE minorEm
Up the ..
Chord diagramC majorC                        Chord diagramD MajorD
Swingin' ..


Chord diagramA augmentedA                  Chord diagramE minorEm
Drivin' ..
 Chord diagramC majorC                        Chord diagramD MajorD
Away ..
  Chord diagramA augmentedA                  Chord diagramE minorEm
Chord diagramA augmentedA ..
  Chord diagramC majorC                     Chord diagramA augmentedA                  Chord diagramA7A7
Chord diagramA augmentedA drink..


       Chord diagramD MajorD           Chord diagramAm7Am7                                             Chord diagramD MajorD
Oh t..
         Chord diagramAm7Am7                                             Chord diagramD MajorD
O'er..
        Chord diagramAm7Am7            Chord diagramD MajorD             Chord diagramAm7Am7                 Chord diagramA augmentedA
We ..


Chord diagramD MajorD                  Chord diagramG+G                  Chord diagramD MajorD
Was a..
         D/C#bass      Chord diagramG+G                Chord diagramG6G6
When ..
    Chord diagramD MajorD               Chord diagramG+G             Chord diagramD MajorD
And ..
                    Chord diagramA augmentedA              Chord diagramC majorC            Chord diagramD MajorD
When ..
                    Chord diagramA augmentedA              Chord diagramC majorC            Chord diagramD MajorD
When ..
                  Chord diagramA augmentedA             Chord diagramC majorC     Chord diagramCmaj7Cmaj7          Chord diagramD7D7
And ..



As always, comments or corrections may be e-mailed to me or posted.
Either way, I'll see 'em and take note.  Enjoy this one -- it's a classic
12-string tune.

-- Matthew

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