The Painted Desert chords by 10000 Maniacs

The Painted Desert (chords)
10,000 Maniacs

[ Jerome Augustyniak/Natalie Merchant ]

This is a beautiful song from their first big album, “In My Tribe” – it’s one of my
favorites from this album and from the band in general. I was surprised to see that
this hasn’t been posted before.  The word “sure” in “when I’m sure” gets a higher G
chord (on the 3rd fret). I think this is pretty close but if you have corrections please
let me know!

Chords:

C/G: 		332010
G: 		320033
G (3rd fret): 	355433
Em:		022000
D:		000232
Dm:		000231
F:		133211
Am:		003320

Intro: C/G  G

Chorus:
C/G				  G
The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
	C/G
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
	  G
Wait till summer?
	 G (3rd fret)		Em		    D
When I'm sure the rains have ended, the blooms have gone,
Em		    D
everyone killed by the morning frost.

Verse 1:
   C/G		G    C/G	    G
Is a cactus blooming there in every roadside stand
     C/G		G   	  Em    D
where the big deal is cowboy gear sewn in Japan?

(back to chorus)

Verse 2:
   C/G		G   C/G		G
Is a cactus blooming there upon the Northern rim
C/G	  G		 Em    D
or in the ruins of the Hopi mesa dens?





Bridge:
Dm	  F	       C		    Am
You met a new friend in the Canyon, or so you wrote.
C	   Am		  C	     Am
On a blanket in the cooling sand you and your friend agreed that
D		F	   G
the stars were so many there they seemed to overlap.

(back to chorus)


Verse 3:
    C/G        G     C/G        G
Was a cactus blooming there as you watched the Native boy?
   C/G     G      Em      D
In a Flagstaff trailer court, you wrote the line:
C/G      G	          C        G
"He kicked a tumbleweed and his mother called him home
      C/G   G      Em    D
where the Arizona moon met the Arizona sun."


      C/G   G   C/G      G
I wanted to be there by May at the latest time.
 C/G      G       Em          D
Isn't that the plan we had or have you changed your mind?
  C/G       G          C/G     G
I haven't read a word from you since Phoenix or Tucson.
C/G    G       C        D         C/G
April is over now, will you tell me how long before I can be there?


Submitted by: James Patrick Gorham email: jfelix43@hotmail.com