When Detroit Was Burning chords by Cathie Ryan

Chords with lyrics

Tuning: Standard (E MajorE A augmentedA D MajorD G+G BB E MajorE)

Difficulty: Novice

Intro:
A augmentedA

Verse:

There was a fire in the sky over Gratiot
     D MajorD               A augmentedA
You could see it all the way from Springwells
E MajorE                 F# minorF#m
Standing on the front lawn in the blackness
    E MajorE
Holding fast to mama's knees

The whole block on the street
         A augmentedA
When Detroit was burning

Verse:

Dad said this had been coming for sometime
  D MajorD                  A augmentedA
The black guys on the line had told him so
  E MajorE               F# minorF#m
The city of the ghettoes burned on fire
     E MajorE
There was nothing on the news

But all the neighbours knew
         A augmentedA
When Detroit was burning

Chorus:
   D MajorD              F# minorF#m
When Detroit was burning, burning
   D MajorD              E MajorE
When Detroit was burning, burning down

Verse:
      A augmentedA
There were no kids in the park on Saturday
  D MajorD                A augmentedA
The Guardsmen set up tents under the swings
   E MajorE                F# minorF#m
They drove their jeeps around Vernor Highway
      E MajorE
Then they'd go downtown at night

To shoot everything in sight
         A augmentedA
When Detroit was burning

Bridge:
D MajorD            A augmentedA
I was just a little girl playing with my friends
 D MajorD              E MajorE
I didn't know what it meant to live in a black kid's skin
  D MajorD                        E MajorE
I'm older now and there's still so much I don't understand

Instrumental:
A augmentedA  D MajorD A augmentedA E MajorE F# minorF#m E MajorE  A augmentedA

Verse:

The farmer's market's thriving down on Gratiot
      D MajorD               A augmentedA
But there's fire in the night around Springwells
E MajorE               F# minorF#m
Detroit wasn't reborn from the ashes
     E MajorE
It's been nearly thirty years

And hate's still living here
         A augmentedA
Where Detroit was burning

Chorus:
   D MajorD              F# minorF#m
When Detroit was burning, burning
   D MajorD              E MajorE
When Detroit was burning, burning down
B minorBm         F# minorF#m
Our hometown burning down