Hartfordtown 1944 chords by Mark Erelli

Chords with lyrics

• Capo on 4th

Mark Erelli - Hartfordtown 1944


CAPO: 4th fret


Intro:
C majorC FF C majorC G+G C majorC

Verse 1:
            FF   C majorC
It was a dry and dusty summer day
               G+G
When that wagon train pulled in
   C majorC          FF  C majorC
Just three hours 'til the matinee
       G+G  C majorC
Was scheduled to begin
          FF     C majorC
As the razorbacks unloaded the flats
           G+G
A augmentedA crowd did gather to see
  C majorC         FF   C majorC
The elephants tow the wagons back
           G+G    C majorC
To that empty lot on Barbour Street

Verse 2:
    A minorAm   FF    C majorC     G+G
And the canvas-men they dug right in
   A minorAm   FF     C majorC      G+G
'Til on that spot where nothing had been
     C majorC          FF   C majorC
You could see the big-top from miles around
            G+G    C majorC
When the circus came to Hartfordtown


Verse 3:
         FF     C majorC
The circus it was front page news
            G+G
Back in Nineteen Forty-Four
C majorC             FF   C majorC
Everyone was grateful for any excuse
      G+G    C majorC
To forget about the war
              FF  C majorC
The sun beat down on the menagerie
             G+G
In the cages the animals paced
     C majorC       FF     C majorC
There was orangeade and cotton candy
        G+G      C majorC
And a smile on every kid’s face

Verse 4:
   A minorAm     FF      C majorC    G+G
Each mother and father, each boy and girl
   A minorAm        FF        C majorC      G+G
They couldn't wait to see the greatest show in the world
     C majorC                FF     C majorC
You could barely hear the orchestra, they cheered so loud
            G+G    C majorC
When the circus came to Hartfordtown


Verse 5:
              FF    C majorC
There were polar bears and panther cats
             G+G
With great big fangs and claws
    C majorC      FF     C majorC
And the lions did a balancing act
    G+G   C majorC
To jubilant applause
               FF    C majorC
Then a spotlight played on a platform set
         G+G
So high up in the air
   C majorC     FF     C majorC
That everybody held their breath
         G+G   C majorC
And they prayed a silent prayer


Verse 6:
  A minorAm    FF      C majorC     G+G
All eyes were glued to the man on the wire
  A minorAm   FF       C majorC      G+G
So nobody knew when the tent caught fire
  C majorC            FF    C majorC
Too slowly it dawned on the sold-out crowd
            G+G    C majorC
When the circus came to Hartfordtown


Verse 7:
            FF   C majorC
The fire drew air and began to climb
                G+G
The audience jumped from their seats
      C majorC        FF  C majorC
There was a stampede for the exit sign
         G+G    C majorC
And some fainted from the heat
                FF    C majorC
There were heroes who did their best to help
            G+G
The children escape the flames
    C majorC           FF    C majorC
And the others who managed to save themselves
            G+G     C majorC
They survived but were never the same


Verse 8:
  A minorAm      FF       C majorC    G+G
And some still remember how the animals cried
     A minorAm   FF  C majorC     G+G
But there weren't any animals inside
   C majorC             FF      C majorC
Over 100 people trapped as the tent burned down
            G+G    C majorC
When the circus came to Hartfordtown


Verse 9:
          FF    C majorC
As a boy I lived on Barbour Street
               G+G
Four blocks from that circus show
   C majorC            FF     C majorC
And I begged my parents, I got down on my knees
          G+G   C majorC
But they would not let me go
       C majorC      FF     C majorC
For they had grounded me, two weeks straight
             G+G
Now I can’t even remember why
   C majorC           FF  C majorC
But I know the first time I ever prayed
             G+G      C majorC
Was when I saw that black smoke in the sky


Verse 10:
    A minorAm     FF     C majorC    G+G
And the war it was over in a year, I guess
    A minorAm      FF      C majorC       G+G
But the people in my town didn’t cheer like the rest
     C majorC           FF   C majorC
It still breaks our hearts to remember now
            G+G    C majorC
When the circus came to Hartfordtown


Outro:
C majorC FF C majorC G+G C majorC