Driving The Last Spike Chords by Genesis

Driving The Last Spike chords by Genesis

Guitar chords with lyrics

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Key: G

Difficulty: Intermediate

Genesis’ 10 minute epic from “We Can’t Dance” about the lives of people who built the railways of
Great Britain. “Driving The Last Spike” is a Genesis masterpiece from start to finish. Enjoy!

Intro:
C/G G C/G G
C/G G C/G G
C/G G C/G G
C/G G C/G G
C/G G C/G D/G

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -


Verse:
G     D/F#  Cmaj7/E  D7
Leaving my family behind me

  Bm          Em
Not knowing what lay ahead

G     D/F#   Cmaj7/E     D7
Waving goodbye, as I left them in tears

 Bm          C
Remembering all we'd said

 C         D/C
I looked to the sky, I offered my prayers

 Bm7            C
I asked Him for guidance and strength

    G      D/F#  Cmaj7/E  D7
But the simple beliefs of a simple man

   Bm          D
Lay in His hands, and on my head, my head

Interlude:


  G   G/B    C  D  G     C     D     Em
e|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
B|------|---------|--------|-------12-|-15-13-12-|----------|------------|
G|-12---|-12--11--|-11--9--|-7--12----|----------|-14-12-11-|-9-----9-12-|
D|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|-----9------|
A|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
E|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
  Am7    D    Am7   D11 D
e|---------|--------|--------|---------|
B|-12---15-|-12-----|--------|---------|
G|---------|------9-|-12---9-|-12--11--|
D|---------|--------|--------|---------|
A|---------|--------|--------|---------|
E|---------|--------|--------|---------|

Verse:

 G     D/F#      Cmaj7/E D7
I gave everything that they wanted

  Bm         Em
But still they wanted more

  G      D/F#
We sweat and we toiled

   Cmaj7/E     D7
Good men lost their lives

 Bm             C
Don't think they knew what for

 C
I sold them my heart

 D/C
I sold them my soul

 Bm7        C
I gave everything I had

    G       D/F#   Cmaj7/E D7
Ah but they couldn't break my spirit

  Bm       D
My dignity fought back

   Cadd9 Dadd9 Cadd9 Dadd9
Fightback

Chorus:

E  A/E G/E A/E
Can you hear me

E  A/E G/E A/F#
Can you see

G6  A/G G6  A/G
Don't you hear me

G6/A A  G6/A A
Don't you see


Instrumental:


E5          Em7 D/E A/E  E5         Em7 A/E G/E
e|-----------------------|---------|-----------------------|---------|
B|-----------------------|---------|-----------------------|---------|
G|-----------------------|---------|-----------------------|---------|
D|-----------------5-----|---------|-----------------5-----|---------|
A|-5-7--7--7-5-5-7-5-----|---------|-5-7--7--7-5-5-7-5-----|---------|
E|-5-7--7--7-5-5-7-------|---------|-5-7--7--7-5-5-7-------|---------|

Bridge:

(Continue guitar riff above)

  E5         D/E     A/E
We worked in gangs for all we were worth

  E5           A/E G/E
The young boys pulling the wagons

    E5          D/E     A/E
We were digging the tunnels, shifting the earth

E5         A/E G/E
It was then that it happened

A5         G/A   A
No-one knew how the cracks appeared

  G/A  A       G/A  A  D/A
But as it fell they all disappeared

G/A    D/A A
Stone fell like rain


Chorus:

E  A/E G/E A/E
Can you hear me

E  A/E G/E A/F#
Can you see

G6  A/G G6  A/G
Don't you hear me

G6/A A G6/A A
Can you breathe


Instrumental:
                   let ring
  Bm      Bm     Bm       Bm
e|--------------|-----------|---------------|--------------|
B|--------------|-----------|---------------|--------------|
G|--------------|-----------|-------------7-|-7------------|
D|-9----------9-|-9---------|-9-------------|-9------------|
A|-9----------9-|-9---------|-9---------9---|-9------------|
E|-7----------7-|-7---------|-7-------7-----|-7------------|
  G   G/B    C  D  G     C     D     Em
e|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
B|------|---------|--------|-------12-|-15-14-12-|----------|------------|
G|-12---|-12--11--|-11--9--|-7--12----|----------|-14-12-11-|-9-----9-12-|
D|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|-----9------|
A|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
E|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
  Am7    D    Am7   D11 D
e|---------|--------|--------|--------|
B|-12---15-|-12-----|--------|--------|
G|---------|------9-|-12---9-|-12--11-|
D|---------|--------|--------|--------|
A|---------|--------|--------|--------|
E|---------|--------|--------|--------|

Verse:
  G       D/F#    Cmaj7/E D7
The smoke cleared, the dust it settled

    Bm         Em
No one knew how many had died

G   D/F#      Cmaj7/E D7
All around there were broken men

    Bm              C
They'd said it was safe, and they'd lied

     C             D/C
You could hear the cries, you could smell the fear

     Bm7         C
But good fortune that day was mine

    G           D/F#    Cmaj7/E D7
And it occurred to me that the heart of a good man

  Bm        D
It seems is hard to find


Chorus:
E  A/E G/E A/E
Can you hear me

E  A/E G/E A/F#
Can you see

G6  A/G G6  A/G
Don't you hear me

G6/A A  G6/A A
Don't you see


Instrumental:
  D        D      Dsus4  D   D5     D Dsus4
e|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
B|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-8-|----8-7---7---|---------7-8-|
G|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|
D|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|
A|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
E|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
    D   D5     D Dsus4  D   D
e|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|
B|----8-7---7---|---------7-8-|----8-7---7---|---------|
G|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----|
D|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----|
A|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|
E|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|
  D             G      C
e|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|-10-10-10--10-10-10-10-10-|-10-10-10--10-10-10-10-10-|
G|-7--7--7---7--7--7--7--7--|-7--7--7---7--7--7--7--7--|
D|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|
  D             G      C
e|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|-10-10-10--10-10-10-10-10-|-10-10-10--10-10-10-10-10-|
G|-7--7--7---7--7--7--7--7--|-7--7--7---7--7--7--7--7--|
D|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Post-Chorus:
  D       G
We worked, how we worked like

  C       D  C G
The devil for our pay

      D         G
Through the wind, through the snow

C        D  C G
And through the rain

D      G          C       D  C G
Blasting and cutting through Gods country like a knife

   D        G     C    D      C
Sweat stinging my eyes, there has to be a better life

    G       D       G
Ah but I can hear my children's cry

   C      D       C
I can see the tears in their eyes

   G      D         G
Memories of those I've left behind

   C       D   C
Still ringing in my ears

   G    D      G
Will I ever go back again

    C      D6
Will I ever see her face again

C/D           Bm/D
I'll always remember that night

    C/D    G/D     Dsus2  Asus4 A7
As they waved goodbye to their fathers


Interlude:
  G/B      Bm
We came from the North

    D       A/C#
And we came from the South

   G/B      F#m/A
With picks and with spades

   G
And a new kind of order

A/G           G    Em7
Showing no fear of what lies up ahead

    C#m7     A7/E    D  G C D  G C
They'll never see the likes of us again


Post-Chorus:
D
Driving the last spike

G      C      D  G C
Lifting and laying the track

   D
With blistering hands

    G  C      D  C
And the sun burning your back

    G       D       G
Oh but I can hear my children's cry

   C     D        C
I can see the tears in their eyes

    G      D        G
Ah memories of those I've left behind

   C       D6
Still ringing in my ears

C/D             Bm/D
Well I'll always remember that night

    C/D    G/D     Dsus2  Asus4 A7
As they waved goodbye to their fathers

  G/B     Bm    D        A/C#
We followed the rail, we slept under the stars

G/B    F#m/A    G
Digging in darkness and living with danger

A/G           G     Em7
Showing no fear of what lies up ahead

    C#m7      A7/E   D
They'll never see the likes of us again


Instrumental:

  D              Dsus4  D   D5     D Dsus4
e|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
B|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-8-|----8-7---7---|---------7-8-|
G|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|
D|-7---7-7-7----7-|-7---------7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|
A|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
E|----------------|---------------|--------------|-------------|
    D   D5     D Dsus4  D   D5
e|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|
B|----8-7---7---|---------7-8-|----8-7---7---|---------|
G|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----|
D|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7-----|
A|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|
E|--------------|-------------|--------------|---------|

Interlude:
  G   G/B    C  D  G     C     D     Em
e|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
B|------|---------|--------|-------12-|-15-14-12-|----------|------------|
G|-12---|-12--11--|-11--9--|-7--12----|----------|-14-12-11-|-9-----9-12-|
D|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|-----9------|
A|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
E|------|---------|--------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
  Am7    D    Am7   D11 D
e|---------|--------|--------|--------|
B|-12---15-|-12-----|--------|--------|
G|---------|------9-|-12---9-|-12--11-|
D|---------|--------|--------|--------|
A|---------|--------|--------|--------|
E|---------|--------|--------|--------|

Chorus:
E  A/E G/E A/E
Can you hear me

E  A/E G/E A/F#
Can you see

G6  A/G G6  A/G
Don't you hear me

G6  A  G6/A A
Don't you see

  D Dsus4  D   D5
e|-----|--------------|------------|
B|-7-8-|----8-7---7---|------------|
G|-7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7--------|
D|-7-7-|----7-7---7-7-|-7-7--------|
A|-----|--------------|------------|
E|-----|--------------|------------|

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