American Waltz chords by Merle Haggard

• Difficulty: Beginner

Key: D

Intro:

D


Verse 1:
  D
The sweat of the oxen, the crack of the whip
              G
The wheels turn slow in the dust
      A
And with a heart full of hope, with desire we wrote
G   A     D
 California or bust

Chorus:
    G      A    D
And we danced the American waltz
  G       A    D
It couldn't have happened anywhere else
G      A     D
We used our muscle and we used our minds
Bm          G
Building a nation, a dream at a time


Interlude:
D


Verse 2:
 D
A horse made of iron that could outrun the wind
             G
Roared into the next century
    A
As the tracks turned to roads, and the crude oil flowed
      G      A      D
Through the veins of the great Model T


Chorus:
  G      A    D
We danced the American waltz
  G       A    D
It couldn't have happened anywhere else
G      A    D
We used our muscle, we used our minds
Bm          G
Building a nation, a dream at a time


Interlude:
D


Verse 3:
D
We had the courage and we made the machines
           G
O'er like an eagle we flew
  A
And not long ago God reached out his hand
    G    A       D
To the man who walked on the moon


Chorus:
    G      A    D
And we danced the American waltz
  G       A    D
It couldn't have happened anywhere else
G      A    D
We used our muscle, we used our minds
Bm          G
Building a nation, (a dream at a time)
       D N.C.
A dream at a time


Outro:
    D   F#  Bm
And the dreams roll on
      G      A      D
Through the mothers and fathers and children
D      F#    Bm
Born on the wings of freedom
    G      D
Pass it on, pass it on