Night Riders Lament chords by Jerry Jeff Walker

• Difficulty: Intermediate

Key: D

🎸 Intro:

D




🎸 Verse 1:
   D      G
While I was out a-ridin'
  D                A
The grave yard shift, midnight 'til dawn
  G          D
The moon was bright as a readin' light
   A               D
For a letter from an old friend back home

🎸 Chorus 1:
        G     A       D
And he asked me why do you ride for your money
    G     A       D
Tell me why do you rope for short pay
     G     A
You ain't gettin' nowhere
      D      G  G/F# Em
And you're losin' your sha-a----are
     A           D
Boy, you must've gone crazy out there


🎸 Verse 2:
    D           G
He said last night I ran onto Jenny
   D           A
She's married and has a good life
     G
Boy, you sure missed the track
     D
When you never come back
     A           D
She's the perfect professional's wife


🎸 Chorus 1:
         G      A      D
And she asked me why does he ride for his money
      G      A       D
And tell me why does he rope for short pay
     G     A
He ain't gettin' nowhere
     D     G  G/F# Em
And he's losin' his sha-a----are
  A           D
He must've gone crazy out there


🎸 Chorus 2:
        G   A    D
B' then they've never seen the Northern Lights
   G      A      D
They never seen a hawk on the wing
    G      A       D    G G/F# Em
They've never seen a spring hit the Great Divi-i----ide
      A              D
And they've never heard old camp cookie sing


🎸 Instrumental:
G A D
G A D
G A D G G/F# Em
A D


🎸 Verse 3:
    D           G
Well
I read up the last of my letter
 D              A
I tore off the stamp for Black Jim
   G         D
When Billy rode up to relieve me
    A            D
He just looked at my letter and grinned


🎸 Chorus 1:
       G      A       D
He said, now why do they ride for their money
    G      A       D
Tell me why do they rope for short pay
      G     A
They ain't gettin' nowhere
      D      G  G/F# Em
And they're losin' their sha-a----are
     A           D
Son, they all must be crazy out there


🎸 Chorus 2:
        G   A    D
'Cause they've never seen the Northern Lights
    G      A      D
They've never seen a hawk on the wing
    G     A       D    G G/F# Em
They've never seen spring hit the Great Divi-i----ide
      A              D
No, they've never heard old camp cookie sing


🎸 Outro:
  G       D
Yodelayee odelo-oh layee tee oh
   A       D
Deedalayee o--oh dalayee
  G        D
Yodelayee-oh delo-oh layee tee oh
 A         D
Delayee tee ay oh dalayee
     E7     G   A   D
Eye tee olayee old-layee-olayee-oo