A Long Christmas Dinner chords by Carrie Newcomer

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Intro:
G  C  G  C

Verse:
    G           C     G              C
Cal made a long table for his bride, June
         D
When the first child was born and they needed more room
        C           G               D            G
Cal was one of four sons, there was too little farm
        C            G             D
And the railroad had work, so they move into town

Verse:
           G         C      G           C
First came Emmet and Clara, William and Grace
 D
Around the long table, they all took their place
      C               G            D          G
Every year they would gather, sing carols and hymns
            C           G            D
With canned peaches and shortcake and four wide grins

Chorus:
       Em              D/F#     C              G
But it feels like it's been one long Christmas dinner
    Em       D/F#        C        D
One unending prayer, one unbroken line
          C          G           D         G
Singing, “Be Thou My Vision”, by day or by night
C      G        D    G    C   G  C
All is calm and all is bright

Verse:
       G             C     G           C
Eating strawberry jam from our Victory Garden
     D
June kept giving Emmet more food than he wanted
   C                   G       D              G
As if she could fill him with enough food and faith
   C                G          D
To last him through Europe and bring him home safe

Verse:
      G                   C   G            C
Clara moved back at Christmas with her two children
         D
When her husband ran off with a girl who was willing
     C             G                D           G
When Grace's small daughter offered up her shortcake
      C                G            D
Clara leaned on Will's shoulder and covered her face

Chorus:
       Em              D/F#     C              G
But it feels like it's been one long Christmas dinner
    Em       D/F#        C        D
One unending prayer, one unbroken line
          C          G           D         G
Singing, “Be Thou My Vision”, by day or by night
C      G        D    G    C   G  C
All is calm and all is bright

Verse:
      G        C              G             C
Long ago Emmet came home, now he carves the ham
       D
Though since then he's needed a leg brace to stand
       C           G           D             G
He and Grace visit often, help mom with yard work
    C             G                   D
Who still can't believe what they are wearing to church

Verse:
       G             C      G              C
Cousin Ann's in Chicago and she stays good friends
            D
With cousin Will, who's a painter, lives in South Bend
    C              G             D              G
And William's boy, Michael, is a young handsome rogue
         C            G             D
Cruising town with an eight track of Abby Road

Chorus:
       Em              D/F#     C              G
But it feels like it's been one long Christmas dinner
    Em       D/F#        C        D
One unending prayer, one unbroken line
          C          G           D         G
Singing, “Be Thou My Vision”, by day or by night
C      G        D    G    C   G  C
All is calm and all is bright

Verse:
        G              C   G       C
There's been so many joys, so many cradles
              D
But there was one who spent only one year at the table
   C                   G      D            G
It must have been grandma who gathered her close
   C             G              D
So she'd have no fear when they both passed across

Verse:
       G                 C       G           C
So put out the canned peaches in honour of June
        D
And for Michael's grown daughter, who's coming home soon
    C              G          D               G
For all that we've lost or we haven't found yet
        C           G         D
All who come to the table and clasp hands around

Chorus:
       Em              D/F#     C              G
But it feels like it's been one long Christmas dinner
    Em       D/F#        C        D
One unending prayer, one unbroken line
          C          G           D         G
Singing, “Be Thou My Vision”, by day or by night
C      G        D    G    C   G  C
All is calm and all is bright
       G        D    G    C   G  C  G
All is calm and all is bright