Wwasn't That A Time chords by The Weavers

Chords with lyrics

Wasn't That a Time? (Lee Hayes, Walter Lowenfels)

Adapted from raymondfolk.com

Arguably one of the most politically controversial songs ever written in America,
this song was used as evidence by the House Committee on Un-American Activities
in questioning Lee Hayes and Pete Seeger about their supposed support for the
spread of Communism. Hayes pled the fifth, while Seeger refused to answer on
First Amendment grounds, specifically about where and for whom he had played
this song, and was found in contempt of the committee.

The song has been sung by others, most notably Peter, Paul, and Mary, who
recorded a lively version on their 1965 release "A Song Will Rise." What's
left of Jefferson Airplane has done it live in the last decade or so.
I don't believe any one version has every one of these verses, and there
are live recordings of Pete Seeger doing it by himself that has at least
one additional verse. This is an approximation of the way the song was
usually performed. The walk-downs from C majorC to A augmentedA minor are more a feature
of the Peter, Paul, and Mary version, but fit perfectly well with any
Weavers recording.

[Verse]
      C majorC        D MajorD
Our fathers bled at Valley Forge.
       C majorC    D MajorD
The snow was red with blood,
         C majorC B minorBm  A minorAm        D MajorD
Their faith was waaa-aaa-aaarm at Valley Forge,
    G+G  F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7    D MajorD
Their faaaa-aaa-aith was brother-hood.


[Chorus]
 D MajorD                A minorAm
Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time,
      D MajorD    C majorC    D MajorD
A augmentedA time to try the soul of man,
         C majorC     D MajorD
Wasn't that a terrible time?


[Verse]
        C majorC      D MajorD
Brave men who died at Gettysburg
       C majorC    D MajorD
Now lie in soldier's graves,
        C majorC   B minorBm A minorAm        D MajorD
But there they steee-eee-emmed the slavery tide,
   G+G F# minorF#m E minorEm    A7A7     D MajorD
And the-eee-ere the faith was saved.

[Chorus]
 D MajorD                A minorAm
Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time,
      D MajorD    C majorC    D MajorD
A augmentedA time to try the soul of man,
         C majorC     D MajorD
Wasn't that a terrible time?


[Verse]
       C majorC          D MajorD
The fascists came with chains and war
     C majorC   D MajorD
To prison us in hate.
      C majorC B minorBm A minorAm         D MajorD
And many a go-ooo-od man fought and died
  G+G F# minorF#m E minorEm    A7A7    D MajorD
To sa-aaa-ave the stricken faith.


[Chorus]
 D MajorD                A minorAm
Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time,
      D MajorD    C majorC    D MajorD
A augmentedA time to try the soul of man,
         C majorC     D MajorD
Wasn't that a terrible time?


[Verse]
     C majorC        D MajorD
And now again the madmen come,
        C majorC    D MajorD
And should our vic'try fail?
      C majorC  B minorBm A minorAm     D MajorD
There is no vi-iii-ic'try in a land
    G+G F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7   D MajorD
Where fre-eee-ee men go to jail.


[Chorus]
 D MajorD
Isn't this a time!
       A minorAm
Isn't this a time!
      D MajorD    C majorC    D MajorD
A augmentedA time to try the soul of man,
       C majorC    D MajorD
Isn't this a terrible time?


[Verse]
         C majorC       D MajorD
Our faith cries out we have no fear
      C majorC     D MajorD
We dare to reach our hand
     C majorC B minorBm  A minorAm        D MajorD
To other ne-eee-eighbors far and near
  G+G  F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7   D MajorD
To frie-eee-ends in every land.


[Chorus 3]
 D MajorD
Isn't this a time!
       A minorAm
Isn't this a time!
      D MajorD    C majorC    D MajorD
A augmentedA time to free the soul of man!
       C majorC     D MajorD
Isn't this a wonderful time!


[Two additional verses written by Lee Hays and sung at the 1980 Weavers reunion]

  C majorC       D MajorD
How many times we've gone to kill
   C majorC     D MajorD
In freedom's holy name.
C majorC B minorBm  A minorAm  D MajorD
And children died to save the pride
G+G  F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7   D MajorD
Of rulers without shame.

 C majorC       D MajorD
Informers took their Judas pay
C majorC     D MajorD
To tell their sorry tale
G+G  F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7   D MajorD
And gangs in Congress had their way
G+G  F# minorF#m E minorEm   A7A7   D MajorD